Introduction

Abstract

Most of us first encounter Festschriften when in graduate school. In the seminar at Bryn Mawr they were all grouped together on several shelves. There I became accustomed to expect, upon opening one, to see a formal photograph of a mature to ageing scholar in a formal suit or dress. Nowadays we generally have dispensed with these formalities, in part because of our changing use of the camera and perception of what the image should convey. We regard the camera as a device for representing us as we are just as much as we would like to be perceived. Since this is a Festschrift and not a page on Facebook, we can’t change our picture of Jerry Rutter to suit all the different facets of his personality and career. Instead we choose the quintessence of him (Frontispiece and following cartoon by Giuliana Bianco): shirtless, peering intensely at a sherd, with all the tools of his trade surrounding him.