Annotated Bibliography
“Relics and Reliquaries: A Cross Cultural Study of Forms, Styles, and Content in Early
Christian, Buddhist, and Kota/Fang Art”
Rebecca Reagan Boatman, Department of Art
Collin College Study Grant, 2008 - 2009
Freeland, Cynthia. Art Theory: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press, 2001.
This small book addresses the philosophy behind art-making and discusses the art
of both African and the early Christian. Art serves as the visual communication
for thought. Although this text did not aide me in a direction for the creation of
my exhibit, it served as inspiration for my own personal reaction to the facts
concerning the art pieces that I had studied. I bought a copy of this for my
personal library.
Guip, David. "Instructional resources: Sacred Relics, Ritual Objects: Instructional
Resources from the Toledo Museum of Art." Art Education 46.6 1993: 27-34.
This journal discussed the importance of cross cultural knowledge to understand
the importance of ritual display as a component of religious and secular
experience. The comparison was between African reliquaries and Medieval
reliquaries. This article was too simplistic. It did not go into any discussion of
the differences between the cultures.
Fernandez, James W. and Fernandez, Renate L. W. “Fang Reliquary Art: Its
Quantities and Qualities” Cahiers d’Etudes Africaines. 15.60 1975 723-46.
The authors reported stylistic tendencies as proposed by intensive study of
an extensive quantity of Fang figures. Mathematical proportion of body parts is
presented to categorize stylistic traits. It was noted that these were from quality
pieces that have been transported to the western cultures and does not include
variations found in more remote areas by artists of limited craftsmanship. I found
this extremely useful for developing the style of my pieces in the exhibit. The
variations allowed for self-expression within limits.
Hahn, Cynthia. "Seeing and Believing: The Construction of Sanctity in Early-Medieval
Saints' Shrines." Speculum 72.4 1977: 1079-1106.
Hahn only mentions the relic and reliquary briefly. Her research deals with the
tombs of saints almost exclusively. I found this reading helped me very little with
my objectives.
Hamlin, Cyrus and Krois, John Michael, eds. Symbolic Forms and Cultural Studies:
Ernest Cassirer's Theory of Culture. Yale University Press, 2004.
Mikhail Bakhtin discussed in one chapter that the collecting of relics of saints and
the dismemberment of bodies was a parody from Paul Lehmann’s study of
Parody in the Middle Ages. He state the distribution corresponds to the divisions
of social hierarchy.
Relics are equal to mythic consciousness and only a piece is required to exercise
power. This explained the use of single pieces and I incorporated this in the
visual bones produced in one piece representing the Christian Medieval
Reliquary.
Hatt, Robert T. "A Thirteenth Century Tibetan Reliquary. An Iconographic and Physical
Analysis." Artibus Asiae 42.2/3 1980: 175-220.
Contained in this article was a detailed analysis of both a chorten and its contents.
The contents include ancient manuscripts from the 8-9c., animal hide, barley
grains, bone fragment, and a packet of bone ash. The chorten was studied by
mathematical proportion of its sections. The question for me was how do some of
these objects relate to the person it represents. These pieces heighten the mystery
with only scientific fact and no historical documentation. The chorten was
obtained through an antique dealer in Michigan.
Hoskins, Janet. Biographical Objects. Routledge. 1998.
This text was suggested by Dr. Jerry Sulllivan. The relationship between the
valued object and the culture cannot be separated. Events attach themselves to
ordinary objects and fix them as memory markers. She summarizes by stating
that the object becomes a way of knowing oneself through things. I realize the
common thread between cultures is this desire for the concrete, the object. The
container serves as a sacred vessel of self.
Klein, Holger A. "Eastern Objects and Western Desires: Relics and Reliquaries Between
Byzntium and the West." Dumbarton Oaks Papers 58 2004 283-314.
The journal discusses the research for the history of relics in the early Middle
Ages and the political implications of control and power. This reading was
tedious because my interest focuses on the containers and the reasons for the form
that evolved. I was able to extricate some great photos of reliquaries and
determined that one reason some containers were sealed could be the condition of
the relic contained (or lack of a relic!) The sacred cross could be made many
times over if the number of relics that hold a piece could be reassembled. Relics
were acquired as payment, gift, and reward and through theft.
