Art History 382 - Special Topics in Medieval Art

The Medieval Mediterranean:
Throughout its history, the Mediterranean Sea has been a space of cultural contact, confluence, and exchange: a conduit rather than a barrier. In this seminar, we will explore the interaction of the various religious and political communities of the Mediterranean Basin from the rise of Islam in the seventh century CE to the central Middle Ages, and consider how and where these connections found visual expression. Considering themes such as court culture and patronage, trade and exchange, as well as conflict and appropriation, our case studies will trace the formation of the distinctive visual cultures of the Mediterranean across diverse media, from portable objects to architecture.