Articles by Kate Dimitrova
El Trecento en obres: Art de Catalunya i Art d’Europa al segle XIV ed. by Rosa Alcoy , 2009
Art sacré 27 (2009), 89–95.
Viator 38, no. 2 (Fall, 2007)
Book Reviews by Kate Dimitrova
Peregrinations: Journal of Medieval Art and Architecture, 2019
Through the pages of Heidi Gearhart’s book, Theophilus and the Theory and Practice of Medieval Ar... more Through the pages of Heidi Gearhart’s book, Theophilus and the Theory and Practice of Medieval Art, readers are introduced to the surviving medieval copies of Theophilus’s text, On Diverse Arts, and are provided the opportunity to reframe the academy’s classification of this celebrated treatise. ... See the full review.
Southeastern College Art Conference Review, XVI, no. 2 2012): 205–207
Medievalia et Humanistica, n.s. no. 36 (2010): 133–137
dedicated to aristocratic Protestant women. While the chapter's argument ultimately emerges, its ... more dedicated to aristocratic Protestant women. While the chapter's argument ultimately emerges, its somewhat diffuse nature lessens its lucidity.
caa.reviews (November 3, 2010)
Caa.reviews (October 22, 2009)
Studies in Iconography 27 (2006): 197–200
Books by Kate Dimitrova
This volume explores the ways in which textiles were used or invoked in the construction and disp... more This volume explores the ways in which textiles were used or invoked in the construction and display of power in the Middle Ages.
During the Middle Ages, textiles played a particularly prominent role in the communication of wealth and authority by mediating the body politic and defining spaces of political, religious, and social power. The intrinsic material value of textiles—which could be woven out of silk, enriched with silver and gold threads, and garnished with precious stones—complemented an elaborate visual language that conveyed ideological messages. From the ornamented sphere of ecclesiastical dress and the celebrations of feast days to an aristocrat’s various rites of passage (such as birth, marriage, coronation, and death), textiles functioned as propaganda. Rulers across the European, Byzantine and Islamic worlds expressed their dynastic claims, military prowess, political aspirations and accomplishments by commissioning, displaying, wearing, and offering textiles.
Because textiles are portable, wearable and displayable their performative qualities result in multivalent meanings that medieval patrons exploited. In essence, the meaning of textiles can never truly be fixed. Textiles inherently represent a confluence of messages because they operate within multiple systems of signs—costume, liturgical display, ceremonies of state, funerary ritual, memorial display and personal or corporate identity to name a few. While contemporary historians might label this multivalency as Lacanian, in fact, perhaps more than any other art form, textiles amplify and even reveal the medieval appreciation for the inherent flexibility of signs.
This volume explores the ways in which textiles were used or invoked in the construction and display of power. The essays include material culture studies that explore textile display, archival investigations that reveal patterns of donation, technical studies concerning design and production processes, as well as art historical studies concerning the representation of textiles in other media. All together, these essays offer insight into how textiles were interwoven with notions of identity, status, and power during the Middle Ages.
During the Middle Ages, textiles played a particularly prominent role in the communication of wea... more During the Middle Ages, textiles played a particularly prominent role in the communication of wealth and authority by mediating the body politic and defining spaces of political, religious, and social power. The intrinsic material value of textiles—which could be woven out of silk, enriched with silver and gold threads, and garnished with precious stones—complemented an elaborate visual language that conveyed ideological messages. From the ornamented sphere of ecclesiastical dress and the celebrations of feast days to an aristocrat’s various rites of passage (such as birth, marriage, coronation, and death), textiles functioned as propaganda. Rulers across the European, Byzantine and Islamic worlds expressed their dynastic claims, military prowess, political aspirations and accomplishments by commissioning, displaying, wearing, and offering textiles.
Because textiles are portable, wearable and displayable their performative qualities result in multivalent meanings that medieval patrons exploited. In essence, the meaning of textiles can never truly be fixed. Textiles inherently represent a confluence of messages because they operate within multiple systems of signs—costume, liturgical display, ceremonies of state, funerary ritual, memorial display and personal or corporate identity to name a few. While contemporary historians might label this multivalency as Lacanian, in fact, perhaps more than any other art form, textiles amplify and even reveal the medieval appreciation for the inherent flexibility of signs.
This volume explores the ways in which textiles were used or invoked in the construction and display of power. The essays include material culture studies that explore textile display, archival investigations that reveal patterns of donation, technical studies concerning design and production processes, as well as art historical studies concerning the representation of textiles in other media. All together, these essays offer insight into how textiles were interwoven with notions of identity, status, and power during the Middle Ages.
Papers by Kate Dimitrova
Peregrinations: Journal of Medieval Art and Architecture, 2019
and Matthew Reeves present thirty-six lavish textile objects, the vast majority of which have nev... more and Matthew Reeves present thirty-six lavish textile objects, the vast majority of which have never been exhibited or published before-only two of the pieces have been exhibited previously (cat. nos. 13 and 20), while only three have been published already (cat. nos. 13, 18 and 20). The catalog accompanied an exhibition with the same title at Sam Fogg in London from June 14 until July 13, 2018. There is so much exciting, new material presented in this volume that scholars of a variety of media have an opportunity to mine for more extensive research endeavors. The authors have done in-depth technical analysis of each textileproviding detailed condition reports and describing the intricate and, at times, multiple and incredibly complex weaving approaches. The thirty-six objects are organized by region (England; France and the Netherlands; Germany; Spain; and Italy) and then listed chronologically by date (earliest to latest). The four examples from England are all textiles known as opus anglicanum (English Work)-the name given to high quality English embroidery made at the turn of the fifteenth century. Most of the catalog entries commence with a description of the work, then continue on to explain the technical aspects, and conclude with related works and comparative visual materials, many of which are different media, thereby making the textiles of these two-dimensional catalog entries expressly come to life. This is especially true for the vast majority of these pieces that originally decorated liturgical vestments-such as chasubles, dalmatics, and copes-that were intended to be worn in highly ritualized church ceremonies. In addition, supplementary images of other media provide a larger visual context Dimatrova
caa.reviews, May 21, 2018
Viator, 2007
... 1170) to a peasant (ca. 1520). Terms to describe landscape, such as pastoral or bucolic, ... more ... 1170) to a peasant (ca. 1520). Terms to describe landscape, such as pastoral or bucolic, are post-medieval concepts and therefore the word rustic will be employed instead. For the Latin term rusticus and its usage beyond the Middle Ages, see the Moralejo Álvarez article ...
