Beyond the Treasury of San Isidoro: A Tale of Two Projects

Abstract

In this methodological essay, I present the fruits of research carried out by an interdisciplinary group of scholars 2016– 2018, which centered on the Treasury of San Isidoro de León, while also introducing the more wideranging comparative work going forward 2019– 2022 under the auspices of a reconfigured team. By republishing our studies in open access, we aim to reach a larger community of scholars; our longerterm goal is to move further out into the consciousness of modern society, locating for an interested general public the Leonese collection within its broader historical framework and holding it up for comparison with other significant sites. Cross-cultural luxury objects oblige a shift in the direction of our historical gaze, bringing into clear focus the many collaborations across faiths and the repeated examples of protagonism by women during the central Middle Ages.