The Image of the Black in Western Art, Volume II: From the Early Christian Era to the “Age of Discovery”, Part 1: From the Demonic Threat to the Incarnation of Sainthood

Bindman, David; Gates Jr., Henry Louis

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BOOKThe Image of the Black in Western Art, Volume II: From the Early Christian Era to the “Age of Discovery”, Part 1: From the Demonic Threat to the Incarnation of Sainthood

David Bindman (Editor), Henry Louis Gates Jr. (Editor)

https://doi.org/10.37862/aaeportal.00139

Stable URL: https://aaeportal.com/?id=-17112

In the 1960s, art patron Dominique de Menil founded an image archive showing the ways that people of African descent have been represented in Western art. Highlights from her collection appeared in three large-format volumes that quickly became collector’s items. A half-century later, Harvard University Press and the Du Bois Institute are proud to publish a complete set of ten sumptuous books, including new editions of the original volumes and two additional ones.

From the Demonic Threat to the Incarnation of Sainthood, written largely by noted French scholar Jean Devisse, has established itself as a classic in the field of medieval art. It surveys as never before the presence of black people, mainly mythical, in art from the early Christian era to the fourteenth century. The extraordinary transformation of Saint Maurice into a black African saint, the subject of many noble and deeply touching images, is a highlight of this volume. The new introduction by Paul Kaplan provides a fresh perspective on the image of the black in medieval European art and contextualizes the classic essays on the subject.

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Author

David Bindman (Editor), Henry Louis Gates Jr. (Editor)

PublisherHarvard University Press

Print publication date November 2010 (in print)

Print ISBN 9780674052567

EISBN 9780300244472

Illustrations 183

Print Status in print

Publisher (in print)

