1 Exceptions and Assumptions: Women in Medieval Art History

Abstract

This volume is a direct response to the dearth of women in the history of medieval art. Jenifer Ni Ghradaigh draws on law tracts to argue that early medieval Irish embroidery had equivalent high status for women as manuscript-making did for men. It begins with Katrin Kogman-Appel's analysis of prayer books and their implications for the literacy of Jewish women in the later Middle Ages throughout the realms of Europe.The volume continues with Piety and Power, in which creations of a spiritual or religious nature contribute to the earthly power of the owner. Finally, it concludes with a section dedicated to Memory and Motherhood, two areas traditionally associated with women. The studies in this volume allow one to draw some preliminary conclusions about the central position of art and architecture within the strategies of medieval women, particularly as they interacted with men. Keywords:art and architecture; Assumptions; dearth of women; Exceptions; history of medieval art; Jenifer Ni Ghradaigh; Katrin Kogman-Appel; Piety and Power