Working Hypotheses

  • Works of art which came down to us from Late Medieval and Early Modern periods can be well positioned within an analytical system offered by the theory of ‘agency of things’.
  • Agency of works of art better than traditional theories and methods informs our understanding of religious, social, political and ideological systems or networks which shaped various communities (court, city, convent, pilgrim) during the period under investigation.
  • Understanding art from this specific period as a moment of agency of things will create a new research model, applicable to other periods in the history of art.