Ancient, Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque Art and Architecture Commons^™

Two Wrestlers: An Unrealized Herculean Pendant To Michelangelo’S David, Theodore Mayberry

Knowledge and Creativity Expo

Following the completion of Michelangelo’s David 1504, Gonfalonier Piero Soderini presented the emerging Florentine artist with a proposal for a second statue on behalf of Florence’s government: a statue of Hercules to stand alongside the David at the entrance of the Palazzo Vecchio. Michelangelo readily accepted, however the commission never came to be; what remains of Michelangelo’s vision for the Herculean pendant now resides in the Casa Buonarroti Museum of Florence: a rough terracotta model of Hercules and Cacus. Upon review of the scholarship documenting Michelangelo’s unrealized Hercules as well as his David, an intriguing pattern can be observed …

The Evolution Of The Divine Feminine: How Religious Upheaval Changed Female Devotions, Nicole M. Honeycutt

Institute for the Humanities Master's Papers, Projects, and Capstones

The transformation in the depiction of women in Christian religious art from pre-Reformation through the Counter-Reformation mirrored and molded shifting theological, cultural, and gender paradigms. While much scholarship has addressed the symbolic and doctrinal significance of female figures in sacred imagery, less attention has been paid to how such portrayals influenced women’s own devotional experiences and sense of spiritual agency. This study argues that the religious imagery was not merely a passive reflection of male-dominated ecclesiastical values, but an evolving communicative medium through which women could engage with and reshape their spiritual roles. By analyzing key artworks, patronage trends, and …

Hieronymus Bosch’S Dismantled Triptych As A Moralizing Guide For Reforming The Catholic Church, Heather Thurston

Institute for the Humanities Theses

This thesis expands on the current interpretation of a dismantled triptych by the Dutch painter Hieronymus Bosch, which includes four extant panels: Ship of Fools, Allegory of Intemperance, Death and the Miser, and The Wayfarer. Current scholarship claims that the paintings warn viewers against various sins. This thesis argues that the triptych was specifically directed toward the Catholic Church and functions as a commentary on the potential consequences of their sins. This new reading will become clear by examining and connecting its unorthodox iconography to the tumultuous religious climate at the turn of the sixteenth century …

Centuripe Ceramic Workshops And Their Distinct Funerary Vases, Avery Keys

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Ancient pottery from Centuripe, Sicily made during the Hellenistic period is an outlier when compared to most other red-figure, black slipped ceramics from Magna Graecia. Most Southern Italian and Sicilian vases have a distinct ornate style to them that was not a long lasting design choice in other Greek ceramic workshops. Funerary vases excavated in Centuripe's tombs provide a large collection of elaborate, decorative pottery that is not replicated anywhere else. Centuripean pottery was tempera painted with bright polychromatic colors. This unique quality of the ceramic ware has led scholars to focus on the color palette, the painted subject matters, …

From Donatello To Michelangelo: A Franciscan Angel, Kayla M. Bruce

Institute for the Humanities Theses

During the Italian Renaissance, images of angels and of the Virgin Mary were incredibly commonplace and were often used to denote the Virgin in her role as prophetess. The Virgin was often shown surrounded by angels in the background or flanking her on either side. However, in the fifteenth century, a motif appeared where an angel head was depicted on either the Virgin’s diadem or on her chest as a decorative brooch. This specific motif only appeared in images of the Virgin and the Christ Child. It was also only employed by Florentine artists and began with the Florentine sculptor, …

Tintoretto: Painting In The Chaotic Reformations, Summer Markham

OUR Journal: ODU Undergraduate Research Journal

The following essay investigates Tintoretto’s, a Venetian artist during the 16^th century, artist techniques in his painting the Last Supper and how the period is reflected within it. For instance, the chiaroscuro and sfumato techniques in the painting are used to allude the darkness surrounding the self-indulgence, financial abuses, and religious corruption during the Counter-Reformation. Research of underlying symbolism and historical events further reveal how the Last Supper reflects the dark, confusing time that Europe was in during the Counter-Reformation. Understanding the Last Supper and understanding it’s historical context aids in the ability to observe the emotions during that …

Hieronymus Bosch's Dismantled Triptych And The 'Devotio Moderna', Mary E. Tippett

Institute for the Humanities Theses

Flemish painter Jeroen van Aken, better known as Hieronymus Bosch, created a triptych depicting the folly of humanity. This dismantled triptych includes the Ship of Fools, the Allegory of Intemperance, the Death of the Miser, and the Rotterdam Wayfarer, completed between 1500 and 1510. Throughout his career, Bosch explored a peculiar take on the traditional forms of wellknown religious motifs throughout Renaissance Europe by populating his scenes with fantastical creatures and monsters. Scholars have long since suggested that these forms were inspired by illuminated manuscripts. However, scholars provided no explanation as to why these texts drew …

