The Black Death and Beyond: Art and Plague in Early Modern Italy

3 credits · Undergraduate credit

This course explores the development of art and architecture dedicated to plague in Italy from the 14th-18th centuries. We will trace the expansion of visual art that responded to prevailing medical theories and spiritual practices aimed to prevent the disease and protect the body and soul. A variety of objects will be showcased in this course, including miraculous images, wearable amulets, anatomical prints, and graffiti scrawled on the walls of plague hospitals.