Medieval History
The International Center for Medieval Art
in association with the
Art History Department, University of Illinois at Chicago
and the
Department of Art and Archaeology, Washington University in St. Louis
present
The Third Annual Harvey Stahl Lecture
Opening Up the Alhambra: Comparative Consideration of a ?Unique?
Monument in the Context of Nasrid Court Life
Cynthia Robinson
Associate Professor, Cornell University
The Alhambra, the famous medieval Islamic palace located in Granada,
Spain, is often referred to as the culminating artistic achievement
of medieval ?Hispano Islamic civilization.? The dynastic seat of the
fourteenth-century Nasrid Sultanate, it is often characterized as a
?unique? monument. Yet despite the enormous body of scholarship on
the Alhambra, it is puzzling that until very recently this ensemble
has remained resistant to the sort of historically contextualized
interpretation that has unlocked the mysteries of many other medieval
monuments. Using a variety of contemporary written sources and
comparative buildings, both Islamic and Christian, this presentation
considers the Alhambra through the eyes of the audience[s] for which
it was created and sheds light on the aesthetics, courtly culture,
and literary tastes of the Nasrid court. Finally, the lecture
reaffirms the Alhambra as a distinctly Islamic palace in relation to
the medieval monuments of Christian Spain.
The Stahl lecture will be delivered twice.
Both presentations are free and open to the public.
************ ********* ******
Wednesday, September 30, 2009 at 6p.m.
Steinberg Auditorium
Sam Fox School of Art and Design, Washington University
- H. M. Chadwick Memorial Lecture 2012
The twenty-third annual H. M. Chadwick Memorial Lecture will be delivered by: Professor Michael LapidgeProfessor Emeritus, University of Cambridgeon the subject of: 'H. M. Chadwick: A Centennial Commemoration' The lecture will take...
- And Diverse Are Their Hues: Color In Islamic Art And Culture?
Scholars from around the world will explore the many uses of color in Islamic art and culture during the Third Biennial Hamad bin Khalifa Symposium on Islamic Art on Nov. 2-4 in Cordoba, Spain, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and an important center of...
- Last Week's News
Dog Sacrifices Found in Medieval Hungarian Village Medieval Droughts of Northern Europe and Beyond DNA analysis provides evidence of ancient invasion of Scotland from Ireland Medieval Islamic glass bowl fetches $2.2 million After 650 years, the wisdom...
- Symposium On Christian And Islamic Art
Here is some information on a Symposium on Christian and Islamic Art and Architecture which will take place THIS week in Leiden: http://www.hum.leidenuniv.nl/godsdienstwetenschappen/symposium-christian-and-islamic-art-and-architecture.jsp The symposium...
- The Alhambra
The Alhambra in Spain is one of those places that has managed to capture the imagination of generations. That's particularly true of Westerners, whose colder climes have made the ephemeral walls and courtyards of the Alhambra all the more enchanting....
Medieval History
Third Annual Harvey Stahl Lecture
The International Center for Medieval Art
in association with the
Art History Department, University of Illinois at Chicago
and the
Department of Art and Archaeology, Washington University in St. Louis
present
The Third Annual Harvey Stahl Lecture
Opening Up the Alhambra: Comparative Consideration of a ?Unique?
Monument in the Context of Nasrid Court Life
Cynthia Robinson
Associate Professor, Cornell University
The Alhambra, the famous medieval Islamic palace located in Granada,
Spain, is often referred to as the culminating artistic achievement
of medieval ?Hispano Islamic civilization.? The dynastic seat of the
fourteenth-century Nasrid Sultanate, it is often characterized as a
?unique? monument. Yet despite the enormous body of scholarship on
the Alhambra, it is puzzling that until very recently this ensemble
has remained resistant to the sort of historically contextualized
interpretation that has unlocked the mysteries of many other medieval
monuments. Using a variety of contemporary written sources and
comparative buildings, both Islamic and Christian, this presentation
considers the Alhambra through the eyes of the audience[s] for which
it was created and sheds light on the aesthetics, courtly culture,
and literary tastes of the Nasrid court. Finally, the lecture
reaffirms the Alhambra as a distinctly Islamic palace in relation to
the medieval monuments of Christian Spain.
The Stahl lecture will be delivered twice.
Both presentations are free and open to the public.
************ ********* ******
Wednesday, September 30, 2009 at 6p.m.
Steinberg Auditorium
Sam Fox School of Art and Design, Washington University
- H. M. Chadwick Memorial Lecture 2012
The twenty-third annual H. M. Chadwick Memorial Lecture will be delivered by: Professor Michael LapidgeProfessor Emeritus, University of Cambridgeon the subject of: 'H. M. Chadwick: A Centennial Commemoration' The lecture will take...
- And Diverse Are Their Hues: Color In Islamic Art And Culture?
Scholars from around the world will explore the many uses of color in Islamic art and culture during the Third Biennial Hamad bin Khalifa Symposium on Islamic Art on Nov. 2-4 in Cordoba, Spain, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and an important center of...
- Last Week's News
Dog Sacrifices Found in Medieval Hungarian Village Medieval Droughts of Northern Europe and Beyond DNA analysis provides evidence of ancient invasion of Scotland from Ireland Medieval Islamic glass bowl fetches $2.2 million After 650 years, the wisdom...
- Symposium On Christian And Islamic Art
Here is some information on a Symposium on Christian and Islamic Art and Architecture which will take place THIS week in Leiden: http://www.hum.leidenuniv.nl/godsdienstwetenschappen/symposium-christian-and-islamic-art-and-architecture.jsp The symposium...
- The Alhambra
The Alhambra in Spain is one of those places that has managed to capture the imagination of generations. That's particularly true of Westerners, whose colder climes have made the ephemeral walls and courtyards of the Alhambra all the more enchanting....