Books of Hours were popular around the 14^th and 15^th centuries, often commissioned for lay people of many different backgrounds – whether middle class or aristocracy. With the ability to personalize them, they ranged between many different qualities in binding, script and illumination, though those along the more expensive strain were well decorated and expensive. However, The Book of Hours of Lorenzo de’ Medici, commissioned by Lorenzo de’ Medici himself in the year 1485, appears to be rather exceptional, even in comparison to many of the more intricate.

A man of great wealth and many children, Medici was known as Lorenzo the Magnificent as a ruler and statesman, as well as a patron of the arts. Contributing much to the artists of Florence, he supported many artists, even giants such as Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. His choice to commission the Books of Hours  of Lorenzo de’ Medici is rather unsurprising, as is the sheer amount of detailed artistry he was willing to fund in the work.

Part of a collection called the Libriccini delli offitii, di donna ( or small books of the offices, for the use of the ladies), this book was one of the five commissioned for the weddings of his beloved daughters. His love for his daughters must have been great if the amount beauty of these books of hours is any indication. The books even come with the description “for the ladies,” giving the implication that the works were meant to be small and precious treasures, much like the four Rose Quarts and center set Lapis Lazuli on the front cover. The book itself is rather small as well and with its 15.3 x 10.1 cm format it’s only about the size of a postcard. Today, the original lays in the Biblioteca Medicea Laurenzia in Florence, Italy.

 Truly a work of the highest order, the jewels themselves are not the only reason that the book is regarded as so ornate, as the ornate silver and gold gilded biding, velvet cover and highly detailed illuminations within look just as expensive. Lorenzo contributed much to the world of art, and this book is no different with the sheer amount of artistry put into the binding and pages. Engraver, illuminator, cartographer and painter Francesco Rosselli is responsible for the work within, and covered every one of the 233 leafs within with at least an initial, adornment or frieze. In fact, the book only appears to have had one artist and scribe working on it in its entirety, making the detail put into the work that much more intriguing. For only one man, the work load must have been immense, but the harmony among the art and script was well worth the work in the eyes of many who have observed the book of hours.

In other Books of Hours, there were often full-page illuminations, covering as much of the page in details, portraits and flowery intricacies as was possible. The book contains nine total full-page illuminations like these, each complete with a level of detail that seems to surpass many of the books of hours in the past. Covered almost entirely in portraits and details, the illuminations swamp the script on the pages that are the most detailed. Miniaturized portraits are present on each of these full pages bordering the script and surrounded by flowery details. Usually, more expensive books could have circlets where portraits were displayed alongside the script, but Medici’s book has pages with as many as twenty or more.  The most amazing aspect of these portraits, though, is the amount of detail put into them. Each of them is probably no bigger than a centimeter or two, but the faces and clothes are still prominent none the less. Even the cherubs, flowers, and delicate details that fill in the page between the portraits are clearly visible and distinguishable from a distance.

Even the pages that don’t contain full illuminations, the work is still beautiful in its simplicity. Historiated initials contain more portraits, the inner margins decorated with lines of flowers and creeping details that border one side of the page. Even by just simply changing the color of the ink on certain lines, Rosselli was able to make even un-decorated pages look beautiful. 

Virgil of Batolomeo Sanvito (London, BL King’s MS 24)

Made, likely, by Batolomeo Sanvito in Central Rome, Italy around 1483-1485. Sanvito lived from 1435 to 1518 and was a scribe from Padua, Italy. He was a master of humanistic italic script and it is likely that he also illustrated the manuscript. The manuscript was made for Ludovico Agnelli an apostolic protonotary (a high papal official) and bishop of Consenza, reigning from 1497-1499. On folios 1, 17, and 59 there are his arms, which have the black hat of an apostolic protonotary above it with his device, which is a lamb.  The manuscript contains the work of Virgil and Psuedo-Ovid. It is written in Latin with the script humanistic cursive. The manuscript contains seventeen miniatures. The binding, post-1600, is calfskin with added gilt-stamped insignia of George III; there are marbled endpapers and gilt edges. The manuscript itself is well made though not necessarily on the level of manuscripts made for royalty which is evidence of popular and more accessible book production . There are detailed illustration and historiated initials throughout. The text itself was made for a clergyman but the text is secular, specifically a reproduction of the work of Virgil.