Caravaggio’S Faith And Good Works: A New Interpretation Of Saint Jerome Writing, And Its Implications About The Artist, Louis Berbert

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Over the past one-hundred years, much effort has been given to the analysis and interpretation of the many paintings produced by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio during his short lifetime. Unfortunately, many of the artist’s works have gone vastly understudied, such as his Saint Jerome Writing, completed in 1606. Several scholars have touched on the painting briefly over the years, such as Howard Hibbard, who suggests in his 1985 monograph, Caravaggio, that the piece touches on the transiency of life, as well as Sybille Ebert- Schifferer, who adds in her 2009 book, Caravaggio: The Artist and His Work, that …

Late Bronze Age To Early Iron Age Ceramic Vases: The Documentation And Identification Of Odu's Cypriot Vase Collection, Jordan L. Staten, Sekoyah M. Mcglorn, Noelle E. Jessup

Undergraduate Research Symposium

ODU's Special Collections department has in its care a collection of five Cypriot vases, dating to the late Bronze Age or Early Iron Age on the island of Cyprus. The vases in Special Collections and University Archives came to ODU in 1968 from Dudley Cooper, who received them from the government of Cypress in 1963. This collection has never been studied intensively before. As a group, we have drawn to scale, measured, photographed, and created three-dimensional renderings of each vase in the collection. Through careful documentation of the vases, we have been able to identify reasonable comparanda for them among …

Titian’S Poesie: The Visual Allegories Of Morality And Religion, Holli M. Turner

Institute for the Humanities Theses

Venetian painter Tiziano Vecellio, more commonly referred to as Titian, created a cycle of mythological paintings based on scenes from Ovid’s Metamorphoses for King Philip II of Spain. These works are often viewed through an eroticized lens due to this inclusion of nude mortals and goddesses. This thesis argues for the cycle’s moral and religious significance for Philip by utilizing comparative iconography, scholarly texts, and translated allegorical material.

It’S Elementary: The Bayeux Tapestry As A Medieval Educational Tool, Sarah Bulger

OUR Journal: ODU Undergraduate Research Journal

The Bayeux Tapestry, a 230-foot-long, 950-year-old Anglo-Norman embroidery has baffled historians resulting in extensive (and diverse) scholarship since its rediscovery in the eighteenth century. The Bayeux Tapestry plays a preeminent role (outside of contemporaneous manuscripts and texts) in deciphering aspects of medieval life in England through its visual representation of the age of the Norman Conquest. Long-standing assumptions about the Bayeux Tapestry’s commission, production, and purpose have accumulated through the years based on a single inventory document from 1476 postulating its intended location and function as a religious ornament for Bayeux Cathedral. Modern academics have explored themes readily visible …

Oh, Susanna: Exploring Artemisia’S Most Painted Heroine, Kerry Kilburn

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Artemisia Gentileschi (1593-1656?) was a rare female Baroque artist who successfully established herself in the field of narrative history paintings. Her work included several series of paintings representing variations on a single theme. Her “Susanna and the Elders” series is unique among these: it contains the largest number of paintings executed over the longest period of time with no repetition of image types. This series exemplifies Artemisia’s practice of portraying heroic female protagonists and her narrative originality. Her potential identification with the character of Susanna moreover has allowed Artemisia to create a series of rare insight and nuance.

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Preliminary Report On The 2014 Field Season Of The American Excavations At Morgantina: Contrada Agnese Project (Cap), Alex Walthall, Randall Souza, Jared Benton

Art Faculty Publications

This article provides a preliminary report on the 2014 excavations carried out by the American Excavations at Morgantina (Sicily): Contrada Agnese Project (CAP). The 2014 season was the second year of this multiyear research and excavation project aimed at investigating both the urban planning of the city and the lives of its residents, with a specific focus on the periods of occupation and cultural transformation from the third to first century BCE. During the second season, three trenches were excavated in the area corresponding to Lot One of the urban insula W13/14S. This preliminary report presents the significant stratigraphic units …

Recenti Scavi A Morgantina: Il Progetto Contrada Agnese (2013-2014), J. Benton, R. Gorham, J. F. Huemoeller, L. A. Lieberman, D. Massey, A. Smalling, R. Souza, A. Truetzel, D. A. Walthall

