MD

Normore

A FEAST FOR THE EYES

Overview

  • Title: A Feast for the Eyes: Art, Performance, and the Late Medieval Banquet

  • Author: Christina Normore, Assistant Professor of Art History at Northwestern University

  • Publisher: University of Chicago Press

  • Year: Published in 2015

  • ISBNs:

    • 978-0-226-24220-0 (cloth)

    • 978-0-226-24234-7 (e-book)

Contextual Information

  • Focus on the cultural practices related to feasts in Late Medieval Europe during the 14th and 15th centuries.

  • Explores topics such as:

    • Fasts and feasts in Europe

    • Dining culture in Europe

    • Social customs of courtiers

    • Artistic representations of feasting.

Contents

  • Introduction: Setting the Table

  • Chapter I: Between the Dishes (21)

  • Chapter II: Spectator-Spectacle (44)

  • Chapter III: Efficacy and Hypocrisy (74)

  • Chapter IV: Dining Well (102)

  • Chapter V: Stranger at the Table (121)

  • Chapter VI: Wedding Reception (164)

  • Notes (195)

  • Bibliography (233)

  • Index (253)

  • Gallery follows page 72

CHAPTER TWO: SPECTATOR-SPECTACLE

Introduction to the Chapter

  • Examines the relationships between guests and spectacles at feasts.

  • Emphasizes collaboration between artists, spectators, and performers.

Key Themes

  • Entremets:

    • Elaborate dishes served during feasts that often involved complex collaborations of various artists.

    • Example: The entremet of the Holy Church at the Feast of the Pheasant.

  • Interactivity:

    • Guests had scripted and spontaneous roles which contributed to the feast's meanings.

  • Performance Dynamics:

    • Guests shifted roles between passive viewers and active participants.

    • The concept of spectator vs. spectacle is overly simplistic; a more nuanced model is necessary.

Case Study: The Entremet of the Holy Church

  • Unique features of the entremet:

    • Initiated in silence, marked by a powerful vision of an armed giant and an elephant.

    • A lady representing the Holy Church: delivered a poignant poem regarding her fallen state.

  • Roles of attendees:

    • Nobility were called to swear support for the Holy Church, showcasing a blend of identities and roles.

    • Philip the Good's involvement demonstrated duality in identity: actor and character.

  • Spectator vs. Spectacle Concept:

    • Challenges the dichotomy of viewer and performer.

    • Suggests that banquets blurred the lines between these roles and produced both ideological reflection and indoctrination.

The Mimesis and Performance

  • Mimetic acting is highlighted as a key form of participation; obscuring the actor's identity was common.

  • Olivier de la Marche played the role of the Holy Church.

  • Focus on character over actor:

    • Performances aimed to convey character essence over the individuals behind them.

  • Example: Performance during a court wedding where high nobility attempted to mask their identities, showcasing complexity in social roles and commentary on identity.

Conclusion of Chapter

  • Dynamic Interactions: The performance's effective transformation among roles and perceptions underscores the chapter's main argument: the fluidity of roles and the blending of audience with spectacle necessitate a reevaluation of existing critical frameworks regarding performance and participation in medieval feasts.