Week 9: decentering the Renaissance and otherness | Quizlet

How does the GM approach challenge the perpetuation of the centrism of the west?

By investigating the cultural connections during the renaissance in themselves rather than purely focusing on how they connect to the west

How is Mamluk metal significant when looking at the global Mediterranean?

- imitation of Mamluk metals in Italian and Chinese objects and artworks

- Mamluk artefacts can be traced back to many different regions, e.g Africa (Yemen), Europe (Paris), wider Mediterranean

- wide, global appeal for Mamluk material -> broader, non Eurocentric appeal

Why is the Asante Jug a notable example when discussing decentering the renaissance?

- 14th century British jug made in Tudor England

- ended up in west Africa

- looted by the British and ended up back in England

-> exemplifies west African trade connections to England, making us rethink Africa's role in trade connections in the 14th century

Why is the Asante bowl a notable example when discussing decentering the renaissance?

- not of Mamluk origin despite having Mamluk decorative features

- appropriation/imitation of Mamluk metalware in non-Mamluk contexts of production

- west African imitation of Mamluk bowls

-> brass from which it's made also shows elaborate trade connections due to it coming from vastly different places

What do the Kongo ivories show about the portrayal of the Portuguese? Name specific motifs that exemplify this

interpretation A:

purely decorative features

Interpretation B:

Spatial frames (geometric frames engraved into the ivory): dividers between life and afterlife, or geographic distinction between living high up vs lower down the valley -> also an indication of hierarchy

Spirals: a symbol of the return from death and continuation of life and afterlife

Within the spirals textile designs/maps: specific textiles associated to noble people. These textiles were gifted and allowed to be worn by the Portuguese, showing a perception of the Portuguese as part of a higher social strata

Why are new relational ethics important when discussing decentering the renaissance?

- puts into question the ownership of narratives

- shift away from Eurocentric concepts to local reclamation of a culture's objects

- incorporation of non-eurocentric cultural memories

- reinstating the value and wealth of non European trade

- decentering away from the effects of European colonisation

- awareness of the impact of the slave trade

How does sub-Saharan trade challenge the traditional narrative of the renaissance?

- gold was exchanged for salt

-> salt also viewed as a luxury

- emphasis of African strategic agency in the gold trade with Europe and other cultures

- use of gold within the local communities and own cultural practices

- trade was not unilateral

How does 'the roped pot' and 'seated figure' from Nigeria challenge Eurocentric notions of African art?

The roped pot -> used lost wax method which was mostly only associated to Europe

Seated figure -> naturalism and artistry, initially not accepted or recognised as being African because of the skill of hand which Europeans didn't associate with African art

How might Benin cultures have interpreted the arrival of the Portuguese? Which examples could illustrate this?

- "the Portuguese as ancestral beings from another world"

- Benin culture emphasises the importance of white skin and water as being part of the afterlife -> hence relation to the Portuguese as ancestors coming back from the dead

Examples:

- Benin plaque

-> depiction of the Portuguese on gateway to the afterlife, like a sacred or guarding feature

- Kongo textiles for the Portuguese

-> hierarchical function of textiles, hierarchy related to the afterlife

- Benin saltcellar made for the Portuguese

-> depictions of Portuguese figures as bearded, bony, skinny and in transitory states. Realistic portrayal of the Portuguese due to their direct contact with the Portuguese

- pendant mask and mudfish

-> live both on land and in the water

-> seem like they return from the dead

How does Sapi/Janus imagery and their water genies relate to Portuguese portrayals as Other? In what way is portrayal indirect or direct?

- Direct reference through the presence of funny hats

- Linked with ideas of afterlife, death, ancestry

- objects made specifically for the Portuguese

What does the Miracle of the Black Leg showcase about European notions of race in the renaissance period?

- The use of a black leg to heal a white man may show less of a focus on colour as a separating difference and instead on religion

-> Christian unity: the body that was amputated from is said to have come from sacred Christian soil

- it was only once the salve trade was well established that skin colour started to be more associated with discrimination

Which contextual features also show a religious unity between African and European culture?

Church of Ethiopia collaborating with the Roman Catholic Church. Eventually this fell through but it is still a suggestion that there was a desire for unification between these regions

What does Schultz mean when by: 'Studying Mamluk metalwork from a transcultural perspective can thus provide us with a better understanding of familiar topics, including a new and more inclusive conception of the role of antiquity and antique objects during the Italian Renaissance.' (p. 193)

transcultural perspective

• Mamluk metalwork, when studied through a global rather than Eurocentric lens, reveals the deep interconnectedness of artistic traditions.

• The Italian Renaissance did not develop in isolation but was shaped by cross-cultural exchanges, particularly with the Islamic world.

Antiquity in the Renaissance:

• Schulz challenges the idea that Renaissance artists solely derived inspiration from Greco-Roman antiquity.

• Mamluk metalwork, with its inscriptions, motifs, and techniques, was highly valued and even repurposed in Italy, showing a broader definition of what "antiquity" meant in the Renaissance context.

Inclusivity:

• Recognizing the role of Mamluk craftsmanship in Italy allows for a more inclusive art history that acknowledges the contributions of non-European artisans and materials to the Renaissance.

Two examples of how studying Mamluk metalwork can broaden our understanding of artistic interactions during the renaissance

• Mamluk metal objects were traded, gifted, and repurposed across Afro-Eurasia, showing a complex network of artistic influence beyond Europe.