The manuscript contains seventeen miniatures scenes that include putti, dolphins, sphinxes, and more. There are also decorated initials and borders. The figures within the illustrations are not depicted in a contemporary fashion but instead in antique clothing. I have included four illustrations from the text below. Three of the illustrations have to do with Greek mythology of the Trojan horse and the underworld. Each of these images is clear narrative with identifiable characters. In the miniature of the underworld the most identifiable character for anyone with knowledge of the Greek afterlife, the boatman is easily identified as Chiron. The scene with the Trojan horse is well known and in the illustration shows the moment the Trojan horse was delivered. The fourth illustration I included is called Rural Life, which is interesting because the scene seems contemporary rather than showing that of antiquity. There is a small farm house among a very pastoral scene with quite a few farm animals. The narrative in this illustration shows the life of a Shepard with them shearing their animals to milking them.

In Northern Italy during the thirteenth century there was a rise of interest in using the newly discovered copies of works by rare or forgotten authors. The thirteenth century authors who used these newly discovered works were laymen interested in literature but also members of notarial or judicial profession. An example of this is Albertanus of Brescia who copied from Carolingian codex of letters of Seneca and added marginal comments and sketches. The Virgil of Batolomeo is not so different with its added illustrations to a new copy of Virgil’s work. This new interest in antique books also came along with a reform in writing, which led to the humanistic scripts, more specifically a cursive. In Italy there was also a resurgence of book art. Humanistic art trends of the period included small initials with white shoots in colored panels, architectural borders, putti, half-length figures, antique motifs, coats of arms, emblems and medallions of the patrons. Many of these illustrations are seen in the Virgil of Batolomeo like the decorated initials, coats of arms, and more.

Miniature of the Trojan horse

The Trojan Horse: Miniature of the Tojan horse entering the gates of Troy and the historiated initial ‘C’ of Aeneas carrying Anchises and leading Ascanius, at the beginning of the book II of Virgil’s Aeneid. With display capitals in a four-color sequence and decorated initial ‘C’. 

The horse appears to have been modeled after antique bronze horses of St. Marks in Venice. The artist created the scenes so that there was a clear narrative, in this case the narrative of the Trojan horse and its entrance into the city of Troy.

Miniature of Rural Life: Detail of miniature illustrating book III of Virgil’s Georgics, with shepherds in a landscape with sheep, goats, cattle, sheep shearing, and milking.

The Underworld: Detail of a miniature of Aeneas with the Sibyl at the entrance to the Underworld; with Charon in his boat and Cerberus at the gate at the beginning of book VI of Virgi's Aeneid. 

Sources:

Bernard Bischoff, Latin Paleography, “The Age of Humanism”, Cambridge, 1990.

http://www.bl.uk/catalogues/illuminatedmanuscripts/record.asp?MSID=8288&CollID=19&NStart=24

Virgil of Bartolomeo Sanvito

Kings MS 24 is titled, Eusebius of Caesarea, Chronici canones (translated by Jerome). The author of the manuscript was Pseudo-Ovid Virgil. According to http://www.wga.hu/html_m/s/sanvito/aeneid.html, MS 24 was written and most likely illustrated by Bartolomeo Sanvito in central Italy near Rome between 1485 and 1487. The manuscript was originally made for Lodovico Agnelli, apostolic protonotary and bishop of Cosenza (reigned 1497-1499). MS 24 provides historians with a great deal of information about late fifteenth-century Italy. For example, MS 24 possess quite a few illuminations that offer historians evidence of the fifteenth-century’s demand for expensive and extravagant illuminations. In addition to illuminations, the script of the manuscript provides evidence of the popularized script of time period, as well as the use for the  manuscript.

            One interesting aspect of the manuscript is that it was written in Latin, which means it was a intended for a specific audience, most likely wealthy, and contains religious affiliation. For instance, on f. 119v the nativity is displayed with the title: "Ihesus Christus filius dei in Betleem iudae nascitur". Latin could also represent that the manuscript is mostly likely a copy of a classic work. For example, on f. 23v a Trojan horse and Aeneas carrying his father Anchises into exile are depicted.

