Kirk Ambrose
In fall 2023, Professor Kirk Ambrose听was selected as a 2023-4听Distinguished听Research听Lecturer. This prestigious award, one of the highest honors bestowed on the 兔子先生传媒文化作品 faculty, recognizes colleagues with a听distinguished听body of academic and/or creative achievement and prominence, as well as contributions to CU's educational and service missions.听
Kirk delivered his听Distinguished听Research听Lecture, "The Authentic and the Counterfeit in Medieval Art," on Tuesday, Nov. 28, 4:00-5:00, to a packed house in Chancellor鈥檚 Hall and Auditorium (CASE building).
To view the recording of Kirk鈥檚 stimulating lecture, click .
The abstract of his talk is below:
Authenticating relics was a foundational activity during the Middle Ages in Europe, for it was widely understood that these earthly remains of saints offered a vehicle for the divine to work miracles, from healing the sick to punishing鈥攁nd even killing鈥攅nemies of the Church. Because possessing a venerable saint鈥檚 bodily remains could bolster the prestige and financial fortunes of institutions, the temptation to invent fake claims could be great. Indeed, the years between 1000 and 1150 have been dubbed the 鈥済olden age of medieval forgery.鈥� To explore how institutions bolstered their claims to possess authentic relics in this period rife with fakes, Professor Ambrose's lecture will focus on the case of the monastery of Sainte-Foy, Conques, in France. He will examine how this community used the visual arts to advance their claims, as well as to condemn those who engaged in counterfeiting practices.