Visual Culture in Medieval Syriac Traditions

While spread across the globe from North Africa to China, the visual culture of Syriac Christian communities remains to be fully incorporated into medieval art studies. This volume analyzes the forms and developments of Syriac art and material culture across the medieval world (ca. fifth-thirteenth centuries). Showcasing the diversity of medieval Syriac art and its influences, the first part studies Syriac Christian ritual sites and the second part analyzes the interconnectedness of Syriac art across the Middle East and Asia. These are bookended by theoretical essays evaluating the category of Syriac art and the historiography of the field. Chapters examine illuminated manuscripts, monumental architecture, burial sites, and church wall paintings in varied geographical locales. The volume contributes to the ongoing work of expansion in medieval art history by studying the interconnectedness of art and artisans in an increasingly global world, even as it draws attention to the understudied field of Syriac art history and introduces new sources for medieval art. It thus promises utility for medieval art historians, scholars of Syriac Studies, and specialists of the Middle East and Central Asia.