        By the late fourteen hundreds books were mainly sought after by collectors. These collectors were unlike any before them. They desired unique and handmade manuscripts. During the late fourteenth-century was an “expansion of book production and the choice of texts to be copied was the consequence of a new manner of patronage,” said by J. J. G. Alexander. As I mentioned above, MS 24 was originally intended for Lodovico Agnelli, who collected various manuscripts. Historians are able to link MS 24 to the late 1400’s simply by acknowledging that the manuscript is written in Latin, contains personalized religious items, and references classical texts.

         At this point in history there was a demand in Renaissance Italy for classical texts. Alexander says, “The interest in all aspects of Greek and Roman antiquity, which, although it had started much earlier, above all with Petrarch (1307-74), became so widespread and so vital a factor in fifteenth-century Italy, resulted in a renewed demand for classical texts, both those already known and others only just discovered by the humanists.” MS 24 represents a time period in history, like many others before and after it, that value(d) classical texts.

         Alexander mentions that “Italian Renaissance illumination is inevitably overshadowed by the great works of contemporary Italian monumental painting.” I think this statement corresponds well with the time period that MS 24 represents. For instance, the illustrations are rather unique but are often overlooked due to the tremendous amount of artwork that comes out of late fourteen and early fifteen hundreds. One of my favorite aspects of MS 24 are the beautiful illuminations that represent the incredible new age illustrations of the fourteenth-century. MS 24 contains a total of 17 miniatures with large historiated and/or decorated initials and full boarders.

           My two favorite illuminations in MS 24 are presented on f. 56r and f.101v. The former is a scene depicting Aeneas at Cathage. The illumination illustrates “Book I of Virgil’s Aeneid, of Dido welcoming Aeneas in Cathrage, with the good omen of the flying swans, and ruined Troy in the background,” retrieved from http://www.bl.uk/catalogues/illuminatedmanuscripts/ILLUMIN.ASP?Size=mid&IllID=2855. I enjoy the colors that seem to jump off of the parchment, specifially the blues and red/orange. In my opinion, the artwork demonstrates quite a bit of talent on the behalf of the Bartolomeo Sanvito.

           I also very much enjoy the illumination on f. 101v. The illustrations represents “several episodes from book IV of Virgil’s Aeneid: on the right, the hunt during which Dido and Aeneas meet; on the left, Dido and Aeneas ride into a cave together, and in the middle of the image, Dido is on her funeral pyre, committing suicide after the departure of Aeneas,” http://www.bl.uk/catalogues/illuminatedmanuscripts/ILLUMIN.ASP?Size=mid&IllID=819.

My favorite part about this illumination is the way in which the images are depicted. Sanvito combines three different episodes into one image. Unless the person reading the manuscript knows the episodes well, they might be confused by this folio. The folio demonstrates the manuscript as a personalized piece of work. The buyer of MS 24 obviously knew the episodes well enough to be able to understand f. 101v. I specifically like the dimensions the artist portrays. The images seem to fit on the parchment somewhat awkwardly, i.e. Aeneus and Dido seem to be too big to enter the cave on the right. However, this could just be my interpretation of the image and others may perceive f. 101v differently.

        In my opinion, what makes MS 24 so unique are the various decorated initials. They are all decorated so differently and with incredible detail. They demonstrate the amount of time and effort that was put into the production of the manuscript. Here are a few examples of the decorated initials that can be found on f. 227v and f. 210v.:

Sanvito’s script of choice for the manuscript was Humanistic Cursive. According to Michelle Brown, “The Humanistic System of Scripts, which may be said to have begun, in Florence, just before 1400, was the result of a conscious reformation of script and book design.” The Humanistic System of Scripts encompasses Semigothic Cursive (Littera Semigothica Cursiva), Humanistic Book Script (Littera Humanistica Textualis, Littera Antiqua, Lettera Antica), Humanistic Cursive Book Script (Littera Humanistica Cursiva Libraria), and Humanistic Cursive (Littera Humanistica Cursiva, Cancellaresca, Cancellaresca all’antica). The Humanistic Cursive script is thought to have originated from Gothic chancery hands, who may have worked in both chancery and book spheres. By MS 24 representing this script, historians are able to assess the scribes profession, among other things, such as the purpose of the manuscripts production. For example, Humanistic Cursive was used as a clear, legible, and display worthy script.

         MS 24 offers historians knowledge about the early renaissance period in central Italy, as well as possess unique artwork that should not be overlooked.

