Latin 'basilissai' in Palaiologan Mystras : art and agency
This dissertation demonstrates that the presence of Latin basilissai, Catholic wives of the Byzantine despots of Morea, in Mystras between 1349, when the city became the seat of the Despotate, and 1460, when it was surrendered to the Turks, had an impact on the artistic and cultural production at court. These foreign women were agents of the ruling political and economic elites of Italian and Frankish courts, and expressed their agency by mediating their specific cultural and artistic traditions into the production of their adopted city. Art and cultural historical approaches, in which attention is focused on painted and sculpted details, inscriptions, archaeological remains, architectural design, and urban planning, are used to show that the Latin women were historical agents, whose presence can be detected in Mystras. A multidisciplinary analysis of case studies reveals cross-cultural motifs in the artistic production, demonstrating the relationship between pieces of evidence. The production of the workshops of Mystras expressed features that were, in some cases, responses to Constantinopolitan and Byzantine models, while, in others, autonomous and innovative, revealing complex cross-cultural references.
Mattiello, Andrea
CB History of civilization ; CC Archaeology ; CN Inscriptions. Epigraphy. ; DE The Mediterranean Region. The Greco-Roman World
Latin 'basilissai' in Palaiologan Mystras : art and agency. This dissertation demonstrates that the presence of Latin basilissai, Catholic wives of the Byzantine despots of Morea, in Mystras between 1349, when the city became the seat of the Despotate, and 1460, when it was surrendered to the Turks, had an impact on the artistic and cultural production at court. These foreign women were agents of the ruling political and economic elites of Italian and Frankish courts, and expressed their agency by mediating their specific cultural and artistic traditions into the production of their adopted city. Art and cultural historical approaches, in which attention is focused on painted and sculpted details, inscriptions, archaeological remains, architectural design, and urban planning, are used to show that the Latin women were historical agents, whose presence can be detected in Mystras. A multidisciplinary analysis of case studies reveals cross-cultural motifs in the artistic production, demonstrating the relationship between pieces of evidence. The production of the workshops of Mystras expressed features that were, in some cases, responses to Constantinopolitan and Byzantine models, while, in others, autonomous and innovative, revealing complex cross-cultural references.
latin art agency demonstrates presence latin catholic byzantine city_become seat surrender turks impact artistic cultural_production court foreign woman agent rule political_economic elite italian frankish court express agency mediate specific cultural artistic tradition production adopt city art cultural_historical approach attention_focus paint detail inscription archaeological_remains architectural design urban planning use show latin woman historical agent whose presence detect multidisciplinary analysis case_study reveal cross_cultural motif artistic production demonstrate relationship piece evidence production workshop express feature case response constantinopolitan byzantine model others autonomous innovative reveal complex cross_cultural reference