ABSTRACT
As a cultural motif, the devotional image cluster known as the arma Christi-–the “arms” or “instruments” of Christ’s Passion-–produces meaning through the sheer number and cultural significance of the assembled objects it represents. Whether they are listed, clustered, “bundled,”1 or versified; whether they are enshrined in illuminated manuscripts, emblazoned on heraldic shields, carved into church columns, or held aloft by the painted angels of the Italian Renaissance, the arma reveal a profound engagement with the material objects of Christ’s Passion-–without meaning to sound glib, with Christ’s “stuff.”2 As editors of this volume, our fascination with the arma Christi stemmed initially from the distinctive perspective of material culture studies: from, that is, our interest in the cultural work that material objects perform in the realm of practice and of ideas.3 The unique array of implements represented by and in
We would like to thank our patient contributors, and we gratefully acknowledge the help of the many individuals at the numerous archives that have opened up their collections for the purposes of this book.
