Image and Society at Reichenau c. 1000

A study of the paintings at Sankt Georg, Oberzell, on the UNESCO-listed Monastic Island of Reichenau reveals that the Liuthar Group of painters, active around 1000 AD, crafted iconography with dual ecclesiological and redemptive intentions. These works were designed to support a model of society favorable to clerics and monks, mirroring ambitions seen in contemporary abbeys like Cluny and Fleury during the Capetian kingdom. The research employs close observation of narrative ruptures and iconographic singularities to decipher the painters' programmatic intentions, offering new insights into the interplay between visual art and societal structures in early medieval Europe.

Franzé, B. (2025). Image and Society at Reichenau c. 1000. Romanesque and the Year 1000, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003571476-1