CRRS Erasmus Lecture: Yannis Hadjinicolaou, The Art of Falconry: Global Cultural Technique and Political Iconology

In recognition of the importance of the Centre for Renaissance and Reformation Studies' Erasmus Collection, each year a scholar of international reputation is invited to present a formal fall lecture at the CRRS. The CRRS is delighted to welcome Dr. Yannis Hadjinicolaou to deliver the 2025 Erasmus Lecture.

Thursday, September 25, 2025
Tea & Cookies at 4 pm, Lecture at 4:15 pm

Abstract

Both art and cultural historians have neglected the political iconology and cultural technique of falconry. This talk will consider how images of falconry and the birds themselves have shaped ideas of rulership. Through an examination of images and techniques of falconry, I will demonstrate how they can be used to understand the visual power of this ‘art’. Notions of movement will be examined, employing Aby Warburg’s concept of ‘Bilderfahrzeug’ (image vehicle). Falconry decoys, such as lures, provide a helpful example of instruments and images set in motion and their metaphorical allusions to political power. Using decoys to train a bird of prey is akin to a ruler trying to set their subjects in motion. The art of falconry is an aesthetic practice that goes far beyond mere hunting, sport and political representation. Among other examples, I will focus on the court painter Cornelis Gijsbrechts and his relationship with Christian V in Copenhagen.

Biography

Yannis Hadjinicolaou is visiting professor at the LMU in Munich. He completed his habilitation at the University of Hamburg in 2023 and his PhD at the Free University of Berlin in 2014. He was assistant professor at the Institute of Art History (University of Bonn) and has held positions and fellowships a.o. in Berlin (Humboldt University), Hamburg (University of Hamburg) and New York University in Abu Dhabi. He has published numerous edited and co-edited volumes and articles on early modern art and art theory, the political iconology of falconry, the theory and history of art history and synagonism in the visual arts. His monographs include Thinking Bodies – Shaping Hands. Handeling in Art and Theory of the Late Rembrandtists (Leiden – Boston, Brill: 2019, German edition 2016) and The Art of Medieval Falconry (London, Reaktion: 2024). His habilitation, titled Die Kunst der Falknerei: Kulturtechnik und politische Ikonologie, is due to be published later this year by De Gruyter (Berlin–Boston) as part of the Studien aus dem Warburg Haus book series. Another book, The Amputated Ruler: An Unknown Netherlandish Painting of the Sultan of Tidore, will be published in German by Deutscher Kunstverlag in spring 2026.