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Articles by Kate Dimitrova
Book Reviews by Kate Dimitrova
Books by Kate Dimitrova
During the Middle Ages, textiles played a particularly prominent role in the communication of wealth and authority by mediating the body politic and defining spaces of political, religious, and social power. The intrinsic material value of textiles—which could be woven out of silk, enriched with silver and gold threads, and garnished with precious stones—complemented an elaborate visual language that conveyed ideological messages. From the ornamented sphere of ecclesiastical dress and the celebrations of feast days to an aristocrat’s various rites of passage (such as birth, marriage, coronation, and death), textiles functioned as propaganda. Rulers across the European, Byzantine and Islamic worlds expressed their dynastic claims, military prowess, political aspirations and accomplishments by commissioning, displaying, wearing, and offering textiles.
Because textiles are portable, wearable and displayable their performative qualities result in multivalent meanings that medieval patrons exploited. In essence, the meaning of textiles can never truly be fixed. Textiles inherently represent a confluence of messages because they operate within multiple systems of signs—costume, liturgical display, ceremonies of state, funerary ritual, memorial display and personal or corporate identity to name a few. While contemporary historians might label this multivalency as Lacanian, in fact, perhaps more than any other art form, textiles amplify and even reveal the medieval appreciation for the inherent flexibility of signs.
This volume explores the ways in which textiles were used or invoked in the construction and display of power. The essays include material culture studies that explore textile display, archival investigations that reveal patterns of donation, technical studies concerning design and production processes, as well as art historical studies concerning the representation of textiles in other media. All together, these essays offer insight into how textiles were interwoven with notions of identity, status, and power during the Middle Ages.
Because textiles are portable, wearable and displayable their performative qualities result in multivalent meanings that medieval patrons exploited. In essence, the meaning of textiles can never truly be fixed. Textiles inherently represent a confluence of messages because they operate within multiple systems of signs—costume, liturgical display, ceremonies of state, funerary ritual, memorial display and personal or corporate identity to name a few. While contemporary historians might label this multivalency as Lacanian, in fact, perhaps more than any other art form, textiles amplify and even reveal the medieval appreciation for the inherent flexibility of signs.
This volume explores the ways in which textiles were used or invoked in the construction and display of power. The essays include material culture studies that explore textile display, archival investigations that reveal patterns of donation, technical studies concerning design and production processes, as well as art historical studies concerning the representation of textiles in other media. All together, these essays offer insight into how textiles were interwoven with notions of identity, status, and power during the Middle Ages.
Papers by Kate Dimitrova
During the Middle Ages, textiles played a particularly prominent role in the communication of wealth and authority by mediating the body politic and defining spaces of political, religious, and social power. The intrinsic material value of textiles—which could be woven out of silk, enriched with silver and gold threads, and garnished with precious stones—complemented an elaborate visual language that conveyed ideological messages. From the ornamented sphere of ecclesiastical dress and the celebrations of feast days to an aristocrat’s various rites of passage (such as birth, marriage, coronation, and death), textiles functioned as propaganda. Rulers across the European, Byzantine and Islamic worlds expressed their dynastic claims, military prowess, political aspirations and accomplishments by commissioning, displaying, wearing, and offering textiles.
Because textiles are portable, wearable and displayable their performative qualities result in multivalent meanings that medieval patrons exploited. In essence, the meaning of textiles can never truly be fixed. Textiles inherently represent a confluence of messages because they operate within multiple systems of signs—costume, liturgical display, ceremonies of state, funerary ritual, memorial display and personal or corporate identity to name a few. While contemporary historians might label this multivalency as Lacanian, in fact, perhaps more than any other art form, textiles amplify and even reveal the medieval appreciation for the inherent flexibility of signs.
This volume explores the ways in which textiles were used or invoked in the construction and display of power. The essays include material culture studies that explore textile display, archival investigations that reveal patterns of donation, technical studies concerning design and production processes, as well as art historical studies concerning the representation of textiles in other media. All together, these essays offer insight into how textiles were interwoven with notions of identity, status, and power during the Middle Ages.
Because textiles are portable, wearable and displayable their performative qualities result in multivalent meanings that medieval patrons exploited. In essence, the meaning of textiles can never truly be fixed. Textiles inherently represent a confluence of messages because they operate within multiple systems of signs—costume, liturgical display, ceremonies of state, funerary ritual, memorial display and personal or corporate identity to name a few. While contemporary historians might label this multivalency as Lacanian, in fact, perhaps more than any other art form, textiles amplify and even reveal the medieval appreciation for the inherent flexibility of signs.
This volume explores the ways in which textiles were used or invoked in the construction and display of power. The essays include material culture studies that explore textile display, archival investigations that reveal patterns of donation, technical studies concerning design and production processes, as well as art historical studies concerning the representation of textiles in other media. All together, these essays offer insight into how textiles were interwoven with notions of identity, status, and power during the Middle Ages.