Institute of Art History

Pre-Modern Art History

Bern, Burgerbibliothek, Cod. 318, f. 8v – Physiologus Bernensis (http://www.e-codices.unifr.ch/en/list/one/bbb/0318)

Profile

The Chair of Pre-Modern Art History is devoted to the study of medieval visual culture. The core of the Chair’s focus is the relationship between various artefacts, materials, and cultural context in the medieval arts, as well as the production, use, perception, staging, and circulation of these objects in sacred and profane spaces, both private and public. Seminars and lectures introduce students to various techniques of art production, as well as the theory, history, and historiography of medieval art. An emphasis is placed by the Chair on interdisciplinarity as well as global networks and connections that traversed the medieval world, for example in the current ERC-project „Global Horizons in Pre-Modern Art“.

The course of study offers a deep foundation in knowledge about materials, techniques, genres, epochs, and a variety of themes essential to medieval art history. It offers students a broad methodological base and encourages the cultivation of innovative research perspectives to address emerging paradigms in historical research. Members of the Chair work closely with museums and research institutes in Switzerland and abroad; they participate in interdisciplinary, international research programs, colloquia, and conferences.

The Chair of Pre-Modern Art History is devoted to the study of medieval visual culture. The core of the Chair’s focus is the relationship between various artefacts, materials, and cultural context in the medieval arts, as well as the production, use, perception, staging, and circulation of these objects in sacred and profane spaces, both private and public. Seminars and lectures introduce students to various techniques of art production, as well as the theory, history, and historiography of medieval art. An emphasis is placed by the Chair on interdisciplinarity as well as global networks and connections that traversed the medieval world, for example in the current ERC-project „Global Horizons in Pre-Modern Art“.

The course of study offers a deep foundation in knowledge about materials, techniques, genres, epochs, and a variety of themes essential to medieval art history. It offers students a broad methodological base and encourages the cultivation of innovative research perspectives to address emerging paradigms in historical research. Members of the Chair work closely with museums and research institutes in Switzerland and abroad; they participate in interdisciplinary, international research programs, colloquia, and conferences.

Aktuelles Lehr- & Veranstaltungsangebot
Lehrveranstaltungen FS 2024 (PDF, 8.1 MB)

Team

 

Beate Fricke, Dr., Full Professor
Irina Dudar, Dr., Research assistant
Elena Filliger, Teaching- (Grundkurs) and student research assistant

The Inheritance of Looting: Medieval Trophies to Modern Museums (SNF Project Grant)

Susan Marti, Dr., Research assistant
Sasha Rossman, Dr., Research assistant
Jakob Weber, M.A., PhD Student

21:Inquiries

Katharina Böhmer, M.A., Editor
Alessandra Fedrigo, Student research assistant
Lia Schüpbach, Student research assistant
Joanne Luginbühl, Freelancer
Sophie Grossmann, Freelancer

SNF PRIMA

Manuela Studer-Karlen, Dr., Professor
Lisa Schmid, M.A., Doktorandin

Former members

Finbarr Barry Flood, visiting professor Juli 2023
Adriana Basso Schaub, Teaching assistant (Grundkurs)
Ivan Foletti, visiting professor April 2023
Theresa Holler, Dr., Postdoctoral research/lecturer
Aaron Hyman, visiting professor Dezember 2022 - Juli 2023
Zumrad Ilyasova, M.A., Research assistant
Amélie Joller, Student research assistant
Gregor von Kerssenbrock-von Krosigk, Predoctoral research fellow
Meekyung MacMurdie PhD, Postdoctoral research fellow
Anne McClanan, visiting professor June 2023
Mariko Mugwyler, Student research assistant
Saskia C. Quené Dr., Predoctoral research fellow
Stefanie Lenk, Dr., Predoctoral research fellow
Carlos Rojas Cocoma Dr., Research assistant
Andrew Sears, Dr., Research assistant
Leonie Singer, M.A., Research assistant
Dominique Wyss, Student research assistant

Research projects

Current research projects

 

  • The Inheritance of Looting: Medieval Trophies to Modern Museums (Beate Fricke)
  • Healing Arts. Representations and Practices of Medical Knowledge in Art and Literature, 9th-12th Centuries (Theresa Holler) 
  • Trading Architecture analyses the loci of exchange of merchandise, knowledge and culture in the Mediterranean with the Middle and the Far East (Beate Fricke)
  • Liebe und Krieg. Profane Bilder auf gotischen Elfenbeinen (Manuela Studer-Karlen)
  • "Same same but different" - Repetitions in the early medieval architectural sculputre of Croatia (Working title) (Irina Dudar)

 

 

Completed research projects

  • Global Horizons in Pre-Modern Art (Beate Fricke)
  • Object Histories. Early Modern Flotsam. For this project she was awarded a collaborative research grant from the American Council of Learned Societies, (Beate Fricke together with Finbarr Barry Flood)
  • Crossing the Mediterranean. Art, Trade and Transfer of Knowledge (Dittelbach)
  • Seestädte des Südens. Transformationen (Dittelbach)
  • Optical Concepts - Conceptual Optics in the Mediterranean (Dittelbach)
  • Kunst als Kulturtransfer 1400-1600 (Gramaccini)
  • Semantiken des Sehens. Kunstproduktion und Kulturen des Blicks im Mittelalter (Preisinger)
  • Geschichte des Reliefs 1400-1800 (Lehmann)

