Wandering Throne of Solomon

Allegra Iafrate, Ph.D (2013), Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa, was a postdoctoral fellow at the KHI in Florence and at PSL in Paris. She currently serves as Cultural Attaché at the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The research project on which this book is based was awarded the Prix Marc de Montalembert in 2014.

"Overall, this is an extremely intelligent and rich piece of work that demonstrates a deep knowledge of Solomonic lore while continually challenging readers to consider a range of associated questions, ranging from the technological competition between Christian and Islamic cultures to attitudes towards wealth and technology. It also engages meaningfully with abstract notions of the exotic the faraway and the mysterious in a way that is highly illuminating. And perhaps most importantly, Iafrate demonstrates a nuanced and logical approach to the unpacking and interpretation of ideas and symbols that have changed hands many times in their history and which remain – at least to some degree – unknowable." - Nicholas Morton, Nottingham Trent University, in: Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations 29/1 (2018) "Durch ihren vergleichenden Ansatz und die enge Verknüpfung von Texten und Objekten gelingt Iafrate eine überzeugende Analyse, die nicht nur Verflechtung, sondern auch Abgrenzung aufzeigt. Über die angestrebte Perspektive hinaus kann die Studie auch als eine Kultur- und Ideengeschichte der mittelalterlichen Salomo-Rezeption gelesen werden. Sie regt dazu an, die Bedeutung des Throns, der anderen salomonischen Objekte und auch der Person Salomos in bestimmten Aspekten zu vertiefen, z.  B. hinsichtlich Auffassungen von Königtum, symbolischer Kommunikation und politischer Rhetorik." - Christian Alexander Neumann, in: QFIAB 98 (2018)"This book is excellent... I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the Christian apocrypha and in "Abrahamic" legends more generally. While the author does not speak about a particular text, she reveals much about the world in which the apocrypha were made. Her work highlights the importance of looking beyond religious and even textual boundaries." - Gavin McDowell, in: Apocrypha 28 (2017)

• Introduction:A Map of the WanderingsBetween Legend and Reality: the Place of the ThroneNotes on the Mediterranean Circulation of the ThroneA Debate of Longue DuréeFlying on the Throne: Chronological and Geographical Span of the JourneyThe Limits of the MediterraneanChapter one: A King of Small ThingsAn Aesthetics of Prestige: Claiming Solomon’s TreasureThe CupThe PillarsThe TableThe Transfer of Metal-Working TechniquesUnfamiliar yet Beautiful: Sabres and CuirassesCasting Bronze like Hiram: Lamps and VesselsWorking “à l’œuvre Salomon”: Spurs, Saddles, FurnitureConclusionsChapter two: The Solomonic Throne in ConstantinopleThe Magnaura ThroneThe Throne in Byzantine ChroniclesA Throne for a New SolomonThe Case of the Golden Plane TreeCourtly AutomataThe Organ as a Soundtrack for the EmpireSharing Elements of Kingship: Silks and Precious Objects in CirculationConclusionsChapter three: The Throne of the RabbisScholarship on the ThroneThe Throne in Midrashic LiteratureThe Relationship between Legends and RealityMidrash Esther RabbahMidrash Leviticus RabbahTargum Sheni: between Ekphrasis and Reality?Enlivening the Scene: the Echoes of the MagnauraThe Wandering of the ThroneThe Reception of Midrashim about the Throne in Other ContextsConclusionsChapter four: The Throne of Solomon in the Islamic WorldJewish Sources for Arabic and Persian AccountsLions and Griffins: a Lost Solomonic Throne?Building Solomon’s Throne on Persian Royal Ruins: Takht-i SulaymānMapping Solomon’s KingdomFlying Thrones and Flying CarpetsConclusionsChapter five: The Throne of Solomon in the Christian WestMy Kingdom for a Lion: Papal and Imperial SeatsHenry VI and the Sedes SapientiaeSedes Sapientiae and Divine WisdomA Seat for the VirginRabanus MaurusGuibert de NogentNicholas de ClairvauxRichard of Saint-LaurentThe Sedes Sapientiae as the Throne of Solomon: a Marian InterferenceThe Throne of Solomon as Spiritual LadderConclusionsChapter five: A Literary Abode for the ThroneThe City of BrassThe Jüngere TiturelConclusionsAppendix: Weather Lore and the Throne of SolomonBibliography Index