How can we approach the surviving evidence on Paliochora in order for it to become a site of cultural consciousness in a wider medieval context? Its architectural and iconographic identity is hidden in its thirty-four Late and Post Byzantine churches. This thesis constitutes the first complete interdisciplinary approach to this settlement accompanied by a detailed appendix in the second volume. The two parts of this study examine Paliochora through different perspectives which reveal different aspects of its character. Urban planning and individual architectural specificities are examined through the prism of four construction periods associated with political and economic factors. Structural variety and multiplicity raises questions concerning religious functions. The iconography, on the other hand, relies on the general Late Byzantine canons and influences, but demonstrates provincial tendencies and promotes a distinct style of fresco painting. Furthermore, the possible interference of the continuous Western presence creates new aspects for conceptual discussion in both fields. Consequently the three parameters of this comparative approach are underlined, either on an architectural or iconographic level: • Between the different examples in Paliochora • Within the vast array of Greek and Mediterranean ecclesiastical examples • In contrast to Western practices and models. Throughout the text problems of archaeological evidence and archival information are raised. However, this first effort to place and contextualise Paliochora on the map of existing late medieval cities of the Mediterranean is a call for further research in multiple disciplines. It is a survey which will be used as the basic material for any future actions related both to academic knowledge and restoration processes.

Ancient Maya iconography primarily depicted elite individuals in idealized states of being and rationalized their power and authority through ideological concepts and otherworld beings. This study aims to reexamine previous assumptions made concerning the Quadripartite Badge. This motif is examined based on iconographic associations and contexts, as well as temporal and spatial distributions. The dataset was created from currently identified examples of the Quadripartite Badge, although only a select group is extensively examined. The spread of this motif is demonstrated through time and its spatial dispersals are noted for their political consequences. Indicating the liminal status of its user, the Badge is frequently placed in scenes of transformation, accompanying rites of passage. It is also established that as elite women became more prominent, women from Tikal and Calakmul circulated this iconography through marriage alliances, as seen in the number of newly ‘arrived’ women carrying the Badge. Other iconographic associations of the Badge revealed strong ties with the Maize God and the cyclical nature of agriculture. For the continuation of the maize cycle and renewal of universal forces, sacrifice was required; the completion of ritual sacrifice was demonstrated through the depiction of the Quadripartite Badge. This one expression of power simultaneously validated earthly and otherworldy authority, ensuring the continuation of the cosmos and the perpetuation of the sun and maize cycles

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<p>[missing page V]</p> / <p>Japanese Esoteric Buddhism is characterized as a tradition with extensive use of complex rituals including elaborate rites of incantations, physical hand gestures, and sophisticated meditation techniques. Central to the performance of Esoteric rites is the invocation of a particular deity (or group of deities) accomplished in part through the use in ritual of an iconographic representation of the diety. One such ritual that epitomizes the Esoteric dynamic of art and ritual is the jūkyūkan, the "Nineteen Visualizations," part of ancient meditation rites performed in order to invoke and manipulate the powers of Fudō Myōō and accomplish the goals of the Esoteric practitioner.</p> <p>Fudō Myōō is one of the most important deities in the Esoteric pantheon whose presence permeated the religious culture of ancient and medieval Japan. In the ancient Heian and medieval Kamakura Periods (794-1185, 1185-1333), Fudō imagery saw great changes. These changes, pointing to a source beyond artistic or local variance, were not only modifications of existing features, but also included additional elements never seen before.</p> <p>The purpose of this thesis is to examine in detail the Nineteen Visualizations as they relate to both the art and ritual of Fudō. The objectives of this study are two: first, this study seeks to illustrate that the changes in Fudō's iconography were a direct result of the emergence of the Nineteen Visualizations in the Heian Period (the thesis of Part One); and second, it attempts to determine how, as a ritual performance, the Nineteen Visualizations provided the basis for these changes in the iconography that persist even today (the thesis of Part Two).</p> <p>This thesis will not only highlight the strong relationship between art and ritual in Esoteric Buddhism, but will also redress the Western treatment of Fudō as primarily an artistic icon. Studies of Fudō in the West have been predominately art historical, largely ignoring Fudo's vast scriptural and ritual dimensions, without which the iconography can never be fully understood.</p> / Master of Arts (MA)

The tradition of the "Physiologus" is an influential one, and informed medieval literature —not to mention medieval art and architecture—more than we know. The "Physiologus" was "an established source of Medieval sacred iconography and didactic poetry" and still continues to rank among the "books which have made a difference in the way we think" (Curley x). Thus, our understanding of the "Physiologus" and its subsequent tradition becomes increasingly important to the fields of medieval literature, humanities, and art. Considering the vast importance of the "Physiologus" tradition in the Middle Ages, one would expect to find that scholars have edited, translated, and studied all of the various versions of the "Physiologus". While most of the Latin bestiaries and versions of the "Physiologus" have been edited, translated, studied, and glossed, the "Middle English (ME) Physiologus"—the only surviving version of the "Physiologus" in Middle English—has neither been translated nor strictly studied as a literary text. In light of the "Physiologus" tradition's importance, it would seem that the only version of the "Physiologus" that was translated into Middle English would be quite significant to the study of medieval literature and to the study of English literature as a whole. Thus, in light of this discovery, the current edition attempts to spotlight this frequently overlooked text by providing an accurate translation of the "ME Physiologus," critical commentary, and historical background. Such efforts are put forth with the sincere hope that such a critical translation may win this significant version of the "Physiologus" its due critical and literary attention. / Master of Arts

