Jutta Gisela Sperling

¬ªRoman Charity¬´ investigates the iconography of the breastfeeding daughter from the perspective of queer sexuality and erotic maternity. The volume explores the popularity of a topic that appealed to early modern observers for its eroticizing shock value, its ironic take on the concept of Catholic ¬ªcharity¬´, and its implied critique of patriarchal power structures. It analyses why early modern viewers found an incestuous, adult breastfeeding scene ¬ªgood to think with¬´ and aims at expanding and queering our notions of early modern sexuality. Jutta Gisela Sperling discusses the different visual contexts in which ¬ªRoman Charity¬´ flourished and reconstructs contemporary horizons of expectation by reference to literary sources, medical practice, and legal culture.

Roman Charity

Jutta Gisela Sperling

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