Spectrum of Desire

Reframing medieval art through the lens of queer theory, this pioneering volume sharpens our understanding of conceptions of gender, the body, and eroticism across three centuries
 
Though historically focused on chaste, religious subjects that conform to modern ideas of binary gender roles, the study of medieval art from Europe has recently expanded, unearthing themes that reflect a diverse range of experiences and identities. Spectrum of Desire reframes medieval concepts of gender, sexuality, and love by reevaluating sculptures, paintings, manuscripts, and personal items through the lens of queer theory, a critical approach that sets aside contemporary ideas of normativity to analyze works of art in the context of their time. The book proposes new readings of beloved masterpieces and interrogates aspects of medieval art and culture that are often overlooked, such as nonconformist sexual practices, gender variance, and power plays within human and divine relationships. Focusing on more than forty works of art from the fourteenth through sixteenth centuries, the texts in this volume not only encourage readers to reflect on the ways that sex, gender, and relationships structured medieval lives and identities, but also prompt contemplation of how these attitudes affect understandings of these subjects in the present day.
 
Published by The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Distributed by Yale University Press
 
Exhibition Schedule:
 
The Met Cloisters, New York
(October 16, 2025–March 29, 2026)

Melanie Holcomb is curator and manager of collection strategy in the Department of Medieval Art and The Cloisters, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Nancy Thebaut is associate professor in the history of art in St. Catherine’s College at University of Oxford.