Visual rhetoric: Images of saracens in florentine churches

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

2 Scopus citations

Abstract

This paper focuses on the encounter between the Christian and the Islamic worlds as it appears in Florentine churches. It explores images of Muslims connected to the ideas of mission, conversion and crusade as they appear in the oral and visual traditions. Crusading sympathy in Tuscany, particularly in Florence, had a long history, going back to the twelfth century. The role of the mendicant orders, established in the great convents of Santa Croce and Santa Maria Novella, was crucial in winning sympathy for the crusades. This tradition continued in the fifteenth century, after the fall of Constantinople, when Florence openly voiced support for papal crusading efforts and participated in fund-raising for the crusade. The main supporters of crusade propaganda in Florence were the Franciscan and Dominican preachers, who acted as virtual papal envoys, continuing a tradition of mendicant crusade sermons. These movements also developed special types of artworks, either painting or sculptures in order to disseminate their religious ideals. The usage of rhetoric and preaching, the interrelations between word and image, the artistic and literary traditions, artworks and sermons will be a central focus of essay.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)7-28
Number of pages22
JournalAnuario de Estudios Medievales
Volume42
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 23 Jul 2012

Keywords

  • Andrea da Firenze
  • Art
  • Benedetto da Maiano
  • Crusade propaganda
  • Preaching
  • Santa Croce
  • Santa Maria Novella
  • Saracens

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • History

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Visual rhetoric: Images of saracens in florentine churches'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this