The Book of Hours of Lorenzo De’ Medici

Throughout the Middle Ages, books of hours held individuality for many reasons, not the least of which was their customizability. When patrons commissioned a book of hours to be created, they had choices to make, many of which were determined by the amount of money they had to spend on the item; as is the way of things, the more money patrons had, the more exquisite the books could be. Arguably one of the most extravagant –– some might even say ostentatious –– book of of this sort ever commissioned was the late 15th century Book of Hours of Lorenzo De’ Medici, currently holding the shelfmark, MS Ashburnham 1874.

Also known as Lorenzo the Magnificent (Lorenzo il Magnifico), De’ Medici was known as a statesman of Florentine and as a large supporter of the arts; during the Italian Renaissance, he had such names as Leonardo Da Vinci and a young Michelangelo under his sponsorship and protection. He is suggested to have been the single biggest contributor to the Florentine art scene, though the amount of money that he spent amassing his collection of ancient texts, as well as some bad loans and overall poor business practices, eventually led to a partial collapse of the Medici family bank.

Prior to this, however, in 1485, he commissioned the famous book of hours for one of his daughters, Luisa De’ Medici, when she was betrothed to Giovanni il Popolano at around eight years old. The girl died young, however, only living for another three years after the book was completed.

The first and probably the most striking thing about this manuscript is its incredibly ornate binding, pictured above. The whole cover is bound in pure silk indigo velvet, and it includes clasps and framed corners of silver-gilt, sometimes known by the French term, vermeil, or silver plated with gold. Each board holds a large lapis lazuli in the center as well as four very light pink quartz stones on the corner plates. What cannot truly be determined from the above image, however is the scale of this manuscript. With dimensions that are only approximately 15x10cm, each page of the Book of Hours of Lorenzo De’ Medici is only about as big as a postcard. And there are nearly 500 of them, which makes this book, realistically, a teeny-tiny monster.

The calligraphy and illumination in this book of hours was done by Francesco Rosselli, a prominent artist of the time. Rosselli used a Humanist minuscule script, which was a fairly recent development at the time that this manuscript was created. The Humanist script, which was in many ways inspired by the Carolingian style, was designed as a reaction to the Gothic scripts that predominated book production across Europe for several centuries prior. Part of the appeal was its user-friendly nature in that it was fairly easy to both read and write –– more so than the Gothic at least, which was more complicated and outdated than 15th century Italians desired.

The above image is a perfect representation not only of the true beauty of the Humanist script, but of the extravagance of this text itself. There is no doubt that it was copied by a true master of calligraphy; the lettering is incredibly consistent and legible, in part due to the spacing between words and the emphasis placed on punctuation and capitalization. As for its aesthetic appeal, it is clear that Rosselli put much thought into the color scheme of the manuscript, matching the indigo and gold ink of the body text to the illuminated initials as well as the velvet binding.

The script, however, dulls in comparison to the nine full-page illustrations, each bordered by an ornate system of decorative floral arrangements, such as in the one pictured below.

The illumination has almost a hypnotic allure; there seem to be an infinite number of hidden faces within the swirling depictions of festoons and garlands framing the image of Christ on the cross. Whereas many manuscripts tend to use a limited number of thematic colors, this single image from the Book of Hours of Lorenzo De’ Medici can be seen to have at least three different shades of yellow. This is possibly indicative of a choice to use paint on these illustrations rather than ink as was sometimes done on less ornate works of art.

Also notable in this image is the historiated initial “D,” which, rather than beginning a line, as is usual with such initial, finishes the word, “Dominela,” on the vertical right border of the illustration. This image is also noticeably darker than the rest of this page, not only in color, but in content as well, as it depicts Christ as more sallow and gaunt than he normally is. This helps to further the sense of innovative artistry that is represented within this codex.

Today, the original MS Ashburnham 1874 is being held at la Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana in Florence, Italy; however, it appears to be a classic among bibliophiles worldwide. Replications can be purchased online from sources such as the Brothers Ziereis Rare Books for around €6,300 (or about $6,900).

At the time of its creation, the Book of Hours of Lorenzo De’ Medici was arguably one of the most outstanding and artistically impeccable manuscripts ever made. From the luxurious, and maybe even ostentatious velvet binding to the impossibly intricate illuminations within, this codex is a masterpiece of Francesco Rosselli and a testament to the overpowering nature of the art of the Italian Renaissance.

