"Medieval viewers understood Christ's body as both male and female," said Melanie Holcomb and Nancy Thebaut, the curators behind " Spectrum of Desire: Love, Sex, and Gender in the Middle Ages," a delightfully corporeal medieval art exhibition now on view at the Met Cloisters in New York. "In addition to being the son of God, he was also frequently described as a mother, and his wound was often likened to a lactating breast that could be a source of spiritual nourishment for others."
The Louvre's endless corridors no doubt remain a must see for visitors to Paris. But lately, the city's most iconic museum has faced its share of trials and tribulations. Between the endless queue and massive crowds, sporadic strikes that left visitors disappointed and the recent, breathtaking jewelry heist that saw the museum's doors shut, it's worth considering some of the city's lesser known gems on your next cultural day out.
The tomb effigy of a French crusader from the thirteenth century preserves a surprising secret: a carved copy of a Chinese sword which belonged to the knight. The question of how a Chinese sword ended up on the tomb has fascinated scholars for decades. It is a story that speaks to the influence of global travel, crusading warfare, trade and plunder, inviting us to reconsider the Middle Ages as more globally connected than often imagined.
