Masha Goldin studied Art History (BA, MA) at Tel Aviv University. 2019-2021 student research assistant at the Department of Art History, Tel Aviv University (Prof. Assaf Pinkus). 2021 recipient of First Prize, Graduate Student Essay Award, International Center of Medieval Art. Since 2021 member of the eikones Graduate School.

Constructing Trust: Juridical Visual Culture in the Holy Roman Empire

Acknowledging that trust and faith in the legal system is a fundamental source of the law’s authority, the current project will focus on the central role of medieval juridical visual culture in the construction of the credibility of juridical authority. The study will examine imagery produced between the 13th century and the beginning of the 16th – the period that gave rise to drastic changes in the juridical domain, requiring the legal authorities to establish their right to judge and to enforce the law. The research will be restricted to the geographical limits of the Holy Roman Empire: the period’s law institutions were inseparable from the hierarchical structure of the Empire. The purpose of the project is to shed light on the ways in which juridical spaces, objects, signs, and gestures shaped communication between the public and the legal authorities.