About 45 people attended the hybrid session sponsored by the Index of Medieval Art at the 60th International Congress on Medieval Studies at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, MI on May 8, 2025. “Breaking the Mirror: New Approaches to the Study of Medieval Images” asked scholars in all fields to think afresh about what they can learn from medieval images, and especially how their potential to go beyond mere illustration—to aspire, deceive, and even fantasize—complicates what and how medievalists can learn from them. The session roster included:
“Byzantine Images and Religious Truths: A Wide-Angled View.”
Diliana Angelova, University of California–Berkeley
“The Imago agens in the Illumination of the Luttrell Psalter: Expressing the Ineffable that Is Beyond Words.” Christina Caroline ten Wolde-Marshall, Independent Scholar (Wales)
“Portrayals of the Patriarch: The Pictorial Slander and Celebration of Ignatios.”
Lora Webb, Emory University
The three papers provoked a lively discussion and a dynamic start to the three-day conference. Hearty thanks to three our speakers and their audience, both in person and online!