First functioning as image based text and then as a widely illustrated book, the impact of the literary figure Don Quixote outgrew his textual limits to gain near-universal recognition as a cultural icon. Compared to the relatively small number of readers who have actually read both extensive volumes of Cervantes´ novel, an overwhelming percentage of people worldwide can identify an image of Don Quixote, especially if he is paired with his squire, Sancho Panza, and know something about the basic premise of the story. The problem that drives this paper is to determine how this Spanish 17^(th) century literary character was able to gain near-univeral iconic recognizability. The methods used to research this phenomenon were to examine the character´s literary beginnings and iconization through translation and adaptation, film, textual and popular iconography, as well commercial, nationalist, revolutionary and institutional appropriations and determine what factors made him so useful for appropriation. The research concludes that the literary figure of Don Quixote has proven to be exceptionally receptive to readers´ appropriative requirements due to his paradoxical nature. The Quixote’s “cuerdo loco” or “wise fool” inherits paradoxy from Erasmus of Rotterdam’s In Praise of Folly. It is Don Quixote´s paradoxy that allows readers and viewers to choose the aspects of the protagonist that they find most useful. Some of that difference in interpretation has been diachronic, starting with a burlesque view of Don Quixote as the insane hidalgo, later developing a romantic interpretation of the protagonist as a noble knight. Much of that difference has been geographical, with Spanish appropriators tending to reflect Don Quixote as a heroic reflection of national character, and many outside of Spain choosing to use the knight as a symbol of impracticality and failure. Ultimately, Don Quixote´s long lasting influence has been due to his ability to embody the best of the human spirit; the desire to fashion oneself into a more noble identity and achieve greater deeds than one´s cultural environment would normally allow.

This thesis is an iconographic study of the four earliest and relatively complete tenth-century manuscripts of Beatus’ Commentary on the Apocalypse: New York, Pierpont Morgan Library MS M. 644 (the Morgan Beatus); Valladolid, Biblioteca de la Universidad de Valladolid MS 433 (the Valladolid Beatus); Girona, Museu de la Catedral de Girona MS 7(11) (the Girona Beatus) and La Seu d’Urgell, Museu Diocesá de La Seu d’Urgell MS 501 (the Urgell Beatus). As a part of the tenth-century revival of Beatus’ text that initially was penned in the eighth-century, these works were created in monastic centres during a period when conflict between the Christian kingdoms in the north and Islamic rulers in the south was at a peak, the manuscripts’ iconographic innovations reflect the social, political and religious circumstances of their patrons, creators and audiences. While these manuscripts offer the possibility of furthering scholastic understanding of Iberia prior to the year 1000 the majority of past scholarship has been devoted to defining dates, stemma and the physical characteristics of the works. Debates over descriptions of style, labels and influence have overshadowed discussions of iconographic significance, which have begun to emerge only in the last few decades. Therefore, this thesis provides iconographic analysis of five under-studied scenes, which include the Mappamundi, the Four Beasts and the Statue, Noah’s Ark, the Palm Tree and the Fox and the Cock. While these images are just five of up to 120 included in the illustrative programmes of these manuscripts, they are the only scenes that illustrate the text of Beatus’ Commentary, rather than the narrative of Revelation. This is significant because these extra-apocalyptic scenes were selected and created specifically because of the messages within the Commentary that they enhance; the ideas promoted through these images are not restricted by the narrative of Revelation and therefore reveal much about the political, religious and social situation in the northern Iberian Christian communities that created them. By discussing the visual elements of these five images in conjunction with iconographic traditions from other parts of western Europe, the Byzantine world, the Mediterranean and the Islamic world, this thesis will examine the Beatus illustrations and, on a larger scale, the production of these manuscripts, in relation to the historical struggles of the time. Informed by postcolonial theory, it will not only diverge from the standard ways of approaching these works, but also will bring new insight into the Christian perspective of Muslim occupation in medieval Iberia, suggesting that monastic communities were attempting to combat the Muslim threat by encouraging participation in and dispersal of the Christian faith in order to maintain Christian practices and beliefs on the Iberian Peninsula and furthermore to assert Christian dominance at the Judgment.

The Moche fineline painting corpus contains hundreds of representations of winged figures, but these have never been analyzed as a group. This thesis is an investigation of these winged figures, focusing on iconographic methodology. I have identified and categorized representations of birds (ducks, the Falconidae family, owls,hummingbirds, vultures and condors, etc.), mammals (bats) and insects (dragonflies) in the fineline paintings. Special attention has been paid to genus and family, including the attributes and behaviors of these animals. This has yielded several important observations about how the Moche represented and linked winged figures. In the second part of this thesis I use semiotic analysis to consider winged figures as symbols rather than naturalistic representations. I also examine anthropomorphic winged figures, and analyze the interpretive possibilities and the implications of these interpretations. / text

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I seek to pose questions about what people overlook or don't consider when viewing art in order to interpret what they see. When working on a project, I purposely retain the effect of my hand. The false crudeness is enhanced by my use of seemingly impoverished materials. This is akin to seeing the fishing wire holding up the miniature spaceship as it flies through the sky. This document was created with Microsoft Word XP.