Medieval Art, Architecture, and Archaeology in the Dioceses of Aberdeen and Moray
Exploring the medieval heritage of Aberdeenshire and Moray, the essays in this volume contain insights and recent work presented at the British Archaeological Association Conference of 2014, based at Aberdeen University. The opening, historical chapters establish the political, economic and administrative context of the region, looking at both the secular and religious worlds and include an examination of Elgin Cathedral and the bishops’ palaces. The discoveries at the excavations of the kirk of St Nicholas, which have revealed the early origins of religious life in Aberdeen city, are summarised and subsequent papers consider the role of patronage. Patronage is explored in terms of architecture, the dramas of the Reformation and its aftermath highlighted through essentially humble parish churches, assailed by turbulent events and personalities. The collegiate church at Cullen, particularly its tomb sculpture, provides an unusually detailed view of the spiritual and dynastic needs of its patrons. The decoration of spectacular ceilings, both carved and painted, at St Machar’s Cathedral, Provost Skene’s House and Crathes Castle, are surveyed through the eyes of their patrons and the viewers below.
Saints and religious devotion feature in the last four chapters, focusing on the carved wooden panels from Fetteresso, which display both piety and a rare glimpse of Scottish medieval carnal humour, the illuminated manuscripts from Arbuthnott, the Aberdeen Breviary and Historia Gentis Scotorum. The medieval artistic culture of north-east Scotland is both battered by time and relatively little known. With discerning interpretation, this volume shows that much high-quality material still survives, while the lavish illustrations restore some glamour to this lost medieval world.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Locating Aberdeen and Elgin in the Later Middle Ages: Regional, National and International Paradigms
DAVID DITCHBURN
The Medieval Church in the Dioceses of Aberdeen and Moray
RICHARD ORAM
Elgin Cathedral and Medieval Church Architecture in North-East Scotland
RICHARD FAWCETT
Bishops’ Palaces in the Medieval Dioceses of Aberdeen and Moray
PENELOPE DRANSART
Excavations within the East Kirk of St Nicholas, Aberdeen
ALISON CAMERON AND JUDITH STONES
Post-Reformation Church Architecture in the Marischal Earldom, 1560-1625
MILES KERR-PATERSON
Patronage at the Collegiate Church at Cullen
LIZZIE SWARBRICK
From Relegation to Elevation: The Viewer’s Relationship with Painted Ceilings from the Medieval to Renaissance Eras in North-East Scotland
FERN INSH
Piping Pigs and Mermaid Groping: Six Carved Panels from Fetteresso
JANE GEDDES
The Arbuthnott Manuscripts: The Patronage and Production of Illuminated Books in Late Medieval Scotland
JULIAN LUXFORD
The Arbuthnott Book of Hours: Book Production and Religious Culture in Late Medieval Scotland
MARLENE VILLALOBOS HENNESSY
North-Eastern Saints in the Aberdeen Breviary and the Historia Gentis Scotorum of Hector Boece: Liturgy, History and Religious Practice in Late Medieval Scotland
TOM TURPIE