Medieval Death: Ritual and Representation

by Paul Binski

Medieval Death is an absorbing study of the social, theological, and cultural issues involved in death and dying in Europe from the end of the Roman Empire to the early sixteenth century.
Drawing on both archaeological and art historical sources, Paul Binski examines pagan and Christian attitudes towards the dead, the aesthetics of death and the body, burial ritual and mortuary practice. The evidence is accumulated from a wide variety of medieval thinkers and images, including the macabre illustrations of the Dance of Death and other popular themes in art and literature, which reflect the medieval obsession with notions of humility, penitence, and the dangers of bodily corruption.
The author discusses the impact of the Black Death on late medieval art and examines the development of the medieval tomb, showing the changing attitudes towards the commemoration of the dead between late antiquity and the late Middle Ages. In the final chapter the progress of the soul after death is studied through the powerful descriptions of Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory in Dante and other writers and through portrayals of the Last Judgment and the Apocalypse in sculpture and large-scale painting.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Death, Art History, Medieval History, Medieval, Art

224 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 1996

Reviews

[Nina Misson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Binski's Medieval Death is a seminal work for anyone researching the art of the macabre, the culture of death or even medieval art in general. He brings up some very good points when he questions notable views on certain iconographic types (such as the transi tombs), but he does, in my humble opinion, generalise the art of Italy when it comes to the macabre, for example he more or less leaves out the Triumph of Death, even though it would deserve at least a paragraph or two, especially since he does deal quite a bit with Dante. It would seem appropriate to then cover Petrarca (Trionfi) as well. I also wish he would cite his sources for medieval excerpts, but at least the bibliography section is quite extensive and very helpful for further research.

[Melissa Maresca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I cannot stop thinking about the man (Bishop Hugh of Lincoln) who took a bite out of Mary Magdalene's arm in the commitment of furta sacra and was later canonized as the patron saint of sick children and swans.

[Laura Mckinney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fully illustrated and well-researched. Thoughtful presentation.