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hrjSession 128 Schneider 1160
Lions of Flanders: Material Culture and Identity in the Flemish Low Countries
Organizer: Elizabeth M. Hunt, Univ. of Wyoming, and Richard A. Leson, Univ. of Wisconsin–Milwaukee
Presider: Richard A. Leson
Female Book Owners in Flanders and the Low Countries: Identity Expressed through Patronage
Joni Hand, Southeast Missouri State Univ.
Mid 15th c. ms "Hours of Catherine of Cleves" with portrait of recipient/patron on frontispiece in adoration of the Virgin surrounded by her personal and ancestral armory. Paper examines similar examples of women's devotional mss that communicate the women's familial and political concerns via the imagry. Psalter of Bonne of Luxembourg, early example of the type. May appear in an inventory of books in the possession of one of her several sons. It again includes a portrait of the owner (and her husband) in adoration of Christ on the cross, accompanied by vernacular prayers meditating on Christ's 5 wounds, suggesting these may have been a personal devotional collection (signalled by the vernacular) rather than simply a standard part of the type of text.
Marginalia were also a place for personal expression and connection with the content. BIrds featured in the section presenting the meditation on the Wounds are not directly related to the text but are generally symbolic of species with religious significance due to mythological associations (e.g., the goldfinch, associated with a religious legend explaining its red spot). The use of these images with more attenuated connections to the theme may have assisted in deeper meditations on the intended topic.
Hybrid human-monster figures in the marginalia interact with the religious symbols in the image in a more informal way, e.g., one carrying a ladder in the upper margin, connected via ladder imagery associated with the crucifiction. These figures create a connection between the marginal art and the main image.
Back to the Hours of Catherine of Cleves. Catherine's husband (Arnold Duke of Guelders) is rarely present in the images, outside of a single adoration figure and some minor symbolism in marginalia. The main program of the book's illumination focuses on Catherine's heritage and worthiness for the marriage.
Two images depict a specific rosary with a small blue bag attached to it (once in a margin on its own, once shown being carried by Catherine). Due to the particularity of the depiction, this likely represents an actual artifact she owned and may be emphasizing the form of one of her preferred devotions. The marginal rosary surounds an image of the adoration of the Magi, connecting their adoration of both Virgin and Child with Catherine's own devotional practices using the presumed object depicted there.
In both manuscripts, the marginal imagery may indicate intimate, personal aspects of the devotions of their owners in a way that is not accessible from ordinary historical sources.
“Home is Where the Hearth is”: Ceramic Stoves in Late Medieval Flanders as Displays of Identity
Kaatje De Langhe, Univ. Gent
Discussion of a particular artifact that developed for heating, where heated air was circulated from a hearth through air ducts in a stove in a different room, thereby enabling the heating of the other room without the presence of smoke. The shape of tiles initially was relatively functional, being small knob-like structures embedded in the wall, but later they became highly decorative. They came to function as a way of status display and social currancy, with the designs including relifious motifs, heraldry, and portraits. The social function is indicated partly by their presence in semi-public spaces in the house, especially the most prestiegous rooms. In some cases, the designs may reflect patronage connections, as with royal images on those used in abbeys connected with them.
(One characteristic shape of tiles has a rectancular face but with a concavity forming a sort of niche going back from the "face" of the tile. I wonder if this was partly intended as a safety measure against accidental burns?)
In order to try to trace the social connections and physical origins of the tiles, they performed an X-ray fluorescence analysis of the tiles which provides a quick, non-destructive means of "fingerprinting" the chemical composition of the glazes and clay of the tiles. (Lots of juicy technical details of X-ray fluorescence technique that are no doubt very exotic to historians. She keeps catching herself going too far into the techie stuff.) The clay, slip, and glaze can be analyzed separately by this method, enabling the identification of possible imported materials in combination with local ones. This enables us to identify both different physical groupings of tiles from the same site, but similarities in tile composition found in different locations.
