Media lost and found: the medieval understanding of the history of artistic techniques

Abstract

This article addresses medieval texts that comment on the loss or revival of artistic media. Mostly written by ecclesiastical authors, these texts offer evidence of how medieval viewers understood objects and techniques in historical context. They demonstrate the medieval people used media to periodize past art historic production, unlike ancient or Renaissance authors who prioritized the rise or fall of representational skills. This periodization is linked to local or institutional history.