Black Representation Between Empire and Apothecary Culture in Late Medieval Europe
My research at the Herzog August Bibliothek investigates the antecedents of what became the circulation of Black iconographies in European apothecary culture, grounded in the library’s rich manuscript and early printed holdings. The project examines pharmacological treatises, apothecary manuals, and commercial trade documents alongside related historiographical sources. I intend to explore how exotic medicinal substances such as pepper, saffron, and myrrh circulated through Mediterranean and transregional trade networks, and how these material flows were reflected in medicinal and visual texts. Central to my search are sources that affirm the role of the Hohenstaufen court of Frederick II of Sicily in producing visual and political representations of Black figures. These forms influenced the depiction of Saint Maurice in Magdeburg and the broader proliferation of Moor heads in German heraldic practices and coats of arms.