Art Faculty Publications

Il gruppo Progetto Contrada Agnese (CAP) di American Excavations at Morgantina (AEM) ha iniziato nel 2013 un progetto di ricerca e scavo pluriennale, che si concentra su un'area probabilmente residenziale ubicata nella parte Ovest di Morgantina. Basandosi parzialmente sui risultati di una ricognizione geofisica effettuata nel 2012, lo scavo sta gia facendo venire alla luce i contorni e i partico-lari di un isolato situato lontano dal lusso e dalla grandezza dell'agorà. In questa nota si presentano le scoperte chiave delle stagioni 2013 e 2104 del progetto, con un'interpretazione preliminare dei dati di scavo e, in aggiunta, un resoconto dei progressi …

Preliminary Report On The 2013 Field Season Of The American Excavations At Morgantina: Contrada Agnese Project (Cap), Alex Walthall, Randall Souza, Jared Benton, James F. Huemoeller

Art Faculty Publications

This article provides a preliminary report on the 2013 excavations carried out by the American Excavations at Morgantina (Sicily): Contrada Agnese Project (CAP). The 2013 season marked the start of this multiyear research and excavation project aimed at investigating both the urban planning of the city and the lives of its residents, with a specific focus on the periods of occupation and cultural transformation from the third to first century BCE. During the first season, three trenches were excavated in two parts of the ancient city. Their locations were chosen, in part, based on the results of a geophysical survey, …

Othello's "Malignant Turk" And George Manwaring's "A True Discourse": The Cultural Politics Of A Textual Derivation, Imtiaz Habib

English Faculty Publications

A critique is presented of the play "Othello" by William Shakespeare, focusing on a reference from Othello's final speech to an incident in Aleppo, Syria that the author attributes to the manuscript essay "A True Discourse" by George Manwaring, a companion of English adventurer Sir Anthony Sherley. Early 17th century British history, Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex, and Queen Elizabeth I are mentioned, as well as references in the works to Turks and the censorship of English literature.

The Mediterranean Apprenticeship Of British Slavery, By Gustav Ungerer. Madrid: Editorial Verbum, 2008 (Book Review), Imtiaz Habib

English Faculty Publications

The article reviews the book "The Mediterranean Apprenticeship of British Slavery," by Gustav Ungerer.

Racial Impersonation On The Elizabethan Stage: The Case Of Shakespeare Playing Aaron, Imtiaz Habib

English Faculty Publications

The article focuses on the implications of playwright William Shakespeare performing racial roles himself, such as Aaron in "Titus Andronicus." Several plays are discussed, including "Titus Andronicus," "The Merchant of Venice," and "Othello." The SHAXICON database, which compiles the text of Shakespeare's plays, is the primary source of evidence to suggest Shakespeare acted in his plays. Information about race relations in Great Britain's society during Shakespeare's time is also given.

Influences Of Pre-Columbian Art In The Work Of Eduardo RamíRez Villamizar, June-Marie Lam

Institute for the Humanities Theses

Eduardo Ramirez Villamizar is a twentieth century Colombian sculptor who is, like many of his contemporaries, intent on the creation of art that is particularly Latin American in character. In pursuit of this goal, he relies on an innate spirituality and on inspiration from his visual memory. His work demonstrates an unconscious bond with artists of the Pre-Columbian societies and shows a recognized appreciation of their techniques of visual expression.

An overview of Pre-Columbian art and culture, as well as a review of the development of Latin American art with special emphasis on the art of Colombia, provide a basis …

The Renascence Of Classical Thought And Form In The Carolingian Period, Sara James Laster

Institute for the Humanities Theses

The political stability established under the rule of Charlemagne (768-814) was conducive to the flourishing of the simultaneous resurgence of art and learning. Inspired by the achievements of the Roman Empire, Charlemagne wished to give his subjects a feeling of spiritual unity, a sense of continuity with the past, and an enhanced intellectual life. The classical intellectual tradition is traced from ancient times to the Carolingian present to demonstrate that classicism was a continuum. The thesis examines the classical tradition in the intellectual life of the Carolingian period, its conscious rejuvenation in the figurative arts, and its manifestation in the …

The Influence Of Renaissance Neoplatonism On Michelangelo, Judith Carole Riley

History Theses & Dissertations

The problem of interpreting Michelangelo's art, and poetry in terms of the Renaissance philosophy of Neoplatonism has long been debated. After establishing that Michelangelo was personally acquainted with the major philosophers Marsillo Finco and Giovanni Pico della Mirandola, selected major works by the artist are analyzed as to how they illustrate the major concepts of Neoplatonism. Supporting evidence, is drawn from Michelangelo ' poetry, in which he expressed his esthetic theory, which included the Platonic system of ideal forms; a hierarchical universe; the perfectibility of the human soul through contemplation; and the exercise of human love as preparation for divine …