Gift-Giving and Materiality in Europe, 1300-1600 - Gifts as Objects

Gift-giving played an important role in political, social and religious life in medieval and early modern Europe. This volume explores an under-examined and often-overlooked aspect of this phenomenon: the material nature of the gift.Drawing on examples from both medieval and early modern Europe, the authors from the UK and across Europe explore the craftsmanship involved in the production of gifts and the use of exotic objects and animals, from elephant bones to polar bears and ''living'' holy objects, to communicate power, class and allegiance. Gifts were publicly given, displayed and worn and so the book explores the ways in which, as tangible objects, gifts could help to construct religious and social worlds. But the beauty and material richness of the gift could also provoke anxieties. Classical and Christian authorities agreed that, in gift-giving, it was supposed to be the thought that counted and consequently wealth and grandeur raised worries about greed and corruption: was a valuable ring payment for sexual services or a token of love and a promise of marriage? Over three centuries, reflects on the possibilities, practicalities and concerns raised by the material character of gifts.>

Product details

• Authors: Lars Kjaer, Gustavs Strenga
• Assisted by: Lars Kjaer (Editor), Gustavs Strenga (Editor)
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 18.04.2024
• EAN: 9781350186101
• ISBN: 978-1-350-18610-1
• No. of pages: 272
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History > Modern era up to 1918; Europe, European History, HISTORY / Europe / General, HISTORY / Social History, Social & cultural history, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Anthropology / Cultural & Social, c 1000 CE to c 1500, 15th century, c 1400 to c 1499, Material Culture, Social and cultural history, Early history: c 500 to c 1450/1500, Early modern history: c 1450/1500 to c 1700, 14th century, c 1300 to c 1399, 16th century, c 1500 to c 1599, c 1500 to c 1600