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The Wandering Throne of Solomon
Objects and Tales of Kingship in the Medieval Mediterranean
Series: - Mediterranean Art Histories, Volume: 2
Author:
In
The Wandering Throne of Solomon: Objects and Tales of Kingship in the Medieval Mediterranean Allegra Iafrate analyzes the circulation of artifacts and literary traditions related to king Solomon, particularly among Christians, Jews and Muslims, from the 10th to the 13th century.
The author shows how written sources and objects of striking visual impact interact and describes the efforts to match the literary echoes of past wonders with new mirabilia. Using the throne of Solomon as a case-study, she evokes a context where Jewish rabbis, Byzantine rulers, Muslim ambassadors, Christian sovereigns and bishops all seem to share a common imagery in art, technology and kingship.
The author shows how written sources and objects of striking visual impact interact and describes the efforts to match the literary echoes of past wonders with new mirabilia. Using the throne of Solomon as a case-study, she evokes a context where Jewish rabbis, Byzantine rulers, Muslim ambassadors, Christian sovereigns and bishops all seem to share a common imagery in art, technology and kingship.
Allegra Iafrate, Ph.D (2013), Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa, is postdoctoral fellow at the Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florence. The project of this book has been awarded the ‘Prix Marc de Montalembert’ 2014.
"Overall, this is an extremely intelligent and rich piece of work that demonstrates a deep knowledge of Solomonic lore while continually challenging readers to consider a range of associated questions, ranging from the technological competition between Christian and Islamic cultures to attitudes towards wealth and technology. It also engages meaningfully with abstract notions of the exotic the faraway and the mysterious in a way that is highly illuminating. And perhaps most importantly, Iafrate demonstrates a nuanced and logical approach to the unpacking and interpretation of ideas and symbols that have changed hands many times in their history and which remain – at least to some degree – unknowable." - Nicholas Morton,
Nottingham Trent University, in:
Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations 29/1 (2018)
"Durch ihren vergleichenden Ansatz und die enge Verknüpfung von Texten und Objekten gelingt Iafrate eine überzeugende Analyse, die nicht nur Verflechtung, sondern auch Abgrenzung aufzeigt. Über die angestrebte Perspektive hinaus kann die Studie auch als eine Kultur- und Ideengeschichte der mittelalterlichen Salomo-Rezeption gelesen werden. Sie regt dazu an, die Bedeutung des Throns, der anderen salomonischen Objekte und auch der Person Salomos in bestimmten Aspekten zu vertiefen, z. B. hinsichtlich Auffassungen von Königtum, symbolischer Kommunikation und politischer Rhetorik." - Christian Alexander Neumann, in: QFIAB 98 (2018)
"This book is excellent... I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the Christian apocrypha and in "Abrahamic" legends more generally. While the author does not speak about a particular text, she reveals much about the world in which the apocrypha were made. Her work highlights the importance of looking beyond religious and even textual boundaries." - Gavin McDowell, in: Apocrypha 28 (2017)
"Durch ihren vergleichenden Ansatz und die enge Verknüpfung von Texten und Objekten gelingt Iafrate eine überzeugende Analyse, die nicht nur Verflechtung, sondern auch Abgrenzung aufzeigt. Über die angestrebte Perspektive hinaus kann die Studie auch als eine Kultur- und Ideengeschichte der mittelalterlichen Salomo-Rezeption gelesen werden. Sie regt dazu an, die Bedeutung des Throns, der anderen salomonischen Objekte und auch der Person Salomos in bestimmten Aspekten zu vertiefen, z. B. hinsichtlich Auffassungen von Königtum, symbolischer Kommunikation und politischer Rhetorik." - Christian Alexander Neumann, in: QFIAB 98 (2018)
"This book is excellent... I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the Christian apocrypha and in "Abrahamic" legends more generally. While the author does not speak about a particular text, she reveals much about the world in which the apocrypha were made. Her work highlights the importance of looking beyond religious and even textual boundaries." - Gavin McDowell, in: Apocrypha 28 (2017)
Introduction:
A Map of the Wanderings
Between Legend and Reality: the Place of the Throne
Notes on the Mediterranean Circulation of the Throne
A Debate of Longue Durée
Flying on the Throne: Chronological and Geographical Span of the Journey
The Limits of the Mediterranean
Chapter one: A King of Small Things
An Aesthetics of Prestige: Claiming Solomon’s Treasure
The Cup
The Pillars
The Table
The Transfer of Metal-Working Techniques
Unfamiliar yet Beautiful: Sabres and Cuirasses
Casting Bronze like Hiram: Lamps and Vessels
Working “à l’œuvre Salomon”: Spurs, Saddles, Furniture
Conclusions
Chapter two: The Solomonic Throne in Constantinople
The Magnaura Throne
The Throne in Byzantine Chronicles
A Throne for a New Solomon
The Case of the Golden Plane Tree
Courtly Automata
The Organ as a Soundtrack for the Empire
Sharing Elements of Kingship: Silks and Precious Objects in Circulation
Conclusions
Chapter three: The Throne of the Rabbis
Scholarship on the Throne
The Throne in Midrashic Literature
The Relationship between Legends and Reality
Midrash Esther Rabbah
Midrash Leviticus Rabbah
Targum Sheni: between Ekphrasis and Reality?