WorldCat

Google Books

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List of illustrations

Portrait of Fath Khan, son of Malik Ambar
Frederick II and His Imperial Subjects
Frederick II and His Imperial Subjects, detail of four black Africans
Martyrdom of St. Mark
St. Michael Defeating an Attack on Constantinople
Pentecost
Egyptians, detail of the Pentecost
Head of a Black African (Johannes Maurus?)
The "False Frederick" and his Retainers
The Magi Before Herod
Adoration of the Magi
Adoration of the Magi
Coronation of the Virgin with a Black African Donor
Donor, detail of the Coronation of the Virgin with a Black African Donor
Armorial panel of Jacob of Reinach and his first wife, Eva von Schonau
Coptic Pilgrim Flask showing St. Menas
Eulogia Ampulla. Side A: profile of St. Menas
Eulogia Ampulla. Side B: invocation formula.
St. Menas on Horseback. Illustration of a text relating one of the saint's miracles, fol 10.r.
Marriage of Isaac (detail): meeting of Eliezer and Rebecca. "Ashburnham Pentateuch," fol. 21.r.
Joseph receives his brothers in Egypt (detail): Hebrews and Egyptians at table. "Ashburnham Pentateuch," fol. 44r.
Crossing the Red Sea (detail): the pharaoh's army. "Ashburnham Pentateuch," fol. 68r.
Tenth plague on Egypt and the deliverance of the children of Israel. "Ashuburnham Pentateuch," fol. 65v.
Oikoumenē of Strabo World Map. Nineteenth-century reconstruction according to the writings of the Greek geographer Strabo
Facsimile reconstruction (made in 1844) of al-Idrīsī's planisphere, 1140–1150, aftr a thirteenth-century copy (inverted: north at top)
Ethiopians (detail)
Exultet roll (detail)
Combat between Fel and Fol. Mosaic fragment.
Forces of evil and the second death. "Apocalypse," fol. 37r (detail)
Satan unbound goes to tempt the nations, Gog and Magog. Beatus of Libana, "Commentary on the Apocalypse," fol. 155v. 1086.
Allegory of Easter night, detail
Parable of the rich man and Lazarus (detail): Hell. "Codex Aureus." fol. 117v.
Decorated initial
Christ delivering the gospel to St. John. "Commentary on the Apocalypse," fol. 4v.
Temptation of Christ. Otbert Psalter, fol. 101r.
Sphere Lunae-Sphere Solis. "De natura rerum," fol. 53r (detail).
Decorated initial introducing St. Paul's Epistle to the Colossians. "New Testament and Psalter," fol. 91v
St. Martin resisting a demon
Healing of the Gadarene demoniacs, detail
Beheading of John the Baptist. "Psalter," fol. 2v (detail)
St. Peter confounds Simon Magus by reviving a dead man.
Scenes from the Passion of Christ: Scourging, Carrying the Cross, Crucifixion
Scenes from the Passion of Christ: Scourging, Carrying the Cross, Crucifixion
Scourging. Historiated initial. "Evangelistary," fol. 6r
Black executioner in the judgment of Solomon. Carved tympanum, left side of the lower register
Beheading of John the Baptist. Carved tympanum, right side of lower register
St. Stephen led before the judge. Carved tympanum, right side of lower register
Judgment of Solomon
Stoning of St. Stephen. "Images de la vie du Christ et des saints," fol. 76r
Betrayal of Judas. "Sarum missal," fol. 150v
Carrying of the Cross. "Images de la via du Christ et des saints," fol. 37v
Executioner's head. Fragment from the archivolts of the north door of the west façade of Reims Cathedral
Scenes from the life of St. Catherine (detail): executioner near Emperor Maxentius (before and after restoration)
Scenes from the life of St. Catherine (detail): executioner near Emperor Maxentius (before and after restoration)
Ship crossing the Persian Gulf. Al-Harīrī, "Makāmāt (The Assemblies)," fol. 119v
Slave Market. Al-Harīrī, "Makāmāt (The Assemblies)," fol. 105r
A guest at supper with a group of savants
Conquest of Majorca by James I of Aragon
Conquest of Majorca by James I of Aragon, detail
Chessbook of Alfonso X the Wise
Astrological symbol for the stone "Zebech," detail
Chessbook of Alfonso X the Wise
Muslim expedition on Christian soil and taking booty, detail
Expedition at sea: kidnapping a Christian count, detail
Story of a woman accused of committing adultery with a Moor, detail
Story of a Moor's conversion. "Las Cántigas de Santa Maria" of Alfonso X the Wise, "Cantiga" CXCII (detail)
Initial Q: two soldiers leading two Moors before a king
Initial S: the baptism of a Moor
Astrological Symbol for the stone "Sanguina," detail
Astrological symbol for the stone "Almagnitaz," detail
Nestor. Conversion of the Ethiopian Eunuch. "Menologion of Basil II", p.107
Michael of Blachernae. Martyrdom of the holy fathers of the Sinai by the Blemmyes. "Menologion of Basil II," p.315
Pantoleon. Martyrdom of the thirty fathers of Raithu in the Sinai by the Blemmyes. "Menologion of Basil II," p.317
Scenes of hunting and playing. Margin decorations. Gregory of Nazianzus, "Homilies," fols. 94v and 251r
Scenes of hunting and playing. Margin decorations. Gregory of Nazianzus, "Homilies," fols. 94v and 251r
Canon tables. "Tetraevangelion," fol. 4v
Lion hunt in Libya. Pseudo-Oppian, "Cynegetica," fol. 41r (detail)
Camel drivers. Pseudo-Oppian, "Cynegetica," fol. 53v (detail)
Sarah returning to Abraham. "Octateuch," fol. 65r (lower scene)
Descendants of the Sons of Noah. "Octateuch," fol. 60v (detail)
Destruction of the Tower of Babel and dispersion of the nations. "Octateuch," fol. 61v (detail)
Apostles teaching the nations. "Tetraevangelion," fol. 20v (detail)
