Focusing on the study of the role of medieval women in the production and promotion of the visual arts, this course unit aims to enrich the current FCSH curriculum in two ways:

  • by helping to fill the gap in studies dedicated to women in the medieval period;
  • by complementing the content introduced in other course units dedicated to the artistic production of the medieval period through the exploration of less in-depth or absent agents and contexts (História da Arte Românica; História da Arte Gótica; História da Arte Românica e Gótica em Portugal; Arte e Contextos Funerários an Cristandade Medieval).

This course unit will also complement, with the medieval scenario, the content of the master’s program in “Estudos sobre as Mulheres. As Mulheres na Sociedade e an Cultura,” which is dedicated to more contemporary themes.


To this end, this course unit will consist of a first part where students will be introduced to the historiography, concepts, and the main issues surrounding the study of women as art promoters and producers in the Middle Ages. This will include discussions on defining “artistic patronage,” “art,” or “artist” in the medieval female context, and the main challenges in identifying the role of these women in artistic production. This will be followed by a second part, which will involve the presentation and discussion of various case studies that characterize the art produced and promoted by medieval women and help understand the various roles they played in its conception and production. Due attention will also be given to how the study of these women and their artistic production has contributed to the expansion of the concept of “work of art” in this period.