Riemenschneider in Rothenburg: Sacred Space and Civic Identity in the Late Medieval City

In Riemenschneider in Rothenburg, Katherine M. Boivin explores how medieval urban planning and artistic programming worked together to form dynamic environments and propagate civic ideals. She argues that artwork commissioned by the city's elected council over two centuries built upon one another, creating a cohesive structural network that attracted religious pilgrims and furthered the theological ideals of the parish church. By contextualizing some of Rothenburg's most significant architectural and artistic works, Boivin shows how the city government employed these works to establish a local aesthetic that raised the city's profile and put it on the pilgrimage map of Europe.

Format: Hardback
Length: 248 pages
Publication date: 21 May 2021
Publisher: Pennsylvania State University Press

The concept of the medieval city is firmly etched in the modern imagination, evoking visions of fortified walls, towering churches, and winding streets. In her book "Riemenschneider in Rothenburg: Urban Planning and Artistic Programming in Late Medieval Germany," Katherine M. Boivin delves into the intricate interplay between medieval urban planning and artistic programming to create dynamic environments. Through a close examination of altarpieces by the renowned medieval artist Tilman Riemenschneider, Boivin demonstrates how artwork in Germany's preeminent medieval city, Rothenburg ob der Tauber, deliberately propagated civic ideals.

Over the course of two centuries, the city's elected council commissioned numerous artistic pieces that built upon each other, creating a cohesive structural network that attracted religious pilgrims and further solidified the parish church's theological ideals. By contextualizing some of Rothenburg's most significant architectural and artistic works, such as St. James Church and Riemenschneider's Altarpiece of the Holy Blood, Boivin showcases how the city government employed these works to establish a local aesthetic that awe-struck visitors, elevating Rothenburg's profile and placing it on the pilgrimage map of Europe.

This meticulously documented and compellingly argued book offers valuable new insights into the history of one of Germany's major tourist destinations. It will appeal to medieval art historians and scholars engaged in the fields of cultural and urban history alike.

Weight: 1234g
Dimension: 256 x 298 x 29 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780271087788