In the last 200 years, thousands of Medieval badges have been discovered along the rivers of England, France, the Netherlands and Belgium. These badges, dated to the period from the end of the 13th century till the end of the 15th century, were worn by pilgrims on their way to central worship sites. While many depict Christian images, several hundreds of them represent a different iconography: they show genitals in varied contexts and actions: vulvas dressed as pilgrims with a rosary and a walking stick, vulvas riding horses and climbing ladders, vulvas being adored by penises, penises growing in gardens, and more.

The function of the badges is not quite clear. The common assumption is that they served as a talisman against the Evil Eye, perhaps more specifically against the Black Plague which ravaged Europe and Asia in the late 13th century, killing hundreds of millions of people over three centuries. The Black Plague, which was believed by its contemporaries to have been transmitted by the Evil Eye’s gaze, was one of the most disastrous events in human history. The badges might also reflect some aspects of the reality of pilgrimage. Pilgrimage provided a different, liminal, space for people to temporarily exist in, where sexual and gender norms could be suspended.

In this class we will consider some of the questions arising from these badges - without necessarily providing clear answers. We will consider their iconography and its subversiveness, and what they might reveal about gender norms in this period, explore their wider context of the plague and medieval society, and what we might be able to take from them as contemporary viewers.

ABOUT OUR LECTURER

Noam Yadin Evron has recently received her PhD in Late Antique art. Her main areas of study are the formation of early Christian art, gender and sexuality in Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, and the role of art and material culture in the formation of collective and individual identities.

Instagram: @noam.yadinevron

Website: https://www.noamyadinevron.com/

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