Designing and Redesigning Solomon’s Temple Furnishings

This lecture is given by Allegra Iafrate, PhD in art history. The lecture is part of the lecture series ‘Das Zeug’.  

Bible-inspired objects have often been recreated with very different outcomes by artisans and artists in the course of history. In how many ways can a mythical text be reinterpreted to produce pieces that are meaningful to their new audience? What elements were privileged in such a making-process?

The lecture tries to answer these questions through a series of case-studies related to the rich artistic patronage of King Solomon who, according to the Scriptures, commissioned the construction of the Temple of Jerusalem and furnished its interior.

The memory of such an endeavour was not only exploited for centuries to create a powerful imagery for kingship and authority but had a fruitful impact also on the creation of peculiar artefacts.

About Allegra lafrate
Allegra Iafrate holds a Ph.D in art history. As a medievalist, her research has mostly focused on the circulation of shared traditions in the Mediterranean area and on the cultural ‘lives’ of powerful artefacts. 

Her publications include The Wandering Throne of Solomon: Objects and Tales of Kingship in the Medieval Mediterranean (Brill, 2015) and The Long Life of Magical Objects: A Study in the Solomonic Tradition (Penn State University Press, 2019). Currently, she works as a cultural attachée for the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.