• Example: The incorporation of Arabic inscriptions in Italian reliquaries suggests an active appreciation and reuse of Islamic objects rather than passive exoticization.

Example 2: Adaptation of Mamluk Techniques in Europe

• Italian metalworkers imitated or repurposed Mamluk inlay techniques, which influenced European decorative arts.

• This counters the narrative that European art evolved independently, highlighting artistic interactions across cultures.

What are the museological implications of studying Mamluk metalware in a transcultural perspective?

Reframing Museum Displays:

• Mamluk metalwork in European collections should not be viewed solely as "Islamic" or "foreign," but as part of shared artistic histories.

• Museums should highlight transcultural exchanges rather than presenting objects in isolated cultural categories.

Provenance and Ethical Considerations:

• Investigating how Mamluk objects entered European collections (e.g., through trade, war, or colonial appropriation) helps address historical biases.

Curatorial Practices:

• Displaying Mamluk works alongside European Renaissance pieces rather than in separate Islamic art sections challenges artificial divisions in art history.

Why might the term global renaissance be problematic according to Schultz? What does she propose instead?

• The term "Global Renaissance" risks reinforcing a European-centric framework by extending Renaissance exceptionalism globally rather than recognizing decentralized artistic developments.

Alternative View:

• Instead of framing global artistic interactions as part of "the Renaissance," Schulz argues for a more nuanced approach that acknowledges multiple artistic centers and trajectories.

Why is the period ca. 1492 in African art 'particularly interesting to explore from the perspective of stranger ideation and issues of European otherness'?

• The period around 1492 was a time of significant contact between Africans and Europeans, particularly the Portuguese, due to expanding trade networks and European maritime exploration.

• This contact led to new representations of Europeans in African art, especially in ivory carvings. The Portuguese were perceived as both powerful and otherworldly, and African artistic depictions reflected this duality—sometimes portraying them as ancestors, spirits, or figures with supernatural qualities.

• This period also marked the beginning of deeper economic and political entanglements, including the transatlantic slave trade.

What were the African beliefs about death, regeneration, and the afterworld that shaped their representations of the Portuguese?

• Many African societies viewed death as a transition rather than an end, with the afterlife being an extension of social existence.

• Spirits of the dead were believed to influence the living, and ancestors played an active role in guiding their descendants.

• The Portuguese, arriving from across the sea (often associated with the spiritual world), were sometimes interpreted within this framework.

• Their pale skin, unfamiliar attire, and perceived wealth contributed to their association with spirits or the afterlife. Some ivories depict the Portuguese with skeletal features, emphasizing their connection to both death and rebirth.

What 'provocative insights do [African ivories] encode about exchange between Africans and Europeans during the initial period of contact'?

• Blier challenges Eurocentric views of early globalization by showing that African ivories encode a reciprocal exchange of ideas, not just a one-sided European influence.

• These objects reflect a "Global Mediterranean" where African, Islamic, and European cultures interacted in meaningful ways. Rather than merely portraying Europeans, African artists used ivory as a medium to negotiate power, identity, and cross-cultural dynamics.

Can skin colour be seen as 'a determining characteristic of race' in early fifteenth-century Florence?

• Nethersole questions whether skin colour was a primary factor in defining racial identity in Florence before 1450. He highlights that while Florentine art and records acknowledge differences in skin colour, race had not yet become a rigid, hierarchical concept.

• He argues that religion mattered more than skin colour in determining identity and inclusion. This is evident in the representation of Black African figures in Florentine art—while they were recognized as physically distinct, their status and perception were more influenced by whether they were Christian or non-Christian.

• His conclusion on p. 257—"Could religion [...] then, have mattered more than skin colour?"—suggests that religious identity, rather than pigmentation, was the primary factor shaping perceptions of otherness.

What is the story of the miracle of the black leg?

• The Miracle of the Black Leg was a popular legend in Christian art where a diseased leg of a white Christian patient was miraculously replaced with a healthy black leg from a recently deceased donor.

Why was the rise of transatlantic slavery a turning point in European views on race and skin colour?

• Nethersole identifies the transatlantic slave trade as a key shift in European racial thinking. Before this, differences in skin colour were noted, but they did not rigidly determine social status.

• However, as the transatlantic slave trade expanded in the late 15th and 16th centuries, blackness became increasingly linked to enslavement, inferiority, and permanent servitude.

• This marked a fundamental change:

◦ Blackness, once primarily associated with non-Christianity (a status that could be changed through conversion), became fixed as a racial marker of subjugation.

◦ This shift laid the foundation for modern racial ideologies, where skin colour alone became a justification for social hierarchy.

How do later artworks—Isidro de Villoldo's The Miracle of the Black Leg and Botticelli's Story of Lucretia—reflect these changing racial attitudes?

• Isidro de Villoldo's The Miracle of the Black Leg (fig. 17)

◦ Unlike Fra Angelico's version, which emphasizes Christian unity, Villoldo's later depiction shows a greater visual contrast between black and white figures, reinforcing racial difference.

◦ The black donor is positioned in a way that suggests servitude, reflecting emerging racial ideologies that associated blackness with social subordination.

• Sandro Botticelli's Story of Lucretia (fig. 18)

◦ Botticelli's work similarly reflects evolving racial hierarchies. In his depiction of Lucretia's story (a classical Roman narrative), a black figure is placed at the margins, suggesting a shift toward representing blackness as an indicator of social difference or outsider status.