Date of Award

5-2022

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Fine Arts in Art History and Visual Culture

Department

Art

First Advisor

Alexis Culotta

Second Advisor

Esperanca Camara

Third Advisor

James Hutson

Abstract

This paper examines the use of allegory in the late medieval tapestry The Prince of Malice and His Court, produced between 1470 and 1480, alongside similar allegorical devices used in the contemporary French morality play L’Homme Juste et L’Homme Mondain. Recent scholarship on late medieval tapestry has included conversations of literary influence, mainly focusing on romance literature in particular. Although these comparisons have laid a foundation for the use of allegory within tapestry, a comparison to other literary examples is lacking. The following research, therefore, will analyze tapestry against morality plays to further extrapolate the visual exchange that occurred between the two mediums. Utilizing a cultural studies approach, this analysis will expose the obsession with morality in French culture at the end of the Middle Ages, and how allegorical devices were used to influence the morality of their audiences.

Comments

Copyright 2022, Kelsey Cook.

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