Introduction: Rethinking ‘Higher’ Levels of Literature and Art

The earliest manifestations of Joseph's cult in art are explored first in this chapter. These appear in works dating as early as c. 1200 that suggest connections to the relic of Joseph's Hosen at Aachen, and in turn document the popularity of that relic and of the saint's cult at least a century earlier than previously thought. Reconsidering the Panofskian concept of humor as antithetical to Joseph's veneration allows us to reconsider the importance of the saint for the thirteenth-century faithful. Humor is shown to be integral to this early development, through the Hosen's associated legends and appearance in art, as well as through an examination of period cradle-rocking plays (Kindelwiegenspiele). Following this discussion, the Hamburg Petri-Altar of c. 1383 provides an early case study in which humor and theology on a high altarpiece amplify Joseph's significance as a role model; in this work, comedy, derision, and veneration intertwine in depictions of the saint that demonstrate an affiliation with the cradle plays as far north as Hamburg. The humor of the ‘domestic’ Joseph is key to understanding this altarpiece, as well as similar fourteenth-century works used for private devotion and more public, liturgical functions.