Embroidery and its early medieval audience

A Case Study of Sensory Engagement

Dados Bibliográficos

ID3919822
AutoresAlexandra Lester-Makin (0000-0002-6871-5745, independent scholar, autor correspondente)
Ano2020
Volume52
Fascículo2
Páginas298-312
Data de publicação2020-03-14
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessNão
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoWorld Archaeology (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 0043-8243 • E-ISSN: 1470-1375
EditoraInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/00438243.2020.1835530
OpenAlexW3111432347
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas2
Referências citadas24

Embroidery made and used in early medieval England (c. 450–1100) was considered fine art. Today 43 surviving examples known or believed to have been made in early medieval England have been stylistically and technically analysed, and placed within chronological timeframes. Recently the embroideries and their makers’ positions within early medieval society have also been explored, and ‘life’ biographies have been written for some pieces. Until now, the viewers’ experiences of encountering and interacting with embroidery have never been fully investigated. This paper uses sensory archaeology as a technique to access the early medieval ‘mindset’ in order to explore how people actually engaged with embroidery as opposed to what each piece was meant to show or tell them. The early 10th-century embroidered stole and maniple, which were rediscovered in the tomb of St Cuthbert in Durham Cathedral in the 19th century, are used as a case study

Aesthetics · Art · Cognitive psychology · Media studies · Sensory system · Sociology · Visual arts · Archaeology and Rock Art Studies · Communication · History · Medieval Literature and History · Psychology · Visual Culture and Art Theory