ENGL 203: Medieval Literature
Dr. Debora B. Schwartz
English Department, California Polytechnic State UniversityGetty Museum Website Exercise:
Searching the CollectionsExplore online the medieval collections of the Getty Museum. Prepare a report which should be PRINTED OUT and submitted in class, and a copy of which should be posted to your Discussion Group.
As you explore the Getty site, you will find many examples of medieval artwork depicting Christ and Mary. Each student in your Discussion Group will be assigned ONE of the topics/scenes listed below as the topic for his/her report. You will keep a running count of how many medieval depictions you find (i.e. works dating from the 5th through the 15th centuries) of YOUR ASSIGNED TOPIC only. Note patterns of provenance (where the image was made) and centuries when your assigned topic most frequently appears. For paintings, note name of artist or workshop. This information may most easily be presented in table form.. Then, write up a paragraph summarizing what you have discovered in narrative form.
As the final step in this assignment, you will pick ONE image that you particularly liked and write a paragraph about it. Begin with the full identifying details (title, author if known, date, provenance) and explain why you chose it -- what struck you about this particular image. Print out a full size copy of this image (not the thumbnail) and include it with your report. (This image will be shared in class.)
How to Search:
- From the Collections page, click on "Advanced Search." Click on the "Collecting Area" field and select "Manuscripts" and "Paintings" (or if you prefer, you may conduct searches for "Manuscripts" and "Paintings" separately). Check the box for "Only Objects with Images."
- In the Search box, type in your keyword. If you have more than one key word, do them one at a time.
- A page will open with a list of results (with bullet images of each). On the right, under Search Options, you may add your keyword as the Title (if you have multiple keywords, you will have to search for each title separately). If you have more than four pages of bullet point search results, you should add the key word under Title to narrow the list of results. If you have relatively few results (one or two pages of bulletpoint images), it's better not to specify a title, since images of your assigned topic may appear as part of an image with a different title (for example, an image of the Annunciation may be part of a painting of the Nativity). In that case, your results will be better if you do keyword searches only, rather than searching by title.
- The default Sort Order for the images is "Relevance." Change the "Sort Order" to "Date" with an upward pointing triangle (oldest to most recent). Then click "search" again. This function will allow you to exclude any images that date from after the fifteenth century (for the purpose of this exercise, ignore any images dated after 1499).
- PRINT OUT the pages which provide thumbnail images of results for each of your searches. As you peruse the actual images on the website, cross out thumbnails that are not actual images of your search term (as may happen if the word you searched for is included in the description but is not actually depicted in the image).
- For each completed search, note how many Manuscript images you found vs. how many Paintings. (If you prefer, you can search each category separately.) Note the date of the earliest image and the latest image of each topic, as well as how many images there are from each century of the medieval era. Note patterns of provenance (where the image is from). In your report, you should note where and when the image appears to be most popular.
As you peruse the images, also note whether any of the scenes include the depiction of a patron or patroness -- ordinary people from the time the artwork was created (not part of the Biblical scenes depicted) who are shown praying or otherwise asking for intercession. If there are any such depictions, note to whom they are praying (to Mary, alone? to Mary and Christ together? directly to Christ, with Mary not depicted? to another saint or saints?)
Finally, you should pick ONE medieval image of YOUR ASSIGNED TOPIC that you particularly like. Print out a copy of that image (a color print-out is great if you have access to a color printer, but otherwise black and white is fine). You will share this print-out of your favorite image in class. Note the image's URL (web "address"); when you post your report to the Research Archive, put that URL in <triangular brackets> so that we can link directly from your report to the image on the Getty website. Write up a paragraph explaining why you picked this particular image. Point out details that you find interesting or which you particularly liked.
This research report should be turned in to me in hard copy AND posted to your Discussion Board forum with the subject line "Getty Report:" followed by the specific TOPIC you researched (e.g. "Getty Report: Christ's Crucifixion."
Each student in your Discussion Group will be responsible for ONE of the following topics. Specific assignments are posted in your Discussion Group. If you are subscribed to your Discussion Group, you should receive an email telling you what topic number you have been assigned. The corresponding topics follow:
1) CHRIST's Crucifixion. KEYWORD and TITLE SEARCH: Crucifixion. First, look through the thumbnails and count how many of the images actually show a depiction of Christ on the Cross. (Some only mention the word "Crucixion" in the description; others may mention another part of the manuscript that includes a Crucifixion scene; others may show the Crucifixion of someone other than Christ). Record how many images of the Crucifixion of Christ you find from each century, whether these images are Manuscript illuminations or larger paintings, what country each image comes from, and whether MARY is shown in the image mourning her son. (We are interested in tracing Mary's presence in scenes of the Crucifixion.)Write up a report of the images which you found of YOUR ASSIGNED TOPIC (not all topics listed above!). In addition to the details you have been asked to record (much of which can be recorded in table form or by providing the print-out of thumbnails), include at least one paragraph explaining what you found and . What did you notice about the relative distribution of scenes involving Mary and Christ in the medieval collections? Are there changes over time? What aspects of medieval piety or of the Divine (love, grace, punishment, suffering, etc.) does YOUR ASSIGNED TOPIC represent? How central is Mary to medieval notions of Christianity? What did you particularly like about the image you selected to print out? What made it stand out from the others?
2) MARY mourning her Son (e.g. at the foot of the Cross in a Crucifixion scene, or as a "Pietà ," where she is depicted holding her son's dead body in her arms). Your notes should distinguish between these specific types of mourning scenes. GENERAL KEYWORD SEARCH TERMS (five SEPARATE searches): 1) Crucifixion Mary; 2) Deposition; 3) Pieta; 4) Lamentation; 5) Entombment. First, count how many of the images actually show a depiction of Mary mourning her son. (Some false "hits" will only mention the word(s) you have searched for e.g. in a reference to another page in the same manuscript). Record how many images of Mary mourning her son you find from each century, whether these images are Manuscript illuminations or larger paintings, and what country the image comes from.