Lagamma, Alisa, ed. Eternal Ancestors: The Art of the Central African Reliquary. Yale
University Press. 2007
This book was companion to a special exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
bearing the same name in 2007-2008. It not only discussed in detail the guardian
figures from the exhibit but the influence on western modern art in the early
twentieth century.
Lamb, Aastair. “Chandi, Bukit, Batu, Pabat.” Monographs on Southeast Asian Subjects
No. 1. Singapore. 1960 74,78-81.
This explained mathematical formula for boxes in sanctuaries as described in
Hindu building manuals. I became aware of the connection in sacred objects
between Buddhism and Hinduism.
Meyer, Laure. African Forms Art and Rituals. Assouline., 2001
This book proved invaluable for characteristics in form, style, and pictoral
reference for the completion of my figures.
Morphy, Howard and Perkins, Morgan, ed. The Anthropology of Art, Blackwell
Publishing Ltd., 2006.
In this reading, the idea of the art that is out of context or presented without
function is discussed. African art is purified of its function: sculptures without the
ancestral bones. Susan Vogel claims there is the desire to make it resemble art of
the west and conform to the western definition of what is art. It compromises its
status as art as a religious article. After reading this I planned my guardian
figures to incorporate art as displayed in American museums without baskets and
art as seen by the African culture it represented. This book changed my direction
and I noted in my sketchbook that it was stimulating. How will my exhibit be
perceived?
O'Connor, Stanley J. "Ritual Deposit Boxes in Southeast Asian Sanctuaries." Artibus
Asiae 28.1 1966: 53.60.
This journal described in detail containers found in foundation corners of sacred
buildings including Angkor Wat. Some contents of the containers was discussed
but there had been some looting. This article enabled me to create boxes with
similar characteristics.
Remensnyder, Amy G. "Legendary Treasure at Conques: Reliquaries and Imaginative
Memory." Speculum 71.4 1996 884-906.
The focus of this article is the power of imaginative memory that transforms an
object into monument. Remensnyder addresses the reliquary as a powerful part of
the relic. By sheltering the sacred object, the reliquary becomes the visible for the
hidden. Through the application of precious metals and stones, the reliquary
qualified the enclosed body part. I found this article addressed my research to the
point that I was able to design several pieces for the exhibit.
Rowland, Benjamin. "Religious Art East and West." History of Religions 2.1 1962 11-32.
Rowland is concerned with iconography in religious arts and its development. He
cites parallels in Buddhism and Christianity in symbols dealing with nature and
the solar system and attributes their use to past history and experiences. I found
this interesting in that it seeks the explanation for the universality of artistic
symbols.
Sharf, Robert H. "On the Allure of Buddhist Relics." Representations 66 Spring 1999:
75-99.
The study of Buddhist relics and the reasons for it are explored by Sharf. He
reports the parallels with the manipulation and exploitation in both medieval
Christianity and early Buddhism. He explores the objects and their iconographic
significance. He does admit that he may be guilty of projecting his cultural
assumptions to better understand the phenomenon of relic veneration. I found
most interesting that the object venerated by the Buddhists can be more symbolic
than concrete in representation of the idea of the Buddha. The art of the reliquary
was not discussed.
Shen, Hsueh-Man. "Realizing the Buddha's "Dharma" Body During the Mofa Period: A
Study of Liao Buddhist Relic Deposits." Artibus Asiae 61.2 2001 263-303.
The excavation of pagodas has revealed texts that may act as relic for the Buddha.
Shen focuses on the study of these texts and gives little information on the other
relics included. There are photos with the location of relics inside the shrine. The
fact that texts are often included in the reliquaries of the Buddhist are consistent.
Thompson, Robert Farris. Illuminating Spirits: “Astonishment and Power” at the National
Museum of African Art. African Arts. 26.4 1993. 60-69
This article on sacred African art deals with Nkisi and power bundles and only
briefly discusses the guardian figure for sacred baskets of bones. Although
interesting the article’s focus was too far from my original purpose.
Westermann, Mariët. Anthropologies of Art. Yale University Press, 2005.
This text explored the different methodological premises between the study of art
as art history and art as anthropology. Both involve the study of society and
culture and analysis in both is necessary for understanding. This reading made
me aware that my study was not about art as anthropology except to search for a
universality of the collection of sacred objects. The different premises will effect
knowledge.