Isaac and Rebecca before Abimelech. "Octateuch," fol. 47v (upper scene)
Moses and Aaron summoned before Pharaoh and his magicians. "Octateuch," vol. 82v (upper scene)
Joseph sold to Potiphar by the Ishmaelites. "Octateuch," fol. 59v (lower scene)
Sixth plague on Egypt: boils. "Octateuch," fol. 82r (upper scene)
Sarah is brought to Pharaoh; Pharaoh gives Sarah back to Abraham. "Octateuch," fol. 35r (two upper scenes)
Apostles teaching the nations. "Tetraevangelion," fol. 20r (detail)
Pentecost (detail)
Preaching of the Apostles. "Psalter," fol. 20r
Pentecost
Pentecost. Gregory of Nazianzus, "Homilies," fol. 28r (detail)
Pentecost
Satan's fall. "Tetraevangelion," fol. 131r (detail)
Chancellor Matthew of Ajello treating his gout in a black man's blood. Peter of Eboli, "Liber ad honorem augusti," fol. 127r
Alexander the Great on a throne carried by griffins. Details from a floor mosaic
Queen of Sheba and Solomon. Mosaic (details)
Queen of Sheba and Solomon. Mosaic (details)
Abba Moses swimming across the Nile. "Vitae Patrum," fol. 54v (detail)
Epsicopal throne supported by three atlantes
Epsicopal throne supported by three atlantes (detail)
Scenes from the life of Abba Moses. "Vitae Patrum," fol. 55r (detail)
Ethiopian cutting wood. Historiated initial. "Vitae Patrum," fol. 112v (detail)
Capital decorated with four heads, detail
Capital decorated with four heads
Capital decorated with four heads (detail): one black
Keystone representing an unidentified subject
Heads of Delilah, Samson, and a black carved under the abacus of a pillar
Combat between William of Orange and the giant Ysore (detail)
Nestor, Martyrdom of St. Thomas. "Menologion of Basil II," p.93
Land of the Indians. "Life of Barlaam and Joasaph," fol. 3r (detail)
Calendar month of December. "Psalter," fol. 5r
Gemini. Fragment of a carved zodiac
Meeting of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. Stained glass window (detail)
Queen of Sheba between Balaam and Solomon
Crouching black man (detail of fig. 100)
Solomon and the Queen of Sheba (detail)
Solomon and the Queen of Sheba
Adoration of the Magi
Black camel drivers in the cortege of the magi
Legend of St. Thomas
Legend of St. Thomas, detail: two crouching figures; one a wild man
Beginning of a genealogy of Christ
Beginning of a genealogy of Christ, detail: descendants of Ham
Resurrection of the dead
Resurrection of the dead, detail
Christ between two captives
Resurrection of the dead, detail: head of the black
Statue of St. Maurice
Statue of St. Maurice
Statue of St. Maurice
St. Maurice
Reliquary bust of St. Maurice
St. Maurice and a Benedictine pope
Coronation of the Virgin (detail); martyrs and confessors
St. Maurice
St. Maurice
Statue of St. Maurice
St. Maurice
St. Maurice
Statue of St. Maurice
Statue of St. Maurice standing against a pillar on the north side of the central nave
Silver statuette of St. Maurice
Virgin and Child between St. Maurice and St. Sebastian
St. Maurice (detail). Right wing of a carved triptych dated 1517
St. Maurice and St. Catherine. Detail of the central panel of a carved triptych dated 1498
St. Maurice (left wing of a carved altarpiece)
St. Maurice (left wing of a carved altarpiece)
Bust of St. Maurice
St. Maurice (central panel of a carved altarpiece)
St. Maurice
Statue of St. Maurice
Virgin and St. Maurice beneath the heraldic bearings of the city and the Black Heads
Statue of St. Maurice from the altarpiece of the old high altar
Scenes from the legend of St. Maurice
St. Maurice
Funerary monument of Archbishop Ernest of Saxony, detail: figures of St. Maurice and St. Stephen on the bishop's miter
Funerary monument of Archbishop Ernest of Saxony
Funerary monument of Archbishop Ernest of Saxony, detail: statue of St. Maurice on the base of the tomb
Altarpiece of the high altar, wings closed
St. Maurice, statue from a niche in the central panel of the altarpiece of the high altar
St. Maurice and St. George
St. Maurice
St. Maurice and his companions. "Missal" of Cardinal Albert of Brandenburg, fol.437v.
Reliquary statue of St. Maurice. "Heiltumsbuch," fol.227v.
St. Erasmus and St. Maurice
St. Erasmus and St. Maurice, detail
Three companions of St. Maurice, interior of the first wing on the right of the altarpiece of the high altar
Statue of St. Maurice standing against a pillar in the nave
Plaque commemorating the dedication of the collegiate church at Halle by Cardinal Albert of Brandenburg
Statue of St. Maurice. From the façade of the town hall in Jüterbog
St. Maurice and his companions. Upper half of the right wing of a triptych
St. Maurice, fragment of an altarpiece
St. Maurice and his companions. Left wing of the so-called Calenberger Altar
St. Maurice. Stationary wing of the so-called Rittelaltar
St. Maurice. Stationary wing of the so-called Rittelaltar
Covered ciborium topped with a bust of St. Maurice. "Heiltumsbuch," fol. 335v.
Drinking horn decorated with a statuette of St. Maurice. "Heiltumsbuch," fol. 291v.
Reliquary busts of Fidis and Maurice. Woodcuts from the "Heiltumsbuch" printed in 1520
Reliquary busts of Fidis and Maurice. Woodcuts from the "Heiltumsbuch" printed in 1520
Reliquary bust of Fidis. "Heiltumsbuch," fol. 376v.
Reliquary bust of St. Maurice. "Heiltumsbuch," fol. 228v.
Enameled glass goblet decorated with a figure of St. Maurice and the armorial bearings of the canons of Magdeburg

