COLLECTION NAME:
Graduate Thesis Collection
Record
Title:
Good' and 'bad' women in The Luttrell psalter : reflections of a patron's ideal
Creator:
DeSanctis, Francesca
Subject:
Thesis (M.A.) -- Art History
Subject:
Savannah College of Art and Design -- Department of Art History
Rights:
Copyright is retained by the authors or artists of items in this collection, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.
Abstract:
"The Luttrell Psalter, created between the years 1320-1345, presents one of the most elaborately decorated books to come out of the English Middle Ages. Its imaginative marginal designs offer a glimpse into a society still influenced by feudal law and controlled by an increasingly paranoid aristocracy. The illustrations in The Psalter juxtaposed with representations of the Luttrell household, medieval religious iconography, and phantasmal creatures tell a story of its patron and his idealized society. While there has been much analysis done regarding the representations of the English medieval countryside that populate the Psalter’s pages, very little analysis has been done on roles of women represented throughout the narratives, including scenes representing the patron’s daughter Elizabeth, the distorted images of female sexuality represented by flowing headpieces called Devil’s Sails and other garments, and representations of Queen Isabella of France and her lover Sir Roger Mortimer.
Using feminist analysis regarding what constitutes a ‘good’ or ‘bad’ woman in medieval art to critique the main types of depictions listed above reveals a new understanding of women in The Luttrell Psalter. Sir Geoffrey’s romanticized and disparaging views of women takes visual form and echoes the stereotype of an idealized woman held by English medieval society."
Using feminist analysis regarding what constitutes a ‘good’ or ‘bad’ woman in medieval art to critique the main types of depictions listed above reveals a new understanding of women in The Luttrell Psalter. Sir Geoffrey’s romanticized and disparaging views of women takes visual form and echoes the stereotype of an idealized woman held by English medieval society."
Abstract:
*Keywords: Sir Geoffrey Luttrell, The Luttrell Psalter, Psalter, Devil’s Sails, Queen Isabella of France, Sir Roger Mortimer
Publisher:
Savannah, Georgia : Savannah College of Art and Design
Date:
2015-03
Format:
PDF, 71 pages : color illustrations