Medieval and Renaissance Cluster

Description

The Medieval and Renaissance cluster brings together students and researchers interested in art and architecture made between c. 300 and 1500.

Although the activities primarily focus on art from Europe (including Byzantium) and the Mediterranean basin, the Cluster is committed to expanding the geographic horizons of scholarship in the period, with current projects on art in sub-Saharan Africa and the Caucasus, as well as the interaction between religions and cultures across the medieval world. It seeks to share interests and stimulate connections — whether expected or unexpected, whether relating to materials or methods. Cluster’s members include faculty, master students and doctoral students, interested researchers from other UK and overseas institutions, including universities, museums, libraries and heritage sector.

The activities include the “Medieval Work in Progress Seminars” and “Renaissance Seminars”, two lively fora to present current and on-going work rather than completed research. Every year the Cluster hosts the International Centre of Medieval Art lecture at The Courtauld (bringing in a major scholar from the USA to speak), and it organises regular handling sessions through “Medieval Touch” with colleagues at the National Gallery, British Library, British Museum and Victoria and Albert Museum so that to keep a close focus on original objects and works of art; alongside these the Cluster holds reading groups to think about the theoretical questions that inform the ways in which researchers interpret the material they are studying.

Digital projects include ‘The Gothic Ivories Project’ (an online database of ivory sculptures made in Western Europe ca. 1200-ca. 1530, as well as neo-Gothic pieces), as well as ‘Medieval Art Research’ (a source for news on events, jobs, publications and other goings-on in the world of medieval art history).

Currently active

Yes

Offers funding

No, this infrastructure does not provide funding.

Contact details

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Categorisation

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University affiliation(s)

Courtauld Institute of Art
London

Partner Infrastructures

Architecture Cultures Cluster

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Connecting Cultures Cluster

Connecting Cultures seeks to explore connected histories of art from the thirteenth to the mid-nineteenth centuries, a period defined by increasing levels of transcultural interchange facilitated by h… read more about Connecting Cultures Cluster

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Sculptural Processes Group (SPG)

The Sculptural Processes Group (SPG) is an informal study group that facilitates exchanges between researchers, curators, conservators, artists and practitioners interested in questions of sculptural … read more about Sculptural Processes Group (SPG)

London

Giotto's Circle

Giotto’s Circle promotes the study of the art and architecture of Italy in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, and encourages the exchange of information and ideas about these works among s… read more about Giotto's Circle

London

Medieval Touch

Medieval Touch promotes the study of a diverse range of medieval objects from museum collections, ranging from the fourth century to the sixteenth. It takes the form of handling sessions, designed to … read more about Medieval Touch

London

British Museum

The British Museum actively promotes academic research of the highest quality by its own staff, and supports the research of others. This research is intended to advance the care, display and public u… read more about British Museum

London

Victoria and Albert Museum

The V&A was the first museum in the world to establish a dedicated Research Department and it continues to be a core activity of the Museum today. It plays a leading role in binding together the f… read more about Victoria and Albert Museum

London

British Library

Research is central to the British Library's role as the national library of the United Kingdom. It helps the British Library to share their collections and intellectual heritage with people across th… read more about British Library

London

The National Gallery

The National Gallery, founded in 1824, holds the United Kingdom's national collection of Western European paintings and is based at Trafalgar Square in London. It is a non-departmental public body spo… read more about The National Gallery

London