Maria Alessia Rossi
I joined the Index of Medieval Art initially as a Postdoctoral Researcher, and starting in September 2019, as an Art History Specialist. I have earned my BA in History of Art from 'La Sapienza' University of Rome and my MA and PhD from The Courtauld Institute of Art.
My main research interests include medieval art and architecture in the Byzantine and Slavic cultural spheres, artistic production and patronage in the Mediterranean, cross-cultural contacts and eclecticism in art between the Eastern and Western Christian world, the role of the miraculous, image theory, and gender theory.
https://artandarchaeology.princeton.edu/people/staff/maria-alessia-rossi-
https://www.northofbyzantium.org/
My main research interests include medieval art and architecture in the Byzantine and Slavic cultural spheres, artistic production and patronage in the Mediterranean, cross-cultural contacts and eclecticism in art between the Eastern and Western Christian world, the role of the miraculous, image theory, and gender theory.
https://artandarchaeology.princeton.edu/people/staff/maria-alessia-rossi-
https://www.northofbyzantium.org/
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The comparative and interdisciplinary framework offered by this volume aims to challenge established ideas concerning the late Byzantine period such as decline, renewal, and innovation. By examining specific case studies of cultural production from within and outside Byzantium, the chapters in this volume highlight the intrinsic innovative nature of the socio-cultural identities active in the late medieval and early modern Mediterranean vis-à-vis the rhetorical assumption of the cultural contraction of the Byzantine Empire.
Articles & Essays
propaganda, miracle accounts, and monumental art’ examines how Andronikos II’s efforts to heal the divisions inside the Byzantine Empire, and specifically within the Orthodox Church, managed to create a less acrimonious atmosphere, ushering in the flourishing of the arts and letters. This contribution aims to suggest an innovative reading of this period through the examination of miracles in both monumental decoration and written accounts. Maria Alessia Rossi traces back the widespread interest in miracles to the cultural milieu surrounding Andronikos, and explains their proliferation in connection to the anti-Latin propaganda of the Orthodox Church.
The Medieval Review 17.12.29
Conference Presentations
Conferences
For details about the Symposium, please see the attachment and check the event web page at https://ima.princeton.edu/conferences/
The comparative and interdisciplinary framework offered by this volume aims to challenge established ideas concerning the late Byzantine period such as decline, renewal, and innovation. By examining specific case studies of cultural production from within and outside Byzantium, the chapters in this volume highlight the intrinsic innovative nature of the socio-cultural identities active in the late medieval and early modern Mediterranean vis-à-vis the rhetorical assumption of the cultural contraction of the Byzantine Empire.
propaganda, miracle accounts, and monumental art’ examines how Andronikos II’s efforts to heal the divisions inside the Byzantine Empire, and specifically within the Orthodox Church, managed to create a less acrimonious atmosphere, ushering in the flourishing of the arts and letters. This contribution aims to suggest an innovative reading of this period through the examination of miracles in both monumental decoration and written accounts. Maria Alessia Rossi traces back the widespread interest in miracles to the cultural milieu surrounding Andronikos, and explains their proliferation in connection to the anti-Latin propaganda of the Orthodox Church.
The Medieval Review 17.12.29
For details about the Symposium, please see the attachment and check the event web page at https://ima.princeton.edu/conferences/
One and a half day Symposium & Workshop, held at the University of Birmingham
Friday 24th (14:00) - Saturday 25th February 2017 (17:00)
This one day and a half conference combines a symposium and a workshop. The aim is to examine and contextualise the artistic and cultural production of the geopolitical centres that were controlled by or in contact with the late Byzantine Empire. This conference will explore the many intellectual implications that are encoded in the innovative artistic production of the Palaiologan Era often simplified by a rigid understanding of what is Byzantine and what is not.
The programme, further information and details of how to book can be found at:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/reconsidering-the-concept-of-decline-and-the-arts-of-the-palaiologan-era-tickets-29791604491
The aim is to
examine and contextualise the artistic and cultural production of the geopolitical centres
that were controlled by or in contact with the late Byzantine Empire, such as the Adriatic
and Balkan regions, the major islands of Cyprus and Crete, and the regions surrounding the
cities of Constantinople, Thessaloniki, and Mystras. This conference will explore the many
intellectual implications that are encoded in the innovative artistic production of the
Palaiologan Era often simplified by a rigid understanding of what is Byzantine and what is
not.
In its last centuries, the political entity of the Empire of the Romaioi released cultural and
artistic energies migrating towards new frontiers of intellectual achievements. The intent is
to counter-balance the innovation of these works of art with the notion of decline and the
narrative of decay frequently acknowledged for this period; and to promote an
understanding of transformation where previous cultural heritages were integrated into
new socio-political orders.
