[1] Family Archives, Families in the Archives

Von: Irene Mariani <irenemariani85gmail.com>
Datum: Thu, 28 Apr 2016 10:32:51 +0100

When researching in the Archives scholars may come across documents that
relate to the history and life of families. Although these documents are
often part of family archives, they can also be scattered among civic and
public repositories. These documents are an invaluable source of
investigation: when put into context, they can advance our understanding of
the political, cultural and social life of a family at a given time and
place. In some instances, in fact, family documents may be the only extant
traces of an otherwise lost history, and unearthing these papers can help
us posing further research questions and exploring new research approaches.

Focusing on the use of primary sources, this panel, or series of panels,
seeks to explore the importance of family archives and the documents kept
within them in the Renaissance period. Possible topics include, but are not
limited to:

- family history
- women’s history
- material culture
- artistic patronage and matronage
- politics
- religion
- economics

Organizers: Irene Mariani (University of Edinburgh) and Elena Brizio
(Georgetown University - Fiesole Campus).

Please send your paper title, abstract (150-words maximum), CV (300 word
maximum), and keywords to Elena Brizio eb893georgetown.edu by 25 May
2016 the latest.

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[2] Representations of the Continents in the Early Modern World

From: Louise Arizzoli <larizzololemiss.edu>
Date: Apr 28, 2016

European artists and writers visualized the known world through personifications holding attributes related to each continent. After the discovery of America, America was added to the figures of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Allegories developed, reviving the Greek habit to depict abstract concepts in the human form. During the sixteenth century, continent personifications started to appear in pageants, atlases and prints, and became a very popular iconographical motif throughout Europe in all artistic media. These figures clearly show the way Europeans perceived the rest of the world - often characterized as a stereotypical Other – and were generally designed to express Europe’s belief of its own superiority, as well as its quest for a newer global identity.

We are welcoming papers for a session at the Renaissance Society of America, Chicago, 30 March-1 April 2017, dealing broadly with visual and literary representations of the continents in the early modern world, in all media and from different regions of Europe. We would also welcome presentations on ancient and medieval sources for the continents’ iconography—the themes of Europa and the Bull, Africa with elephant tusk headdress, Asia with incense burner, and the Adoration of the Magi; transformations in America from cannibalistic to civilized; as well as travel accounts, early modern maps, and literary descriptions of the known and unknown continents.

Please send proposals to Louise Arizzoli (larizzololemiss.edu) and Maryanne Horowitz (horowitzoxy.edu). Include in your proposal: name and affiliation, paper title (max. 15 words), abstract (max. 150 words), and a brief CV (max. 300 words; in ordinary CV format).

Applicants will hear whether paper proposal fits in this group submission by Sat. 4 June, for the RSA submission deadline of Tues. 7 June 2016.

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[3] Della Robbia and Beyond: Glazed Terracotta Sculpture of the Italian Renaissance

From: Rachel Boyd <rachel.boydcolumbia.edu>
Date: Apr 29, 2016

Deadline: May 27, 2016

The past thirty-five years have seen a vibrant renewal of interest in the medium of glazed terracotta sculpture, developed in the 1430s by the Florentine artist Luca della Robbia and produced for roughly a century by the Della Robbia and Buglioni workshops. Recent work by art historians and conservators has shed light on the high degree of technical mastery required to make these works, emphasized the inventiveness with which each generation of artists explored and manipulated the medium’s expressive potential, and extended analysis of these products beyond their birthplace in Florence. In 2016-2017, the first American exhibition of Della Robbia sculpture will be held at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. In conjunction with this event, our session seeks papers which examine glazed terracotta sculpture from the points of view of art history, conservation, and collecting.

Paper topics might include, but are not limited to:

- The varied approaches of artists ranging from the Della Robbia to Giovanni Francesco Rustici to the medium of glazed terracotta
- Values and associations communicated by glazed terracotta in particular contexts (e.g., devotional, domestic, civic)
- Workshop organization and practice
- Nineteenth- and twentieth-century collecting, study, and display of glazed terracotta
- New questions or approaches raised by recent conservation studies

Please submit a 150-word abstract with your paper title, keywords, and a short CV by May 27, 2016 to Catherine Kupiec (catherinekupiecgmail.com) and Rachel Boyd (rachel.boydcolumbia.edu).