3) CHRIST portrayed as a Judge (at the Last Judgment, or in a scene where he is shown in heaven, isolated from humanity by a mandorla -- be sure to note which, as well as whether or not Mary is present). GENERAL KEYWORD SEARCH TERMS (four SEPARATE searches for two words each time): 1) Last Judgment; 2) Christ judgment; 3) Christ judge; 4) Christ majesty. (We are interested in tracing Mary's presence in scenes of the last Judgment and her ability to influence her son to be merciful.) Record how many images of these topics you find from each century, whether these images are Manuscript illuminations or larger paintings, what country the image comes from, and whether or not MARY is depicted.
4) MARY's special status: Annunciation and Coronation scenes; Mary as Queen of Heaven. GENERAL KEYWORD SEARCH TERMS (six SEPARATE searches): 1) Mary Annunciation; 2) Annunciation Virgin; 3) Coronation Virgin; 4) Mary Queen; 5) virgin throne; 6) virgin enthroned As you search these keyword combinations, there will be many false hits (typically because the keys word are mentioned in the description of other parts of the art object). For searches 1-2, look ONLY for scenes of an Angel with Mary (he is telling her she has been chosen to bear God's son); disregard scenes of the "Annunciation to the Shepherds" (part of the Nativity Scenes topic). For searches 3-6, you need note ONLY images that actually SHOW Mary as a queen, either with an actual crown (not just a halo), or seated on a throne. Record how many images of these topics you find from each century, whether these images are Manuscript illuminations or larger paintings, and what country the image comes from.
5) The First Christmas: MARY as Mom 1 (Nativity scenes) and Annuncation/Adoration of Shepherds and/or Kings/Magi. GENERAL KEYWORD SEARCH TERMS (five SEPARATE searches: 1) Nativity; 2) Annunciation Shepherds; 3) Adoration Shepherds; 4) Adoration Magi; 5) Adoration Kings. As you look through the "Nativity" scenes (manger scenes following the birth of Christ), note if a nativity scene is depicted "realistically" (in a barn-like setting) or in a stylized bedroom, or if it has Mary wearing a crown or on a throne; also, be sure to note the presence of Shepherds or of the three Kings (in scenes entitled "Adoration of the Magi" or "Adoration of the Shepherds"). Then search topics 2-5 (there will be duplicates on these searches; note that the "Annunciation to the Shepherds" means a scene depicting an Angel telling a group of shepherds about the Christ Child's birth). Track the number of images of Shepherds vs. Kings/Magi (this will be a useful context for the Second Shepherds' Play). For all of these searches, record how many images you find from each century, whether these images are Manuscript illuminations or larger paintings, and what country the image comes from.
6) MARY as Mom 2: non-Nativity scenes showing Mary with Christ as a CHILD (i.e. not scenes which depict Mary with the adult Christ). GENERAL KEYWORD SEARCH TERMS (three SEPARATE searches, each for two or more words): 1) Mary Christ Child; 2) Madonna Child; 3) Virgin Child (there will be many "false hits" you can skip over as well as duplicates in these three searches; skip images labelled "Nativity" or "Adoration of Shepherds" or "Adoration of Magi"). For all of these searches, record how many images you find from each century, whether these images are Manuscript illuminations or larger paintings, what country the image comes from. Note which of these images show Mary as Queen (crowned or on a throne).
7) OTHER IMAGES OF MARY: GENERAL KEYWORD SEARCH TERMS (ten SEPARATE searches): 1) Tree of Jesse; 2) Virgin Rose; 3) Assumption; 4) Madonna humility; 5) Virgin Humility; 6) Mary humility; 7) Mary nursing; 8) Virgin nursing; 9) Madonna nursing; 10) lactans. ALSO: do a TITLE SEARCH on: Death of the Virgin. (A General Keyword Search will yield far too many false hits). NOTE: you will generate fewer images doing these searches than for other assigned topics, and there will be duplicates between these searches, but you will need to include more details about what is depicted. As you look through the images, carefully note which images actually SHOW what you searched for (Mary's Assumption is when she rises to heaven after her death; Mary either with or in a rose; a Virgin of Humility -- Mary seated on the ground or breastfeeding baby Jesus), as opposed to simply mentioning the search terms in the description. For all of these searches, record how many images you find from each century, whether these images are Manuscript illuminations or larger paintings, and what country the image comes from. Note which of these images show Mary as Queen (crowned or on a throne).
The final piece of your report is a write-up of at least one paragraph about ONE image of your assigned topic that you found particularly interesting or appealing. What made this particular image stand out for you? Begin with the full identifying details (title, author if known, date, provenance) and explain why you chose it -- what struck you about this particular image. Print out a full size copy of this image (not the thumbnail) and include it with your report. (This image will be shared in class.)As part of the hard copy you turn in in class, don't forget to print out a copy of ONE image of YOUR ASSIGNED TOPIC so that we can share it with the class. If you visit the Getty, look for a postcard depicting your assigned scene in the museum shop. In your report to the research archive, include the URL of this image so that readers can link to it directly from your archive.
Your report needs to be turned in to me IN HARD COPY on the date listed on your Calendar of Assignments, as well as posted to your Discussion Board.
Contents of this and linked pages Copyright Debora B. Schwartz, 1999-2019
Click here for Medieval Lyrics and St. Bernard's Sermons on the Song of Songs Study Questions
Click here for page of supplemental Marian Lyrics
Click here for The Second Shepherds' Play Study Questions
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