The Tiled Floor in the Castle of Pierre Bladelin: Mirror of Social Identity between Burgundian Flanders and the Kingdom of Aragon (ca. 1450)
Wim De Clercq, Univ. Gent
Floor tiles studied during a rescue excavation illustrate connections between Burgundian Flanders and the Kingdom of Aragon. Brief history of the personal, financial, and political career of Pieter Bladelin. Personal wealth brought him into positions of financial responsibility that enabled him to increase that wealth and power and this is reflected in her personal residence in Bruges as well as a string of properties and his founding of the town of Middelburg, dominated by the caslte where the floor was located. The castle was destroyed long ago and was recently the subject of a rescue excavation when the location became the site of a planned housing project. This excavation was helped by the existence of detailed plans of the castle that survived from the time of its use. The tiled pavement was in an area rebuilt ca. 1600 and included in fill debris.
Three kinds of tile designs were discovered:
* the letters "p b" joined together by a sheaf of foliage (this same emblem occurs in decorations in his house in Bruges) - square in shape
* a wreathed pair of stripes with the "p b" motif repeating with other designs - rectangular in shape
* a fire-steel surrounded by flames in a circular design, then surrounded by partial initials, probably also constructing the "p b" motif when the tiles were set together - square in shape
The nature and fabric of the tiles have connections with the Valencian tile industry. A chemical analysis of the tiles was compared to Valencian exampes and provide strong evidence of identical origin. Both the materials and colors, and the shapes and the nature of the motifs (e.g., the wreathed bands with text) have strong parallels with the Valencian examples. Althought the fire-steel motif is unique to PB, the same framing design is found with different heraldic motifs in the Valencian examples, as with one associated with Blanche of Navarre with a central fleur-de-lys motif.
The fire-steel was adopted as an emblem of the Order of the Golden Fleece, an order to which Bladelin had personal connections via Phillip, Duke of Burgundy.
This leaves the question of whether Bladelin's connection with Valencia was purely commercial (quite plausible given his business activities and normal commercial routes of the time -- Valencian ceramics appear to have been one of the few finished goods imported to Bruges from that source at the time) or a more personal/diplomatic relationship, perhaps connected with his activities in negotiations with Alphonso V, King of Aragon, relating to a special tax on wool and other goods being imported from Spain to Bruges, among other connections. In this context, the tiles may have been a gift from Alphonso and the fire-steel motif connected with Alphonso's admission to the Golden Fleece, rather than connected more directly to Pieter's patron, the Duke of Burgundy.
Cf. the depiction of Valencian style floor tiles in the paintings of Jan van Eyck.
Lions of Flanders: Material Culture and Identity in the Flemish Low Countries
Organizer: Elizabeth M. Hunt, Univ. of Wyoming, and Richard A. Leson, Univ. of Wisconsin–Milwaukee
Presider: Richard A. Leson
Female Book Owners in Flanders and the Low Countries: Identity Expressed through Patronage
Joni Hand, Southeast Missouri State Univ.
Mid 15th c. ms "Hours of Catherine of Cleves" with portrait of recipient/patron on frontispiece in adoration of the Virgin surrounded by her personal and ancestral armory. Paper examines similar examples of women's devotional mss that communicate the women's familial and political concerns via the imagry. Psalter of Bonne of Luxembourg, early example of the type. May appear in an inventory of books in the possession of one of her several sons. It again includes a portrait of the owner (and her husband) in adoration of Christ on the cross, accompanied by vernacular prayers meditating on Christ's 5 wounds, suggesting these may have been a personal devotional collection (signalled by the vernacular) rather than simply a standard part of the type of text.
Marginalia were also a place for personal expression and connection with the content. BIrds featured in the section presenting the meditation on the Wounds are not directly related to the text but are generally symbolic of species with religious significance due to mythological associations (e.g., the goldfinch, associated with a religious legend explaining its red spot). The use of these images with more attenuated connections to the theme may have assisted in deeper meditations on the intended topic.
Hybrid human-monster figures in the marginalia interact with the religious symbols in the image in a more informal way, e.g., one carrying a ladder in the upper margin, connected via ladder imagery associated with the crucifiction. These figures create a connection between the marginal art and the main image.
Back to the Hours of Catherine of Cleves. Catherine's husband (Arnold Duke of Guelders) is rarely present in the images, outside of a single adoration figure and some minor symbolism in marginalia. The main program of the book's illumination focuses on Catherine's heritage and worthiness for the marriage.
Two images depict a specific rosary with a small blue bag attached to it (once in a margin on its own, once shown being carried by Catherine). Due to the particularity of the depiction, this likely represents an actual artifact she owned and may be emphasizing the form of one of her preferred devotions. The marginal rosary surounds an image of the adoration of the Magi, connecting their adoration of both Virgin and Child with Catherine's own devotional practices using the presumed object depicted there.