The Divine Comedy

The Divine Comedy has had an amazing form of influence on our society, religions, and popular culture. Dante’s texts permeate with ideas not actually witnessed in the Bible, but accepted today as parts of the Christian religion, such as the description and image of the devil, the image of hell, and the expansion upon the creatures of hell and purgatory. Most of these were never named nor described in the Bible, leading to Dante’s incredible trilogy setting the standard for most of those ideas.

The trilogy includes Dante’s Inferno, Purgatory, and Paradise, which follows as Dante himself travels through the three. It begins with Dante finding the entrance to hell, when Virgil, the famous philosopher, finds him and directs him through the circles of hell, each one worse than the last, and representing a different type of torture for different sins. When they arrive to the final circle, they see Satan continuously eating the bodies of the three greatest sinners: Judas, Brutus, and Cassius. Then, Virgil shows him through purgatory, where those who did not prove themselves in life, must do so now to gain entrance to Paradise. They walk through the seven gates of the Great Vices (wrath, lust, sloth, gluttony, pride, envy, covetousness) which is seen as a great mountain, until arriving to the peak of Paradise. There, since Virgil was seen as a pagan he is not allowed to enter, so Beatrice (believed to be Dante’s lady of love) continues to show Dante Paradise.

Depiction of Satan in the Codex Gigas, before the time of Dante

Depiction of Satan from Dante's Inferno

Not only did The Divine Comedy expand upon the Bible’s mythology, but it began a new genre for the newly created middle class at the time. Before, the literature that was available typically held the purpose of morality, learning, or religious prayer or education, and reading for entertainment was practically unknown. However, the emergence of the middle class gave the perfect scenario for the success of Dante’s Comedy. 

Archivo Storico Civico e Biblioteca Trivulziana - Comune de Milano, Cod. Triv. 1080, fol. 70

For the first time, there was a class of literate people with enough money to focus on activities other than just sustainment, that weren't the lofted higher class, which finally created a situation for a book trade outside of the clergy and students. Professional scribes, illuminators and illustrators would all work together to copy a work, which typically was requested by the middle class. When The Divine Comedy caught on in and beyond Italy, mass production of the text began and was funded majorily by the middle class. So many manuscripts were made, and it became such an influential part of life, that evidence of the Dante’s text can be found in art, orchestral pieces, and even The Canterbury Tales by Chaucer. Without realizing it, Dante created a form of heaven, hell and purgatory, that we still use today.

Gates of Hell, from Dante's Inferno, the Video Game

The Divine Comedy

(Bib. Trivulziana MS 1080. First page.)

      The Divine Comedy, written by Dante Alighiero (1265-1321) in the beginning of the fourteenth-century, is an epic poem that traces Dante’s journey through the three realms of the afterlife, namely Hell, Purgatory, and finally Heaven. The book is divided into three sections: the Inferno, Purgatory, and Paradise. Throughout Dante’s journey through Hell and Purgatory he is accompanied, and guided, by the Roman poet Virgil, the writer of the Aeneid. When Dante finally reaches Paradise (Heaven) he is reunited with his beloved, Beatrice, who guides Dante through the spheres of Heaven leading up to the Empyrean, the seat of God. Written in the Tuscan dialect and praised highly by Italian, particularly Florentine, society, the Divine Comedy assumes a prominent place in the history of medieval literature and it continues to have an influence on literary and artistic works even into the modern era. For this blog post you can see that we have been provided with more than one manuscript of the Divine Comedy, which should show exactly how popular the Divine Comedy was to medieval Europe as there exist several hundred different copies of Dante’s epic. There are subtle differences between the manuscripts that we have been provided, most notably that Biblioteca Comunale MS 88 that, while possessing very fine and beautiful illustrations, does not appear to specifically depict scenes from the Divine Comedy as Bib. Trivulziana MS 1080’s first page does; the illustration depicts Dante’s coming upon the dark wood in the beginning of the poem and being assaulting by several beasts before Virgil, having been sent by Beatrice, comes to Dante’s aid. Biblioteca Comunale MS 88, additionally, appears to boast Latin script written in the rubrics before switching back to what seems to be Italian which I will assume is of the Tuscan dialect, however, do not hold me to this for I am not, nor shall I ever claim to be an authority on medieval European languages of any kind. Each manuscript does, however, appear to have been fashioned in a very formal and traditional structure; the text being divided into two separate columns and the script is evenly distributed and neatly organized within the two columns.