Enlivening the Scene: the Echoes of the Magnaura
The Wandering of the Throne
The Reception of Midrashim about the Throne in Other Contexts
Conclusions
Chapter four: The Throne of Solomon in the Islamic World
Jewish Sources for Arabic and Persian Accounts
Lions and Griffins: a Lost Solomonic Throne?
Building Solomon’s Throne on Persian Royal Ruins: Takht-i Sulaymān
Mapping Solomon’s Kingdom
Flying Thrones and Flying Carpets
Conclusions
Chapter five: The Throne of Solomon in the Christian West
My Kingdom for a Lion: Papal and Imperial Seats
Henry VI and the Sedes Sapientiae
Sedes Sapientiae and Divine Wisdom
A Seat for the Virgin
Rabanus Maurus
Guibert de Nogent
Nicholas de Clairvaux
Richard of Saint-Laurent
The Sedes Sapientiae as the Throne of Solomon: a Marian Interference
The Throne of Solomon as Spiritual Ladder
Conclusions
Chapter five: A Literary Abode for the Throne
The City of Brass
The Jüngere Titurel
Conclusions
Appendix: Weather Lore and the Throne of Solomon
Bibliography
Index
A Map of the Wanderings
Between Legend and Reality: the Place of the Throne
Notes on the Mediterranean Circulation of the Throne
A Debate of Longue Durée
Flying on the Throne: Chronological and Geographical Span of the Journey
The Limits of the Mediterranean
Chapter one: A King of Small Things
An Aesthetics of Prestige: Claiming Solomon’s Treasure
The Cup
The Pillars
The Table
The Transfer of Metal-Working Techniques
Unfamiliar yet Beautiful: Sabres and Cuirasses
Casting Bronze like Hiram: Lamps and Vessels
Working “à l’œuvre Salomon”: Spurs, Saddles, Furniture
Conclusions
Chapter two: The Solomonic Throne in Constantinople
The Magnaura Throne
The Throne in Byzantine Chronicles
A Throne for a New Solomon
The Case of the Golden Plane Tree
Courtly Automata
The Organ as a Soundtrack for the Empire
Sharing Elements of Kingship: Silks and Precious Objects in Circulation
Conclusions
Chapter three: The Throne of the Rabbis
Scholarship on the Throne
The Throne in Midrashic Literature
The Relationship between Legends and Reality
Midrash Esther Rabbah
Midrash Leviticus Rabbah
Targum Sheni: between Ekphrasis and Reality?
Enlivening the Scene: the Echoes of the Magnaura
The Wandering of the Throne
The Reception of Midrashim about the Throne in Other Contexts
Conclusions
Chapter four: The Throne of Solomon in the Islamic World
Jewish Sources for Arabic and Persian Accounts
Lions and Griffins: a Lost Solomonic Throne?
Building Solomon’s Throne on Persian Royal Ruins: Takht-i Sulaymān
Mapping Solomon’s Kingdom
Flying Thrones and Flying Carpets
Conclusions
Chapter five: The Throne of Solomon in the Christian West
My Kingdom for a Lion: Papal and Imperial Seats
Henry VI and the Sedes Sapientiae
Sedes Sapientiae and Divine Wisdom
A Seat for the Virgin
Rabanus Maurus
Guibert de Nogent
Nicholas de Clairvaux
Richard of Saint-Laurent
The Sedes Sapientiae as the Throne of Solomon: a Marian Interference
The Throne of Solomon as Spiritual Ladder
Conclusions
Chapter five: A Literary Abode for the Throne
The City of Brass
The Jüngere Titurel
Conclusions
Appendix: Weather Lore and the Throne of Solomon
Bibliography
Index
All interested in the cultural exchanges in the Medieval Mediterranean and anyone concerned with Solomon-related traditions in general.