Master of Arts (MA), Ohio University, 2020, Art History (Fine Arts)

The Scuola Grande di San Rocco, founded in 1478 in Venice, possessed the relics of the plague saint, Roch, which were housed in the confraternity's adjacent church. In 1564 Jacopo Tintoretto won a competition to decorate the ceiling of the Albergo (meeting room of the scuola's governing board), completing the work that year with a depiction of Saint Roch in Glory surrounded by representations of other scuole grandi and allegories of virtues and the seasons. The artist was then commissioned to paint the walls, which he finished in 1567 with scenes from the Passion of Christ. Tintoretto returned eight years later at the beginning of the devastating plague of 1575-76 to paint the Sala Superiore—the chapter room (Sala Capitolare), where the membership met as a group (completed in 1581). The thesis focuses on the paintings Tintoretto executed in the Albergo and Sala Superiore, with particular attention given to the three main ceiling paintings of the Sala Superiore, The Brazen Serpent, Moses Drawing Water from the Rock, and The Fall of Manna. Together, these works communicate the transformative power of the Eucharist and the mission of the confraternity to aid the citizens of a city whose far-flung sea trade made it vulnerable to outbreaks of the plague. The prominent location of the paintings and their significance to the role of the confraternity in providing charity are explored in relation to healing power of Christ, whose physical presence was manifest at the Eucharist, and the intervention of Saint Roch (and his relics, physically present nearby). The thesis concludes with an examination of the significance of Tintoretto's The Brazen Serpent and Albergo Passion scenes for the wall paintings of the staircase: Saint Roch Invoked Against the Plague (1666) by Antonio Zanchi (1631-1722) and Venice Granted Termination of the Plague (1673) by Pietro Negri (1628-79), both painted in commemoration of the Virgin's intervention in ending the plague that swept the city in 16 (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Marilyn Bradshaw Ph.D. (Advisor) Subjects: Art History; Bible; Medicine; Religious History

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 1978, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects: Music

Master of Arts (MA), Ohio University, 2018, Art History (Fine Arts)

Paolo Caliari (1528-88), known as Veronese, painted more than a dozen Annunciations and yet, while monographs on the artist provide an overview of his religious paintings, these works are given little attention. My thesis attempts to fill in this gap in the literature. Considering the importance of the Annunciation to Renaissance Venice, I examine Veronese's numerous paintings of the subject, a number far greater than that of other Venetian artists of his time based on the extant Venetian works focusing on this theme. Creating a catalog of Veronese's Annunciations, the first catalog to consider all these works in relation to each other, has been central to my research. Based on compilation of the catalog, I propose that Veronese's Scuola dei Mercanti Annunciation of 1578 became a model for a significant number of Annunciations made by Veronese and his shop in the years following 1578.

Committee: Marilyn Bradshaw (Advisor); Barbara Bays (Committee Member); Jennie Klein (Committee Member) Subjects: Art History

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 1981, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects: Literature

Bachelor of Arts (BA), Ohio University, 2015, English

Whether viewed as an attempt from a pious man to rationalize the acts of God or an exploration of free will, Milton's Paradise Lost has cycled through diverging, occasionally contradictory, readings since its publication nearly 400 years ago. A sizeable portion of the poem's complexity lies in the manner in which it chooses to depict God, who is split into the characters of The Father and The Son, and and the Devil. The most notorious figure in Milton's ouvre, Milton's Satan stands apart from former depictions of the Devil in its unapologetic identification with the fallen angel's goals and desires. This, paired with a God that is noticeably less merciful than is traditionally depicted, gives rise to unsettling questions regarding the nature of Christianity and the mind of a poet who would write such a work in a time when, even amongst growing heterodoxy, certain components of Christian faith were considered unshakable truths. The route that I have taken to solve this incongruity is to divorce the text from its source material and view it as something other than just an expression of religious devotion or theological study. Drawing extensively from Milton's life, historical predicament and political tracts, this reading views the text as an expression of political disillusionment, an examination of the act of revolt from a man who had passionately supported a doomed revolution.

Committee: Beth Quitslund (Advisor) Subjects: British and Irish Literature; Literature

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2010, History

This doctoral dissertation, Mughals at War: Babur, Akbar and the Indian Military Revolution, examines the transformation of warfare in South Asia during the foundation and consolidation of the Mughal Empire. It emphasizes the practical specifics of how the Imperial army waged war and prepared for war—technology, tactics, operations, training and logistics. These are topics poorly covered in the existing Mughal historiography, which primarily addresses military affairs through their background and context—cultural, political and economic. I argue that events in India during this period in many ways paralleled the early stages of the ongoing “Military Revolution” in early modern Europe. The Mughals effectively combined the martial implements and practices of Europe, Central Asia and India into a model that was well suited for the unique demands and challenges of their setting.

Committee: John Guilmartin PhD (Committee Chair); Stephen Dale PhD (Committee Member); Jennifer Siegel PhD (Committee Member); Laura Podalsky PhD (Other) Subjects: History; Military History

BA, Oberlin College, 1974, History

The sixteenth century was a tumultuous age for Europe. The Habsburg dynasty established its hegemony in Europe. The exploration of the New World provided a new source of wonder and wealth. Dynasties changed in France. England had women rulers. The Reformation exploded, transforming the religion of millions. With the Reformation and Counter-Reformation came political and religious disputes that resulted in warfare for more than thirty years. Political theory flourished during this century. The printing presses became important weapons in these wars, as writers attempted to analyze political authority in, light of religious disunity. As the single Christian Commonwealth disappeared, questions about the obligations of the faithful to obey civil authorities became important. Luther and Calvin attempted to answer these questions, as did many of their followers. But while Luther was able to demand complete submission to civil authority, the later Protestants, faced with the prospect of persecution by heretical civil authorities, developed theories of resistance. Calvin himself spelled out conditions under which, resistance was justifiable and necessary. The eight Lutheran ministers of Magdeburg who authored the "Bekenntnis Unterricht und Vermanung der Pfarrherrn und Prediger der Christlichen Kirchen zu Magdeburg" in 1550 claimed it was a religious duty to resist a ruler who sought to destroy the true religion. In Scotland, John Knox and George Buchanan presented the case for rebellion and limited monarchy. In England, during the reign of Queen: Mary; Christopher Goodman and John Ponet called for resistance. In France, the Huguenots produced an abundant literature in support of rebellion.

Committee: Marcia Colish (Advisor) Subjects: European History; History; Political Science