(Domenico di Michelino, Dante holding the Divine Comedy, 1465)

     It is impossible to discuss the Divine Comedy without commenting on the breadth of its influence on various works of art, literature, and even more modern mediums such as movies, graphic novels, and video games (though I am loath to add this last one as each representation of Dante that I have seen in this medium has been filled with gaudy allusions created for the simple purpose of producing yet another over-the-top “historically signficant” gore fest to entertain people who can not be bothered to pick up a book; I am looking at you EA). The extent to which Dante’s journey through the afterlife has impacted creative work in the centuries since its creation simply can not be understated. Through his epic poem, Dante weaved an image of the afterlife that until its creation had not been readably available to Christian society despite its existence as being central to Christian dogma. By creating the Divine Comedy, Dante seemingly changed the way that people thought about the afterlife, how it functioned, and the way that it was presented. This is clearly evidenced by the multitude of artwork, created in just the fifteenth century, that is either directly influenced by or was created to depict scenes from the Divine Comedy. Dante holding the Divine Comedy by Domenico di Michelino in 1465 is one the most famous depictions of Dante. Adorning the interior of Florence’s Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Flower, the painting is of Dante holding a copy of the Divine Comedy with the circles of Hell, the mountain of Purgatory, the spheres of Heaven, and the city of Florence in the background. What was particularly interesting about the Biblioteca Comunale MS 88 was actually the lack of scene illustration from the Divine Comedy itself, as most of the manuscripts that I had seen of the Divine Comedy possessed some elements from the text itself. Whether it was the depiction of a triple-faced Satan imprisoned in ice at the bottom of Hell as his mouths busy themselves with their own Brutus, Cassius, and Judas chew-toys or Dante meeting the twelve wise-men in fourth sphere of Heaven, the Divine Comedy is a work that simply lends itself to illustration and is vivid enough in its detail that it is both easy to imagine and relatively easy to illustrate (with the exception of the artistically impotent such as myself).

Sandro Botticelli, Inferno, Canto XXXIV (detail), 1480s, silverpoint on parchment, completed in pen and ink (Staatliche Museen, Berlin

In addition to its influence, one of the elements of the Divine Comedy that has always interested me is the social commentary that Dante’s journey provides on how certain historical figures were perceived by Dante and as a possible extent by medieval European society. Being personally inclined towards Roman history, the use of Classical figures in the Divine Comedy has always drawn my attention, the appearance of Julius Caesar in Limbo in particular. Through each successive level of Hell that Dante passes way through he comes across dozens of notable historical figures. There are popes, mythical heroes, kings, generals, and queens littered throughout Hell’s landscape, all having committed some sin for them to have earned their place in their respective levels of Hell. Caesar, however, a pagan, known adulterer, and all around proud and vain individual is merely allocated a lesser form of Heaven because he had not been baptized and held belief in God. Additionally, men who assassinated him are given the prominent place beside Judas Iscariot inside the mouths of Satan. What does this say about Dante’s, and possibly medieval society’s, opinion of Julius Caesar? Through his narrative, Dante has placed Caesar as a being whose betrayal and death was near equivalent to that of Christ and Caesar, despite being a pagan, is simply subjected to a depreciated version of heaven. And being that Caesar had been noted for his more modest lifestyle, as he hardly drank and is even recorded as having consumed stale bread or crackers for dinner without complaint while the other guests turned their noses up to such a meager appetizer, I doubt he would have been complaining very much. Does “Divine” Julius still hold the same sway to medieval society that he did while he was still alive and is it possible that even Christian European society believed that Caesar was cut from a different cloth than the remainder of humanity? What if Caesar had been a Christian? Where might Dante have placed such a prominent Classical figure in his narrative had he been baptized and been of the Christian faith? Or is it simply coincidence that Dante has placed allusions to Caesar and he merely needed a prominent historical figure to tie together the narrative of his poem? These, and other inquires like them, are just some of the of the elements that one is able to pull out of this text. It truly speaks to the longevity of the Divine Comedy that, nearly seven centuries after its creation, Dante’s epic still manages to permeate modern society in multiple forms.

