Technology of the Global Gothic

Technology of the Global Gothic

By the thirteenth century, fountains had come to the European continent by way of contact with the Islamic kingdoms of the Mediterranean and the Near East; the Norman conquest of Sicily integrated the sum expertise of the former Emirate of Sicily, which like the Normans based itself in Palermo, and its sprawling pleasure villas like La Zisa and Maredolce with their fountains, pools, and water courses inspired the thirteenth-century park of Hesdin in northern France. Working within the premise that the medieval illuminator is incapable of drawing that of which he has no knowledge or familiarity, we can observe the evolution of fountain forms in these illuminated manuscripts as markers corresponding to the parallel development and diffusion of actual fountains in medieval France and beyond. The familiarity with table fountains on the part of the French illuminators can be seen in the images of the fountain of Narcissus in the Roman de la Rose and later in the edition of Marco Polo’s travels. The increasing appearance of fountain technology in both literary as well as historic setting of the Middle Ages is due to the proliferation of real fountains in contexts which brought unprecedented numbers of people in Latin Europe into contact with this technology.

French Fountains Far Afield

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What you will learn

• Students will encounter the varied mechanical technology developed by Frankish hydraulic engineers.
• Technology of the "global Gothic" consisted of diverse fountains that appeared in as distant places as the Mongol Empire.
• Students will appreciate the intersection of art, technology, craftsmanship, and engineering in this unique course.

Rating: 4.6

Level: All Levels

Duration: 1 hour

Instructor: Dr. Lily Filson