The Symposium – hosted on the afternoon of the 24 and the morning of the 25 February -
will bring together established scholars, early-career scholars, and postgraduate students.
Three keynotes will provide the methodological framework for the discussion; while the
selected papers will focus solely on the visual expressions and cultural trajectories of the
artworks produced during the late Palaiologan Era.
The Workshop, hosted on the afternoon of the 25 February, will offer the opportunity to
further the discussion in a more informal setting and for a selected number of Master
students to interact and offer brief presentations.
Postgraduate students and early-career scholars are invited to submit proposals for twentyminute
papers on art and architecture history, material culture, visual aspects of
palaeography and codicology, and gender studies.
Topics may include but are not limited to:
- Gift exchange in view of diplomatic missions or dynastic marriages both within the
Empire and with its neighbours
- Visual evidence of the interaction between the Emperor and the Patriarch
- Innovations in the visual agenda of the Palaiologan dynasty
- Aspects of religious iconography and visual representations of theological
controversies, i.e. Hesychasm
- Artistic patronage and manuscript production as the outcome of dynastic and
institutional interactions
- Visual and material production as the outcome of political and social
circumstances, i.e. the Zealot uprising or the Unionist policy
- Evidence of artistic exchanges in the depictions of women, men, and children
during the Palaiologan Era
In its last centuries, the political entity of the Empire of the Romaioi released cultural and artistic energies migrating towards new frontiers of intellectual achievements. The intent is to counterbalance the innovation of these works of art with the notion of decline and the narrative of decay frequently acknowledged for this period; and to promote an understanding of transformation where previous cultural heritages were integrated into new socio-political orders.
The Symposium – hosted on the afternoon of the 24 and the morning of the 25 February-will bring together established scholars, early-career scholars, and postgraduate students. Three keynotes will provide the methodological framework for the discussion; while the selected papers will focus solely on the visual expressions and cultural trajectories of the artworks produced during the late Palaiologan Era.
The Workshop, hosted on the afternoon of the 25 February, will offer the opportunity to further the discussion in a more informal setting and for a selected number of Master students to interact and offer brief presentations.
Across the Eastern and Western Christian World
“ [...] and that Giotto changed the profession of painting from Greek back into Latin, and brought it up to date.”
Cennino Cennini, The Craftsman’s Handbook, Chapter I
These words by the Italian artist Cennino Cennini, written just before the end of the fourteenth century, seem to testify to the definitive break between the Byzantine and the Western artistic traditions. Whilst studies of cultural and artistic relationships between the Catholic and Orthodox milieux during the thirteenth century are plentiful, the fourteenth century is considered as the culmination of the rupture between the two, a rupture initiated by the Fourth Crusade and the following Sack of Constantinople in 1204.
This session aims to challenge traditional assumptions about interactions between the East and the West, and explore possible points of contact between the Byzantine and the Latin traditions. Indeed, while the disastrous political and religious outcome of the Union of Lyon in 1274 seemed to presage a definitive break between the two Christian Worlds, their cultural and socio-political histories remained deeply intertwined. The Latin domination and the ongoing Franciscan missionary activities left profound traces in Constantinople and the Empire. Similarly, Byzantine merchants and scholars, as well as looted or exchanged artefacts, travelled to the West, influencing Latin culture and creating new artistic trends.
From an art historical point of view, it is commonly acknowledged that while fourteenth-century Western artists explored three-dimensionality, Byzantine art maintained an abstract character. However, visual evidence demonstrates that similar changes occurred in both Eastern and Western art at this time: the number of figures increases, architectural settings become more detailed and multiple episodes are adopted to expound a narrative that was previously encapsulated in one scene only. Are these changes linked? What are the similarities and dissimilarities?
Scholars within the field of late medieval Western and Byzantine history and art history are invited to submit proposals for twenty-minute papers. We propose a loose understanding of the fourteenth century that includes the end of the thirteenth and the beginning of the fifteenth to better contextualise the session’s findings. Topics may include but are not restricted to:
Contacts between Eastern and Western merchants, patrons, and artists
Diplomatic embassies, marriage alliances, and gift exchange between the Eastern and Western Christian world
Eastern scholars emigrating to the West and vice versa
Instances of comparison between specific monumental decorations across East and West
Examples of Orthodox churches build in the West or Catholic churches in the East, their influences and effects
The proliferation of more developed narratives and secondary hagiographical cycles
The increase in the number of figures and the role of architectural settings within the narrative
Please send papers’ titles, abstracts of 250 words and a 100-word biography by September 21, 2015 to:
Maria Alessia Rossi: Mariaalessia.rossi@courtauld.ac.uk and Livia Lupi: ll546@york.ac.uk