Tunic and Coins: Contrasting Materialities and Agency of Singular Objects in the Medieval Legendary

Abstract

This work traces medieval references to the origin and supernatural characteristics of a relic, Christ’s seamless tunic. The survey leads to the inclusion of some tales concerning this garment in the medieval Christian legendary: in some versions of the legend about the origin of Judas’ thirty pieces of silver, the story threads with that relating to the tunic and its origin and this occurs in both Eastern and Western versions of the legend. The analysis of the Christian legendary about these objects focuses on the conceptions of materiality and agency of things, raising the idea of ​​an ongoing reflection on different types of materiality and the role of artifice in Christian society. This article proposes the hypothesis of a possible contrast between the materialities of these singular objects and from there formulates the following questions. With respect to the tunic and the thirty coins, heterogeneous but narratively linked entities, is it possible to speak of two different and/or opposing agencies? If answered affirmatively, would such agency be in relation to a different materiality? This work presents some lines of exploration on these themes.