Theses

Completed dissertation projects (Fricke)

  • Jess Bailey, 2022 (betreut zusammen mit Elizabeth Honig) - Precarious Lines: Violence, Masculinity, and Desire in 14th Century Visual Cultures of Gunpowder
  • Andrew Sears, 2021 Relics on the Market: The Cult of St. Ursula and the Hanseatic League, 1200-1500
  • Andrew Griebeler, 2018 (betreut zusammen mit Diliana Angelova) - Illustrated Greek Herbals (2nd-15th century)

Completed master theses (Fricke)

  • Adriana Basso-Schaub, 2023: Raumschichten. Die spätgotischen Wandmalereien der „Kleinen Ratstube“ des Berner Rathauses
  • Jasmin Pfister, 2022: Vom Objekt zur Miniature und zurück. Illuminationen der Universalchronik von Robert d'Auxerre im Codex 590 der Burgerbibliothek Bern
  • Sebastian Salzmann, 2019/20: Neue Untersuchungen zum Elfenbeindiptychon aus Genoels-Elderen
  • Laura Koller, 2019/20: Die Pisaner Elfenbeinmadonna des Giovanni Pisano
  • Laura Müller, 2019/20: Die politische und religiöse Ikonografie Venedigs spätgotischer Porta della Carta (1438-1443)

Completed bachelor theses (Fricke)

  • Elena Filliger, 2023: Talk to me, Baby. Die Erforschung eines gotischen Jesuskinds ohne zeitgenössische schriftliche Quellenlage
  • Gina Ketterer, 2022: in figura ex elementis. Die Diagramme der Elementenlehre aus de natura rerum im Kölner Kompendium der Zeitrechnung
  • Christopher Kilchenmann, 2022: Winddiagramm. Überlegungen zu den personifizierten Winde in Isidor von Sevillas De natura rerum im Manuskript Ms. 422 aus Laon
  • Laura Hutter, 2021: Vase des Hl. Martin in Saint-Maurice d'Agaune. Zusammenspiel schriftlicher und materieller Elemente
  • Mariko Mugwyler, 2021: Der Katalanische Atlas. Zwischen Raum und Zeit
  • Valerie Sprenger, 2020: Albrecht Dürers Einfluss bei Hans Fries «Kleiner Johannes-Altar»
  • Gregor von Kerssenbrock-von Krosigk, 2020: Interessensgemeinschaft. Die Egmonder Stiftungsminiaturen im Lichte adeliger Stiftungstätigkeit um 1000 
  • Jasmin Pfister, 2019: Wenn die Pflanze kopfüber steht – La récolte de la mandragore im Bestiarium von Guillaume le Clerc
  • Adriana Basso Schaub, 2019: Die Natur als Bildraum und Heilsvermittlung im PHYSIOLOGUS BERNENSIS - CODEX BONGARSIANUS 318 DER BURGERBIBLIOTHEK BERN
  • Amélie Joller, 2019: Die Marienfigur als Verweis auf die Transsubstantiation. Überlegungen zum Flügelaltar aus Santa Maria di Calanca
  • Susanne Delmenico, 2019: Die Engel in den Ecken der Bilderdecke von St. Martin in Zillis – Ansätze für eine allegorische Auslegung von AQUILO und AVSTER
  • Annick Herren, 2018: Recto cum verso: wie beide Seiten des Reliquiario del Dente di San Giovanni Battista aus Monza durch Edelsteine miteinander kommunizieren
  • Manuela Grünig, 2018: Aristotelische Ideen in Schöpfungsbildern - Frontispiz der Bible moralisée, anhand des Codex Vindobonensis 2554
  • Jessica von Ins, 2018: Zwischen irdischer und himmlischer Welt. Ein Versuch zur Rekonstruktion des mittelalterlichen Edelsteinwissens anhand des Talismans Karls des Grossen
  • Livia Künzi, 2018: Das Magister-Schüler-Motiv der Eingangsminiaturen in den französischen Handschriften des Liber De Prorietatibus Rerum von Bartholomäus Anglicus

Theses

The Chair of Pre-Modern Art History is devoted to the study of medieval visual culture. The core of the Chair’s focus is the relationship between various artefacts, materials, and cultural context in the medieval arts, as well as the production, use, perception, staging, and circulation of these objects in sacred and profane spaces, both private and public. Seminars and lectures introduce students to various techniques of art production, as well as the theory, history, and historiography of medieval art. An emphasis is placed by the Chair on interdisciplinarity as well as global networks and connections that traversed the medieval world, for example in the current ERC-project „Global Horizons in Pre-Modern Art“.

The course of study offers a deep foundation in knowledge about materials, techniques, genres, epochs, and a variety of themes essential to medieval art history. It offers students a broad methodological base and encourages the cultivation of innovative research perspectives to address emerging paradigms in historical research. Members of the Chair work closely with museums and research institutes in Switzerland and abroad; they participate in interdisciplinary, international research programs, colloquia, and conferences.