The The Doctrinal Deafness of Jews and Muslims in Medieval Art

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DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24310/BoLArte.2021.vi42.12190

Keywords:

Synagogue, Image of the Jew, Image of the Muslim, Iconography of Preaching, Figures Covering their Ears, Saint Stephen, Raban Maur

Abstract

The depiction of Synagogue with a veil over its eyes referring to its spiritual blindness has been considered the most prototypical image of Judaism in medieval times. However, from the 11th century on we can find the representation of Jews covering their ears with their hands to show their refusal to listen to the Christian message. This idea is recurrent in theological literature and becomes a repeated visual resource in medieval art. The gesture of covering the ears is associated with both the image of Jews and Muslims, often as part of scenes in which Saint Stephen or a missionary monk preaches to the infidels. In this paper we follow up on this motif, which we find in French and Hispanic Romanesque art, in Italian Trecento and in 15th century Flemish painting, persisting into modern times. The association of this gesture with Jews and Muslims has frequently gone unnoticed by scholars and its analysis contributes to enlarging the knowledge of the depiction of religious otherness.

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Published

2021-11-16

How to Cite

Monteira Arias, I. (2021). The The Doctrinal Deafness of Jews and Muslims in Medieval Art. Boletín De Arte, (42), 61–70. https://doi.org/10.24310/BoLArte.2021.vi42.12190

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