The Long Life of Magical Objects
eBook - PDF

The Long Life of Magical Objects

A Study in the Solomonic Tradition

  1. English
  2. PDF
  3. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - PDF

The Long Life of Magical Objects

A Study in the Solomonic Tradition

About this book

This book explores a series of powerful artifacts associated with King Solomon via legendary or extracanonical textual sources. Tracing their cultural resonance throughout history, art historian Allegra Iafrate delivers exciting insights into these objects and interrogates the ways in which magic manifests itself at a material level.

Each chapter focuses on a different Solomonic object: a ring used to control demons; a mysterious set of bottles that constrain evil forces; an endless knot or seal with similar properties; the shamir, known for its supernatural ability to cut through stone; and a flying carpet that can bring the sitter anywhere he desires. Taken together, these chapters constitute a study on the reception of the figure of Solomon, but they are also cultural biographies of these magical objects and their inherent aesthetic, morphological, and technical qualities.

Thought-provoking and engaging, Iafrate's study shows how ancient magic artifacts live on in our imagination, in items such as Sauron's ring of power, Aladdin's lamp, and the magic carpet. It will appeal to historians of art, religion, folklore, and literature.

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Yes, you can access The Long Life of Magical Objects by Allegra Iafrate in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Art & History of Ancient Art. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Information

Table of contents

  1. COVER front
  2. Series Page
  3. Copyright Page
  4. Table of Contents
  5. List of Illustrations
  6. Acknowledgments
  7. Chapter 1: Magical Objects and Where to Find Them
  8. Notes to Chapter 1
  9. Chapter 2: The Signet Ring
  10. Notes to Chapter 2
  11. Chapter 3: Bottles for the Demons
  12. Notes to Chapter 3
  13. Chapter 4: Much Ado About Knotting
  14. Notes to Chapter 4
  15. Chapter 5: The Metamorphic Shamir
  16. Notes to Chapter 5
  17. Chapter 6: Carpets and Other Flying Devices
  18. Notes to Chapter 6
  19. Conclusion: “Of the Cosmopolitan Destiny of Magical Objects”
  20. Notes to Conclusion
  21. NOTES
  22. BIBLIOGRAPHY
  23. INDEX