The Department of History of Art congratulates Brendan C. McMahon on the publication of Iridescence and the Image: Material Thinking in the Early Modern Spanish World, published by Penn State University Press. The book has received honorable mention for the 2026 Eleanor Tufts Award from the Society for Iberian Global Art.

In this study, McMahon explores the early modern fascination with iridescent materials — including shot silk, hummingbird feathers, mother of pearl, and opals — and the ways their changing colors inspired artists, writers, naturalists, theologians, and political commentators. By examining how these materials complicated the relationship between appearance and reality, Iridescence and the Image offers a new account of how visual instability prompted reflection on perception, representation, and truth in the Spanish world.

For more information about the book, please visit the Penn State University Press website.