The Material of Culture: Renaissance Medals and Textiles from the Ulrich A. Middeldorf Collection

This exhibition presented an overview of Ulrich A. Middeldorf’s career as an art historian, teacher and curator. It featured selected medals and textiles from his collection, on loan from the Indiana University Art Museum, as well as a dalmatic (priest’s robe) from the Detroit Institute of Arts. Contextual material provides insight into how these luxury artifacts were utilized in the Renaissance and the various ways in which they convey the desire for personal recognition, taste for public display and a sense of general pride and enjoyment so prevalent in 16th-century Italian urban society. The exhibition was accompanied by a full-color catalogue published by the museum.