The Book of the City of Ladies

Le Livre de la Cite des Dames, also known by the title, The Book of the City of Ladies, is manuscript very unlike the other works, as it’s content and author are empowering women’s self-confidence. This manuscript, completed around 1405, serves as one of Christine de Pizan's last works. This manuscript originated in Paris, and is written in the vernacular french, but also employs latin syntax within her french prose. The patron of the work was thought to be the Duc of Berry, although this is not certain. There are 9 miniatures included within the manuscript, attributed to the miniaturist, Master of the Cite des Dames.

This manuscript is a prime example of 15th century book making. The script is fluid, yet legible, and very readable for the audience. The text is broken into two rows, and overall the manuscript has a very organized quality to it. It contains 79 folios, made of parchment. Other than the miniatures, the text is decorated with elaborate initials, gilded with gold. This manuscript was essentially a luxury object, and it can be seen that only the best materials were used, such as the vivid pigment used for the paints in the miniatures.The illuminations of the manuscript provide a way to essentially illustrate her prose in a way to compliment her work.

Page 3

The author of The Book of the City of Ladies, was none other than a woman herself, named Christine de Pisan. Born in 1365 in Venice, she was taken to France as a young child, as her father worked in the royal court. She was married off at 15, but her husband would later die in 1389. With three children, alone, with no way to support herself, Pisan had to make a choice. She could choose to join a convent, leave her children or sustain herself. She picked the latter, and would be one of the most famous and respected writer of her time. She showed herself to be a capable person, and not let the notions of being a female taint how she was perceived, as she was capable of doing anything she set her mind to. She attracted many patrons, which at the time, would have practically been deemed odd, as other women were not getting the praise and commissions she was getting. She eventually retreated to a covenant in her old age, but continued writing, and essentially empowering the women who read her prose.

The content of this manuscript is a major factor to it’s understanding and discussion. It is essentially an utopian vision of a city of women, in a world of women. Through her book, she gathers important female figures throughout history. These women essentially become this created city of ladies, the women themselves becoming the building blocks and basis of this city, and way of thinking. She bases the city upon three virtues: reason, honesty, and justice. These three points are what she deems to govern the city on. Through her city of ladies, she is trying to show the point in which women are an essential part of society, and their achievements should not go un-noticed.

For example, in this miniature, Christine de Pisan is pictured herself, along with three other women. They are housed in a late gothic house, looking through a manuscript, which happens to be Pisan's own work. These three ladies are meant to resemble the three virtues: reason, honesty, and justice. These three virtues/women, are there to help her build the perfect and ideal city. On the right side, the building of the city is actually seen, with Pisan and one of the virtues essentially making walls. The miniatures were integral not only to communicate parts of her narrative, but to also convey the message of the overall goal of the prose. It is also noted that the author herself in this manuscript had specific domain with the miniatures, and were directed by her vision, not the artists.

The Book of the City of Ladies, is essentially a response to the cliche idea of femininity. The authors goal was to make her book go against the patriarchal standards of medieval women. It was a book in which listed the grievances of women in a male dominated world. I also thought that this book was interesting, as it was basically a response to another manuscript in which we are looking at this week, La Roman de la Rose. The Romance of the Rose latches on to a cliche and standard way of approaching femininity and portraying women, of which Pisan wanted to change. She is tackling not only how women are being portrayed in literature, but throughout history, and her lived life, and is trying to make a case for women as a whole.

This manuscript is an example of the way in which writing and literary were essentially being embraced by the laity and middle class. The concept of the individual, or group of individuals was being assessed by many of her contemporaries in other parts of Europe, and she takes up the challenge, but in the way of using the stories of women. This shift of content, of aspects of reality and essential problems with how women were perceived in her book. This copy of her book provides a revolutionary point in women being writers, and the importance that they could receive. To me, her text truly can be read as one of the first feminist texts of its time, and as the basis for future feminist writers as well. Her literature was truly bounds before any other writer and thinker, bringing up ideas so out of place to when she was living. The copy of her writing in this manuscript allows a way in which to see her writing as it would have been seen in the middle ages, and to me really shows how much of a progressive and individual woman she truly was, and how starkly different her message and content was from other writers.


Sources:

Nobert Woiff and Ingo Walther, Codices Illustres/Masterpieces of Illumination: The World's Most Famous Illuminated Manuscripts (Taschen, 2007): 260-263.

http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b6000102v.

