Women's Role in the 'Survival' of Insular Artistic Traditions after the Norman Conquest

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I intend to explore how female identity was expressed by the material trappings of popular religion in medieval Anglo-Saxon and Anglo-Norman England. I hope to establish a constancy in the symbiotic relationship between women and artistic objects, which has been obscured by art historical traditions dominated by patriarchal structures and reductive art historical 'periods'. Recent developments in the study of material objects associated with Anglo-Saxon women have recognised the spiritual importance of women during conversion, with potential roots in pagan practices. However, this early significance is believed to have 'faded' as the Middle Ages progressed, and existing studies of later Anglo-Norman art provide only cursory acknowledgements of Anglo-Saxon artistic 'survival'. My project will start with the premise that the establishment of 'Anglo-Saxon' and 'Romanesque' distinctions in art historical scholarship have obscured the continued importance of women, and their contributions to the development of ecclesiastical styles (in particular the promotion of Anglo-Saxon visual traditions). I will compare objects from across the English Middle Ages, including often overlooked works (such as embroidery), with reference to modern art historical theories concerning gender and materiality. This study will significantly develop the understanding of medieval womanhood and disrupt established art historical narratives.