On July 26, 2021, Larisa Grollemond, assistant curator in the Manuscripts department, submitted an unusual request to all Getty staff: an open call for  “medieval-inspired” pop culture objects to include in the Getty exhibition The Fantasy of the Middle Ages, on from June 21–September 11, 2022.

Fantasy is a first-of-its-kind show at Getty: a deep dive into pop culture, via the Middle Ages. It features art from Disney movies, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and more, next to the medieval illuminations and texts from which their princesses, castles, and other imagery come from.

Says Grollemond, “The Middle Ages are really familiar to us because we live with them all the time.” And not just through the high art of our favorite movies and books, but through the everyday items that become a part of our lives.

That’s where Getty’s favorite collectibles come into the picture. “I really wanted a way to show the extent to which the medieval extends out in all cultural directions,” says Grollemond. “These objects illustrate all the ways that medieval-inspired pop culture not just reimagines this historical period, but also becomes really personal.”

And when she put out the call, Getty staff responded with some of their favorite objects. Getty’s designers got busy creating custom displays and layouts, one of Museum Designer Erin Hauer’s favorite parts.

“Besides the incredible mount that was built to hold the One Ring replica from the Lord of the Rings—made by our talented mountmaker BJ Farrar!⁠—I love the fact that all these amazing objects are sitting among these mini-battlement fortress walls built inside of the cases.”

And, as they brought their objects in to fit in their specific displays, some Getty staff members shared these words about what their medieval objects mean to them.

Kirsten Schaefer: Medieval Sword

This sword has fought many epic battles in our home over the years. It has belonged to Belle, Cinderella, Rapunzel, Jasmine, Tiana, Elsa, Anna, and even Puss In Boots. Keaton would often involve our dogs in her fairytale stories .

You’ll notice the sword has a few nibble marks from its elaborate battles. We purchased the toy sword during my daughter’s first visit to Disneyland when she was deep into her princess phase. She was three years old and dressed up as Belle and she could not wait to meet all the other princesses.  

I love how beautiful she felt walking around in her dress. She truly believed she, too, was a princess. While we were in Fantasyland, Keaton spotted this sword and had to have it. I thought, of course, every princess should have a fancy sword!  Now that Keaton is 11 (and the sword tucked away in the closet), I miss the magic and wonder of her princess fantasy phase.

Roger Chacon: Dungeons & Dragons

Gaming for me was an important part of life growing up. Roleplaying and tabletop games helped me develop some valuable problem-solving skills. 

The fondness for those early days led back to joining a new group of players, like-minded and experienced in playing. I managed to hold on to my collection of books, simply because they were part of my past and who I am as a person. Flipping through the pages brings back fond memories, picking up and playing the newest versions of games is AWESOME! 

Ultimately, games like Dungeons and Dragons fed my imagination, which led to my love of reading fantasy and science fiction. My library at home is fairly diverse and ever expanding. Starting with the Lord of the Rings, The Dragonlance Sagas, and on to Dune, Star Wars and Warhammer 40K. So yes, these books mean a lot to me.

Madeline Corona: Harry Potter Coasters

I often feel like I grew up in the perfect Harry Potter era—the first book came out when I was seven and the last one when I was just about 17. I grew up alongside the characters and so these coasters are small, everyday reminders of the magical world that formed me into the loud and proud fantasy/sci-fi geek I am today.

Paula Carlson: Medieval Lady Barbie

I loved Barbie as a kid, but only had a few dolls with some hand-me-down clothes. I discovered the “fancy” Barbie collectibles after college—I had my first real job but was still living at home, so I had all this disposable income that I could use to finally indulge my love of these beautiful dolls in beautiful dresses. 

I started my collection with the Great Eras line, from which Medieval Lady is still my favorite—she’s always reminded me of Olivia de Havilland from The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), a movie I loved to watch with my dad.

Annie Combs-Brookes: Tin Knight & Hero Quest

I am fascinated by all things Knights Templar (1118 AD–1307 AD), and picked up this little fellow at Rosslyn Chapel in Scotland, a meaningful site in Templar lore. If it were true to the Templar credo of “poverty, chastity, and obedience,” though, there would be two knights on the horse (an enduring Templar emblem), but in this case, one will do. I recently visited an ancient Templar Commanderie in southern France, which was truly thrilling. 

The Hero Quest game, released by Milton Bradley in 1989, is a tangible version of role-playing fantasy games such as Dungeons & Dragons, also led by a gamemaster—in this case the evil wizard Morcar. My husband is an avid gamer and a miniaturist; he hand painted these figurines of heroes, monsters, and set props, which makes it all the more personal. In fact we both love games, and spent the first part of the pandemic proudly conquering MYST.

Ian Webb: Tarot Cards

I bought these tarot cards for my girlfriend while we were both doing graduate work in late medieval art history. Something about the luminosity of the illustrations and the otherworldly dress of the figures felt evocative of the period without being purely imitative. Owning and using them feels like a way to commune with the medieval world of the past and present.

Aleia McDaniel: Grimm’s Fairytales

This was a given to me by a good friend when I graduated high school in 2010. I've always loved fairytales—the darker the better—so these were a perfect gift for me.

As a lover of the macabre it's fun to read the original stories of popular movies—especially Disney versions of these stories—because the origins of those tales is often grim (you see what I did there).

They don’t have the happy, everyone-gets-what-they-desire endings. The truth of the world is often bleak, unforgiving and traumatizing, but separating yourself from that reality, even for an hour or so, is rewarding.

“I hope that this exhibition encourages visitors to question where their own ideas about the Middle Ages come from, and how they’ve been shaped over time by all of the medieval-inspired media with which they’re familiar,” says Grollemond.

“Recognizing that medievalisms always tell us more about the period in which they’re created than anything about the Middle Ages themselves, I hope the exhibition also prompts visitors to think about what the medieval means to us today, and why certain kinds of medieval-inspired fantasy stories are still so important for us to tell, watch, and read.”

Want to learn more about the Middle Ages through pop culture and art? Come visit Fantasy of the Middle Ages. You can plan your visit here.