In both manuscripts, the marginal imagery may indicate intimate, personal aspects of the devotions of their owners in a way that is not accessible from ordinary historical sources.
“Home is Where the Hearth is”: Ceramic Stoves in Late Medieval Flanders as Displays of Identity
Kaatje De Langhe, Univ. Gent
Discussion of a particular artifact that developed for heating, where heated air was circulated from a hearth through air ducts in a stove in a different room, thereby enabling the heating of the other room without the presence of smoke. The shape of tiles initially was relatively functional, being small knob-like structures embedded in the wall, but later they became highly decorative. They came to function as a way of status display and social currancy, with the designs including relifious motifs, heraldry, and portraits. The social function is indicated partly by their presence in semi-public spaces in the house, especially the most prestiegous rooms. In some cases, the designs may reflect patronage connections, as with royal images on those used in abbeys connected with them.
(One characteristic shape of tiles has a rectancular face but with a concavity forming a sort of niche going back from the "face" of the tile. I wonder if this was partly intended as a safety measure against accidental burns?)
In order to try to trace the social connections and physical origins of the tiles, they performed an X-ray fluorescence analysis of the tiles which provides a quick, non-destructive means of "fingerprinting" the chemical composition of the glazes and clay of the tiles. (Lots of juicy technical details of X-ray fluorescence technique that are no doubt very exotic to historians. She keeps catching herself going too far into the techie stuff.) The clay, slip, and glaze can be analyzed separately by this method, enabling the identification of possible imported materials in combination with local ones. This enables us to identify both different physical groupings of tiles from the same site, but similarities in tile composition found in different locations.
The Tiled Floor in the Castle of Pierre Bladelin: Mirror of Social Identity between Burgundian Flanders and the Kingdom of Aragon (ca. 1450)
Wim De Clercq, Univ. Gent
Floor tiles studied during a rescue excavation illustrate connections between Burgundian Flanders and the Kingdom of Aragon. Brief history of the personal, financial, and political career of Pieter Bladelin. Personal wealth brought him into positions of financial responsibility that enabled him to increase that wealth and power and this is reflected in her personal residence in Bruges as well as a string of properties and his founding of the town of Middelburg, dominated by the caslte where the floor was located. The castle was destroyed long ago and was recently the subject of a rescue excavation when the location became the site of a planned housing project. This excavation was helped by the existence of detailed plans of the castle that survived from the time of its use. The tiled pavement was in an area rebuilt ca. 1600 and included in fill debris.
Three kinds of tile designs were discovered:
* the letters "p b" joined together by a sheaf of foliage (this same emblem occurs in decorations in his house in Bruges) - square in shape
* a wreathed pair of stripes with the "p b" motif repeating with other designs - rectangular in shape
* a fire-steel surrounded by flames in a circular design, then surrounded by partial initials, probably also constructing the "p b" motif when the tiles were set together - square in shape
The nature and fabric of the tiles have connections with the Valencian tile industry. A chemical analysis of the tiles was compared to Valencian exampes and provide strong evidence of identical origin. Both the materials and colors, and the shapes and the nature of the motifs (e.g., the wreathed bands with text) have strong parallels with the Valencian examples. Althought the fire-steel motif is unique to PB, the same framing design is found with different heraldic motifs in the Valencian examples, as with one associated with Blanche of Navarre with a central fleur-de-lys motif.
The fire-steel was adopted as an emblem of the Order of the Golden Fleece, an order to which Bladelin had personal connections via Phillip, Duke of Burgundy.
This leaves the question of whether Bladelin's connection with Valencia was purely commercial (quite plausible given his business activities and normal commercial routes of the time -- Valencian ceramics appear to have been one of the few finished goods imported to Bruges from that source at the time) or a more personal/diplomatic relationship, perhaps connected with his activities in negotiations with Alphonso V, King of Aragon, relating to a special tax on wool and other goods being imported from Spain to Bruges, among other connections. In this context, the tiles may have been a gift from Alphonso and the fire-steel motif connected with Alphonso's admission to the Golden Fleece, rather than connected more directly to Pieter's patron, the Duke of Burgundy.
Cf. the depiction of Valencian style floor tiles in the paintings of Jan van Eyck.