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Contents

David Bindman (Editor), Henry Louis Gates Jr. (Editor)

The Image of the Black in Western Art, Volume II: From the Early Christian Era to the “Age of Discovery”, Part 1: From the Demonic Threat to the Incarnation of Sainthood

Contents

Author

David Bindman (Editor), Henry Louis Gates Jr. (Editor)

PublisherHarvard University Press

https://doi.org/10.37862/aaeportal.00139.001

Stable URL: https://aaeportal.com/?id=-17113

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Preface to The Image of the Black in Western Art

David Bindman (Editor), Henry Louis Gates Jr. (Editor)

The Image of the Black in Western Art, Volume II: From the Early Christian Era to the “Age of Discovery”, Part 1: From the Demonic Threat to the Incarnation of Sainthood

The Image of the Black in Western Art was conceived by the late Dominique Schlumberger de Menil (1908–1997) and her husband, John (1904–1973), fifty years ago. The de Menils were known internationally for their patronage of artists such as René Magritte and Max Ernst as early as the 1930s, and eventually for the size and range of their art collection. Their passion for...

Author

David Bindman (Editor), Henry Louis Gates Jr. (Editor)

PublisherHarvard University Press

https://doi.org/10.37862/aaeportal.00139.002

Stable URL: https://aaeportal.com/?id=-17114

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Acknowledgments

David Bindman (Editor), Henry Louis Gates Jr. (Editor)

The Image of the Black in Western Art, Volume II: From the Early Christian Era to the “Age of Discovery”, Part 1: From the Demonic Threat to the Incarnation of Sainthood

Acknowledgments

Author

David Bindman (Editor), Henry Louis Gates Jr. (Editor)

PublisherHarvard University Press

https://doi.org/10.37862/aaeportal.00139.003

Stable URL: https://aaeportal.com/?id=-17115

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Introduction to the New Edition

Paul H. D. Kaplan

The Image of the Black in Western Art, Volume II: From the Early Christian Era to the “Age of Discovery”, Part 1: From the Demonic Threat to the Incarnation of Sainthood

Before 1979, when the medieval section of the Menil Foundation’s The Image of the Black volumes first appeared, nothing of a systematic or comprehensive nature had been published on this topic, which most mainstream...

Author

Paul H. D. Kaplan

PublisherHarvard University Press

Related print edition pages: pp.1-30

https://doi.org/10.37862/aaeportal.00139.004

Stable URL: https://aaeportal.com/?id=-17116

Chapter subject tags:Art, MedievalAfricans in artArt and historyChristian art and symbolismCivilization, Medieval

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1. Christians and Black

Jean Devisse and William Granger Ryan (Translator)

The Image of the Black in Western Art, Volume II: From the Early Christian Era to the “Age of Discovery”, Part 1: From the Demonic Threat to the Incarnation of Sainthood

The civilization of western Europe, like that of Byzantium and Islam, is at least in part a heritage from antiquity, but between the fifth and the ninth centuries Europe did not put this inheritance to use in the same way its neighbors did. As we shall see, differences in the total historical situation explain in large measure the wide range of attitudes with regard to the problems we are about to...

