Women on the walls : representations of female saints and biblical figures in English wall paintings, 1100-1400.
| dc.contributor.author | Comeau, Jane | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2024-04-29T02:09:59Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2024-04-29T02:09:59Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2020 | |
| dc.description.abstract | Paintings on the walls of English medieval churches were a vital aspect of conveying religious thought to a diverse and often uneducated audience. Representations of women within these paintings were carefully tailored to convey certain messages to their specific audiences and provide vital insight into medieval perceptions of women, both lay and saintly. This dissertation examines surviving paintings of St Margaret, St Katherine and Eve to explore how their images functioned in this uniquely public context. Wall paintings of the two female saints are compared to their depictions in the circulating hagiographical literature. Although they faithfully represent the narratives found there, violence and drama is overemphasised, in order to discourage laywomen from identifying too strongly with these figures of transgression. There are far fewer surviving paintings of Eve, and so this dissertation presents case studies of these scant remains, including a series of twelfth-century images found at St Botolph’s church in Hardham. Competing medieval ideas of Eve’s sinfulness are found to be reflected in these paintings. Additionally, their positioning within the various churches in which they appear offer important insights into how the image of Eve was employed to reinforce theological lessons, provide guidance and function as a symbol. This dissertation concludes that representations of women in wall paintings were complex and often contradictory, but that they were uniquely shaped by their role in the public sphere of medieval life. Women in wall paintings functioned not necessarily as moral figures presenting a cautionary tale or lessons on how to live, but as tools of the Church and the societal elite. | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/10092/106981 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://doi.org/10.26021/15289 | |
| dc.language | English | |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.rights | All Rights Reserved | |
| dc.rights.uri | https://canterbury.libguides.com/rights/theses | |
| dc.title | Women on the walls : representations of female saints and biblical figures in English wall paintings, 1100-1400. | |
| dc.type | Theses / Dissertations | |
| thesis.degree.discipline | History | |
| thesis.degree.grantor | University of Canterbury | |
| thesis.degree.level | Bachelors with Honours | |
| thesis.degree.name | Bachelor of Arts (Hons) | |
| uc.college | Faculty of Arts |