Interdisciplinary approach to the Iberian and Italian perceptions and representations of the Battle of Lepanto and the Muslim "other"

The Battle of Lepanto, celebrated as the greatest triumph of Christianity over its Ottoman enemy, was soon transformed into a powerful myth through a vast media campaign. The varied storytelling and the many visual representations that contributed to shape the perception of the battle in Christian Europe are the focus of this book. In broader terms, Lepanto and Beyond also sheds light on the construction of religious alterity in the early modern Mediterranean. It presents cross-disciplinary case studies that explore the figure of the Muslim captive in historical documentation, artistic depictions, and literature. With a focus on the Republic of Genoa, the authors also aim to balance the historical scale and restore the important role of the Genoese in the general scholarly discussion of Lepanto and its images.

This publication is GPRC-labeled (Guaranteed Peer-Reviewed Content).

About the Author
Laura Stagno is associate professor of early modern art history at the University of Genoa and Scientific Director of the Museum of Palazzo del Principe in Genoa. Borja Franco Llopis is associate professor of early modern art history at the UNED (Madrid), and principal investigator of the International Research Group "Before Orientalism: Images of the Muslim Other in Iberia".

Reviews

In dit magistraal boek van een ongeevenaard, intellectueel niveau, staan de gevarieerde vertelkunst en de vele visuele voorstellingen, die hebben bijgedragen aan de perceptie van de strijd in christelijk Europa, centraal. "Lepanto and Beyond" brengt nieuw licht op de constructie van religieuze alteriteit in het vroegmodern Middellandse Zeegebied. Het presenteert multidisciplinaire casestudy's die de toenmalige moslims onderzoeken in historische documentatie, artistieke afbeeldingen en literatuur. Met een focus op de Republiek Genua, streven de auteurs naar een evenwicht tussen de historische betekenis en het historisch belang, en het herstel van de belangrijke rol van de Genuezen, in de algemene wetenschappelijke discussie over Lepanto.
Michel Dutrieue, Stretto, 9 april 2021

"Lepanto and Beyond" is a collection of eleven articles dealing with the construction of perceptions surrounding the Battle of Lepanto and the "Muslim Other" in earlymodern Italy and Spain. The volume is innovative in its study of Lepanto through Genoese sources, often disregarded in favour of their Venetian and Spanish counterparts.In addition to this, the collection offers several contributions on the representation of Ottoman subjects promoted by European states and patricians. [...] "Lepanto and Beyond" achieves its dual aim of shedding new light on media campaigns following the Battle and of investigating representations of the Ottoman in the Christian Mediterranean.
Achille Marotta, QFIAB 102 (2022), https://doi.org/10.1515/qufiab-2022-0032

" The Battle of Lepanto, celebrated as the greatest victory of Christendom over its Ottoman archenemy, was soon transformed into a powerful myth ": la potenza generatrice, sul piano delle rappresentazioni culturali e della produzione di simboli, scaturita dall'esito dello scontro navale del 7 ottobre 1571, e un fatto largamente noto. Consentono ora di approfondirlo, con rimarchevole ricchezza di apporti originali, i saggi riuniti nella miscellanea a cura di Laura Stagno e Borja Franco Llopis.Danilo Zardin, Mediterranean International Journal on the transfer of knowledge, 7, 2022, https://doi.org/10.21071/mijtk.v7i.14091

En fin, se trata de una obra de consulta obligada sobre las "representaciones" -en sentido amplio- de Lepanto, o mejor dicho, de los "Lepantos" hispanico y genoves, tanto por la calidad de los ensayos, como por el prestigio academico de los/as autores/as reunidos por los editores, Stagno y Franco Llopis.
Ivan Rega Castro, Boletin De Arte, (43), 268-269. https://doi.org/10.24310/BoLArte.2022.vi43.14355

For those who are interested in seeing how the study of alterity can expose the lines of connection between art, politics, and religion, the entries in Lepanto and Beyond have much to commend them. In addition to the eleven essays, the volume includes twenty-nine color images of paintings and drawings depicting either the battle itself or individuals associated with it, such as Doria and Philip II. The image gallery alone makes this volume of value to historians of the 16th century, most especially to those specializing in art and in the print and media landscape of the period. Brent Gordon, SJ, Reading Religion, March 2023, https://readingreligion.org/9789462702646/

Book Information
ISBN 9789462702646
Author Laura Stagno
Format Paperback
Page Count 325
Imprint Leuven University Press
Publisher Leuven University Press
Weight(grams) 845g
Dimensions(mm) 230mm * 170mm * 19mm