Memorial Studies

The book introduces the reader to the Estonian memorial and funeral culture of the Middle Ages and Early Modern era, which was examined by the exhibition of the same name at the Niguliste Museum from 2 November 2012 to 2 June 2013. Visitors to the exhibition were provided with the opportunity to see how Christian death culture is reflected in early ecclesiastical art in Estonia and to learn about the funeral and commemorative customs of the period. The exhibition catalogue explores these topics and presents the works of art and items that were on display.
The text of the richly illustrated book provides interpretations of the tombstones, epitaphs, coat-of-arms epitaphs and other works of sacral art exhibited at the Niguliste Museum. Artefacts of cultural history from collections of Estonian museums and churches, the majority of which are being introduced to the reader for the first time, provide additional information about the funeral ritual customs, and the ways they were conducted. These objects and works of art, most of which are from town churches, primarily represent the funeral and commemorative traditions of the upper class and wealthy middle class. The historical framework of both the exhibition and catalogue starts with the Middle Ages and ends with the 18th century, and includes visual material from both the Catholic and Lutheran periods.

Paper presented at the Kings&Queens Conference 7, Ruling Sexualities: Sexuality, Gender and the Crown, Winchester (UK), 9-12 Jul 2018

In 1831, Maria Anna of Savoy, daughter of Victor Emmanuel I Duke of Savoy and King of Sardinia (1759-1824), was married to the heir of the Austrian throne Archduke Ferdinand (1793-1874). In 1830, he had been crowned as younger King V of Hungary and consequently Maria Anna also became Hungarian Queen through marriage. As Ferdinand succeeded the Austrian throne in March 1835, she then became Empress of Austria. The coronation of both as King and Queen of Bohemia took place in Prague in 1836. Moreover, in 1838 Ferdinand was crowned as King of Lombardy-Venetia and thus Maria Anna was given the title of Queen. With the abdication of Ferdinand in 1848 they moved from Vienna to Prague, but both retained their imperial rank.

Out of tradition, for the wedding, as well as for the coronations in Prague and Milan, medals were created. While they were required as a genuine element of the ceremony, some were produced to commemorate the occasion itself and to disseminate a political message. Besides their ceremonial significance, medals are also part of the culture of remembrance of the Habsburg-Lorraine dynasty and represent their history. Commonly, medals were only received by a small exclusive group of the imperial family and aristocracy and nowadays reflect the intentions of those, who commissioned them.

In reference to the call for papers, my presentation elaborates on the role of Maria Anna in medals as empress, queen and wife. On the one hand, questions are asked about differences in visual representation of male and female rulers in medals in general and on the other hand of Maria Anna’s public image between 1830 and 1848 and how it differs from the one of Emperor Ferdinand I. How are gender differences represented in medals and which messages are implied in these representations?

By applying an interdisciplinary approach (material culture, art history, numismatics) the presentation thus contributes to current research on representing the Habsburg-Lorraine dynasty in visual media in the 19th Century, as well as Austrian medals in a wider context.

En este artículo se presentan los hallazgos de un proyecto de investigación acerca de la representación del rebelde llanero Guadalupe Salcedo. Para llevar a cabo esta labor, se tomaron fuentes orales locales, como lo son dos canciones del género conocido como joropo, y fuentes escritas, es decir, los periódicos El Tiempo y El Espectador. Con la contratación De fuentes se buscó dar cuenta de las diferencias discurisvas y morales, a la hora de representar a ese "otro".