The Morgan Crusader Bible

The Crusader Bible, otherwise known as the Morgan Bible, was probably commissioned by King Louis IX of France. It was estimated to have been made at some point between 1244 and 1250 C.E. for the enjoyment of King Louis (Presumably). The bible was given Latin inscriptions in Italy around 1300 C.E. After that the history of the text gets a lot murkier, having somehow ended up in the possession of the Polish Cardinal Bernard Macieojowski. Cardinal Macieojowski then sent the manuscript to Isfahan, Persia (modern day central Iran) as a gift to Shah Abbas the Great. It was sent to him as part of the mission to Persia to foster Shah Abbas tolerance and good favor towards Christians in Persia (as well as to help grease the Shahs palms towards a military and economic alliance). Shah Abbas ordered Persian text to be written next to the image, not as translations of the Latin, but Persian interpretation of the illustrations themselves. After a series of private sales the manuscript ended up in the possession of John Pierpont Morgan. Morgan (who lends his name to the manuscripts title) donated the manuscript to the Pierpont Morgan Library in New York. 

The manuscript consists of portions of Genesis, Exodus, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, and Samuel. The manuscript contains 346 episodes from these six books of the bible. Roughly forty percent of the space in the book is made up of the life of David.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about the manuscript is that all of the scenes, both the combat scenes and the more peaceful ones, are illustrated the way they would have occurred had the events transpired in the 13th century. This was a very common artistic technique from the time period, and one that we even do today with modern retellings of ancient stories, like the TV series Kings, which was a modern retelling of the story of King David. This is the reason the Morgan Bible is often referred to as the crusader bible, as those who study/studied the crusades (such as I when I took Early crusades last semester) because a general idea of what combat and life during the crusades must have looked like can be gleaned from the illustrations, because it is contemporary to the time period. So, as a result you can see the armor and weapons they would have used during the crusades, as well as some of their battlefield tactics. The state of fortifications can also be seen, as well as some of the designs for siege engines that might be used to counter these same fortifications. These illustrations in the Crusader bible are so detailed, that the weapons and armors can be accurately replicated (and they have) by researchers interested in the form and function of battlefield implements in the crusader era. This has led to data about how the crusader army’s must have fared during their expeditions to the Middle East, and contributed to the scholarship in that area as a whole.

Consider the following picture for example. This is an illustration of Ehud, leader in the Old Testament of the tribe of Benjamin fighting the Moabite army. The story can be found in the very beginning of the Book of Judges. Although the actual battle took place in the Bronze/Iron age (a long time before the 13th century) we see some very medieval looking armor and armaments. Consider the full chainmail on the horseback riders, the armor on the horses and the very un-bronze age Israeli pikes and swords. Also, note the garb of the political figure in the top right of the picture.

This page shows a different side of the information that might be gleaned from the Manuscript. Notice the agricultural implements in the bottom left of the page. The page is depicting another scene from the Book of Judges, that of the sign of Gideon. As Gideon requests the sign via sacrifice of a lamb, his companions shake grain in a winnowing fan. This illustration of agricultural methods provides information on agricultural practices in 13th century France, where the manuscript was illustrated and illuminated.

On this page we see another example of 13th century armor, weaponry and garb. The passage from the Bible that this page illustrates is from 1 Kings. Specifically, the story of David on the run from King Saul. Notice the “peasants” in the top right corner of the picture. Also check out “King Saul” sitting on the throne in the bottom right corner. This images provide an excellent idea of what a king was expected to look like, as well as what peasants were supposed to look like.

In conclusion, the Morgan/Crusader Bible represents the legacy of a time when popular episodes from the Bible were serialized in the form of illustrations, when the papacy was concerned about its influence in the Middle East (Particularly Persia) and a window into which we can see the way combat was conducted during the period of the Crusades. All of this information is very important, as it informs those three very different periods of historical scholarship. In a way, this manuscript reminds me of a comic book that different writers tried to put commentary to. I definitely think the parallels are interesting and I hope you do too!

The websites that I used as sources both for my text and for pictures are as follows:

1. http://www.medievaltymes.com/courtyard/maciejowski_bible.htm

2. http://www.themorgan.org/collection/crusader-bible/about

3. http://www.themorgan.org/collection/crusader-bible/1 

4. http://www.themorgan.org/exhibitions/Crusader-Bible

-Mason Smith