Author

Jean Devisse and William Granger Ryan (Translator)

PublisherHarvard University Press

Related print edition pages: pp.31-72

https://doi.org/10.37862/aaeportal.00139.005

Stable URL: https://aaeportal.com/?id=-17117

Chapter subject tags:Art, MedievalAfricans in artChristian art and symbolismIllumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval

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2. The Black and His Color: From Symbols to Realities

Jean Devisse and William Granger Ryan (Translator)

The Image of the Black in Western Art, Volume II: From the Early Christian Era to the “Age of Discovery”, Part 1: From the Demonic Threat to the Incarnation of Sainthood

The second half of the eleventh century was a period during which the types of relations that had existed between western Europe and the Mediterranean and Eastern world were profoundly modified. The peoples of the West had lived in a closed economy. They had been sure of being right in religion and culture, in the midst of a world awash in error. All this gave way to a prolonged phase of...

Author

Jean Devisse and William Granger Ryan (Translator)

PublisherHarvard University Press

Related print edition pages: pp.73-137

https://doi.org/10.37862/aaeportal.00139.006

Stable URL: https://aaeportal.com/?id=-17118

Chapter subject tags:Art, MedievalAfricans in artChristian art and symbolismMuslims--Spain--HistoryIllumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval

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3. A Sanctified Black: Maurice

Jean Devisse and William Granger Ryan (Translator)

The Image of the Black in Western Art, Volume II: From the Early Christian Era to the “Age of Discovery”, Part 1: From the Demonic Threat to the Incarnation of Sainthood

St. Maurice is a baffling personage. His historical existence is so doubtful that more than once the legitimacy of his cult has been vigorously contested ...

Author

Jean Devisse and William Granger Ryan (Translator)

PublisherHarvard University Press

Related print edition pages: pp.139-194

https://doi.org/10.37862/aaeportal.00139.007

Stable URL: https://aaeportal.com/?id=-17119

Chapter subject tags:Art, MedievalAfricans in artMaurice, Saint, -approximately 287

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Notice to the First Edition

Jean Devisse and Michel Mollat and Jean Marie Courtes

The Image of the Black in Western Art, Volume II: From the Early Christian Era to the “Age of Discovery”, Part 1: From the Demonic Threat to the Incarnation of Sainthood

When we embarked, years ago, on this investigation of the iconography of the black in Western medieval art, we had no idea of the unforeseen byways and unexpected depths to which it would lead us. The abundance and diversity of themes encountered necessitated the presentation of this volume in two parts. Were one to leaf through this book and sample the rich harvest of images without carefully...

Author

Jean Devisse and Michel Mollat and Jean Marie Courtes

PublisherHarvard University Press

https://doi.org/10.37862/aaeportal.00139.008

Stable URL: https://aaeportal.com/?id=-17120

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The Theme of “Ethiopia” and “Ethiopians” in Patristic Literature

Jean Marie Courtes and William Granger Ryan (Translator)

The Image of the Black in Western Art, Volume II: From the Early Christian Era to the “Age of Discovery”, Part 1: From the Demonic Threat to the Incarnation of Sainthood

To anyone seeking information about the black, the reading of the Greek and Latin patristic writings, which span almost the entire imperial period, is quite as disappointing as research in the iconography of that time and culture. Explicit mention of persons of color is extremely rare and not very significant. The concept of the black hardly goes beyond that of skin coloration, which seems to be...

Author

Jean Marie Courtes and William Granger Ryan (Translator)

PublisherHarvard University Press

https://doi.org/10.37862/aaeportal.00139.009

Stable URL: https://aaeportal.com/?id=-17121

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Abbreviations

David Bindman (Editor), Henry Louis Gates Jr. (Editor)

The Image of the Black in Western Art, Volume II: From the Early Christian Era to the “Age of Discovery”, Part 1: From the Demonic Threat to the Incarnation of Sainthood

Abbreviations

Author