I codici e la cultura scientifica alla corte dei Papi tra fine 13. e primi decenni del 15. secolo, con particolare attenzione ai manoscritti miniati della Biblioteca papale di Avignone
Author(s)
Salvatelli, Luca
Date Issued
June 19, 2013
Type
Doctoral Thesis
Abstract
The project Codes and Scientific Culture at the Court of the Popes in Late Thirteenth Century and in the Early Decades of the Fifteenth Century, with Particular Attention to the Illuminated Manuscripts of the Papal Library of Avignon is divided into three main parts, corresponding to the essential partitions in which is partitioned the researching work. The first one is dedicated to an overview of the history, the characteristics and the developments of papal libraries inventories between 1295 and 1594. Its matter of fact that these ones are essential sources and testimonies for investigate the cultural interests, particularly the scientific one in the papal court. This examination, as well as allowing you to outline the actual presence and consistency of scientific codes in the court of the popes between the thirteenth and fifteenth century, tracking and recognizing a significant core of manuscripts, now preserved in various collections of European libraries (Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Bibliothèque Nationale de France, British Library, Toledo Capitular Library), following the partial dispersion and fragmentation of the papal library, allowed to point out, following the long-term perspective, the obvious differences that exist in this field of knowledge with the canon century written by Thomas Parentucelli for the establishment of a theoretical humanistic library. This point has been substantiated by comparison of the items listed in the various scientific inventories, included in the book’s appendix. The second part of the volume concerned an examination of the fortune of scientific thought in the papal court in the second half of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, examining the Studium of Viterbo: the greater the cultural center of the time in this field; the pontificate of Boniface VIII (1297 -1304); and finally outlining two peculiar cases, during the Avignon papacy of John XXII (1316-1334) and Clement VI (1342-1352), chosen not only for the personal tension towards the exact sciences, but also for the reflections resulting in their political action: significant in this sense, the Super illius note, promulgated in 1326 by Pope John XXII, the intense debate regarding the Beatific Vision developed under the same pope or the question of determining the date of Easter. In the last section, we addressed the core of the scientific codes illuminated the papal library in Avignon. This work has based mainly on the establishment, where possible, comparisons with contemporary liturgical and legal production linked to the papal curia, on which up now it has focused studies. It was found that this group of manuscripts is mainly consisting of study codes, probably belonged to members of the Curia, which came only later to be part of the papal library collection, by virtue of jus spolii, as recently demonstrated, for example in the case of Borgh. 353 (Vatican City, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana). Only few manuscripts may be considered the result of a specific pontifical commission, as evident from the dedications both the ms 81 of the Alessandrina Library of Rome, containing a commentary on the Physioniomia of William of Myrica, or the ms lat. 7293 of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France, a Levi ben Gerson headless copy of the De instrumento rivelatore. The private nature of the manuscripts is even more evident when you analyze the decorative device. It is found in some cases the total or partial absence of pages of richly illuminated incipit, in other ones the absence of rubricated or pen worked initials even provided by ordinator. In addition to stylistic considerations it has also conducted reflections about historiated initials. They often turn out to be characterized by depictions completely unrelated to the topic within the works which qualify the opening words. The presence of subjects such as the Virgin in majesty, the enthroned Christ or the Holy Family usually present in texts of religious content, it is linked to the desire to make it more agreeable to a secular audience the profane matter treated in the books, so probably the exclusive will result of the client. However we can also propose a lectio facilior of this discrepancy between text and image. It could possible find its reason in the fact that artists, accustomed to achieve sacred texts for curia, they used the same models in the decoration of codes of secular nature, using a standardized repertoire of subjects, not bothering to upgrade it to the different needs of
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operas like Physica and Metaphysica. This last section has been enriched and supported by catalog entries, consisting of careful analysis and description codex, which is followed by a historical-critical section focused on the compositional
Additional information
Dottorato di ricerca in Memoria e materia dell'opera d'arte attraverso i processi di produzione , storicizzazione, conservazione, musealizzazione
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