Lawrence Nees - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Lawrence Nees

Edinburgh University Press eBooks, May 17, 2021

Palgrave Macmillan US eBooks, 2007

Acknowledgements ix Preface on Sources xiii List of Illustrations xvi 1 Introduction 1 2 The Earl... more Acknowledgements ix Preface on Sources xiii List of Illustrations xvi 1 Introduction 1 2 The Earliest Mosque in Jerusalem 5 3 The Problem of "Arculf" and the Earliest Mosque in Jerusalem 33 4 The Dome of the Chain: An Essay in Interpretation 58 5 The Columns and Eagle Capitals in the Dome of the Rock 100 6 Conclusion: Crossing Borders 144 Bibliography 163 Index 186 centuries in the Eastern Mediterranean)," on the topic "Muslim, Jewish and Christian traditions in the art of seventh-century Jerusalem," a concise presentation of some material from Chapter 4 and from the Conclusion of this book. I am profoundly grateful to all who invited me to present my ideas about aspects of early Islamic art, and to those who offered helpful suggestions, criticisms, comments, and encouragement to continue. Some portions of this book have appeared previously, generally in earlier versions or in abbreviated form in the following publications: One section of Chapter 3 appeared as "Insular Latin sources,

Oxford Art Online, Jul 9, 2012

The Jewish Quarterly Review, 2018

Studies in Iconography, 2017

Catholic Historical Review, 2006

Catholic Historical Review, 2005

Early Medieval Bible Illumination and the Ashburnham Pentateuch. By Dorothy Verkerk. (New York: C... more Early Medieval Bible Illumination and the Ashburnham Pentateuch. By Dorothy Verkerk. (New York: Cambridge University Press. 2004. Pp. x, 262; 36 black-and-white illustrations. $75.00.) It is important to recognize -what the book is not, and what it is. The title suggests two major topics, and is misleading about both. This is not a general study of early medieval illumination in any broad sense, placing the Ashburnham Pentateuch into that much larger story. This is also not a monograph on the famous Old Testament book that for roughly one thousand years was treasured and studied in Tours, whence it was stolen by the infamous Guglielmo Libri, or about its illustrations. Although Verkerk reproduces all eighteen of the large miniatures contained in the book, the scale is very small; all are in black and white only, and the quality of the reproductions is, I am sorry to say, very disappointing. The best reproductions, and the only in color, are on the dust jacket, which of course will be removed in libraries. Verkerk's book is not a good place to see the miniatures, as one might expect from a monographic publication, nor to find a description and discussion of all of them, for although all are illustrated, most are never discussed at all. Similarly, although many aspects of the book are considered, including texts and palaeography, these topics are treated very summarily; there is no usable description of the volume. This book might more accurately have been titled something like "Essays on the Ashburnham Pentateuch." It presents a useful series of concise essays springing from particular issues presented by some of the miniatures themselves and by previous scholarship. One chapter is devoted to the long-popular theory that the illustrations reflect Jewish sources, either literary or pictorial. One chapter gives an overview of the manuscript's history and contents. Two chapters attempt to localize the production of the book in Rome, the first arguing that the city was not so impoverished as often understood and was thus able to provide the resources for such a project, and the second making a specific argument that the Ashburnham Pentateuch has features best explained by a Roman origin. The last chapter argues that the book and its illustrations envisaged a primarily clerical audience, most likely deacons, who used it in connection with the preparation of other deacons, and ultimately of catechumens. The two chapters at the heart of the book, offering some of its most effective material, are devoted to a close reading of a few of the miniatures, the Creation, the Deluge, the opening of the Ark and Noah's offering, the Crossing of the Red Sea, Moses receiving and reading the Law above the Tabernacle, Cain and Abel, and Jacob and Esau. These chapters are full of interesting observations and plausible explanations based on textual and liturgical sources. For example, Verkerk effectively notes the emphasis on altars in the Noah and Moses scenes, and suggestively links these with liturgical ceremonies and typological significance. In both images the altar is equipped with chalices and/or bread, recalling the current Christian liturgy rather than following the specifications of the Old Testament texts. In both scenes the men at the altar are dressed in white, an unusual costume within the manuscript as a whole, suggesting typological connections with Christian clergy. In the Moses miniature, the Levites standing behind him number seven, which Verkerk connects with the seven deacons established by the apostles in Acts 6, and also with the seven deacons and diaconates of the church in early medieval Rome. As Verkerk describes it, the Tabernacle of the Exodus scene does not follow the textual description but instead appears to represent a Christian church, the central object being not the Ark of the Covenant but a draped Christian altar. In effect the composition recalls the sixth-century mosaic of Abel and Melchisedec in San Vitale, Ravenna, which provides not only a visual parallel but also a similar anachronistic, and typological, association of Old Testament figures with a Christian altar. …

Quintana: revista de estudios do Departamento de Historia da Arte, 2006

Dumbarton Oaks papers, 1987

Dans le poeme " Contra iudices ", Theodulphe d'Orleans decrit un vase classique rep... more Dans le poeme " Contra iudices ", Theodulphe d'Orleans decrit un vase classique representant les travaux d'Hercule (l'A. pense que ce vase est fictif). Pour le passage concernant Hercule et Cacus, Theodulphe s'inspire manifestement de Virgile, Eneide VIII, et d'Augustin d'Hippone, Cite de Dieu XIX, 12| Theodulphe s'aligne sur Augustin dans sa condamnation du paganisme, attitude qui n'exclut pas l'usage des sources paiennes

... Orvell Contemporary Photography WESTERN SCULPTURE Sculpture 1900-1945 Penelope Curtis Sculptu... more ... Orvell Contemporary Photography WESTERN SCULPTURE Sculpture 1900-1945 Penelope Curtis Sculpture Since 1945 Andrew Causey THEMES AND GENRES Landscape and Western Art Malcolm Andrews Portraiture Shearer West Eroticism and Art Alyce Mahon Beauty ...

SBL Press eBooks, Oct 29, 2018

Gesta, 1978

after the appearance of Werner's article has unearthed a work which provides a better and mor... more after the appearance of Werner's article has unearthed a work which provides a better and more convincing prototype for the Book of Durrow Four Evangelist Symbols page than Werner's hypothetical reconstructed Coptic source. However, before turning to the analysis of that work, Werner's theory will be reviewed on its own terms, since it accords with and lends support to other assertions of the importance of Coptic art for the development of Insular and early medieval art in