Book of the Books

The Gutenberg Bible

The Gutenberg Bible was the first major book printed with movable type. It is not only an astonishing book itself, which is printed with great accuracy and decorated in a detailed way; the Gutenberg Bible also represents the start of the so-called “Gutenberg Revolution” and the spreading of printed books as a medium.

Before Gutenberg invented the process of the printing press, books were produced entirely by hand, normally by monks. It is not hard to imagine, that this method took months to copy even a small book. Gutenberg then found a way of mass-producing individual pieces of type in metal. He was able to produce hundreds of pieces of type, which then could be set up in phrases and pages and being printed on a printing press. Afterward he could use them again and set them up in a new way. With that Gutenberg also guaranteed (for the first time) a consistent and clear font all over the book.

            The Gutenberg Bible is praised for its high aesthetic and artistic qualities. It is written in Latin and was produced in the 1450s in Mainz, Germany. Gutenberg made approximately about 180 editions of the Bible with his printing press. 49 copies of it are known to exist today. Each Bible consists of 1,268 pages, with 42 lines on each page, made by around 2,500 pieces of type. The spacious margin around the text allowed great decoration, which was added by hand. Some of the Bibles were decorated in a really elaborated way (always depending on how much the buyer would pay). The approximate selling price of the Bible at Gutenberg’s time was around 300 Florins. Gutenberg’s invention did not make him rich, but it laid the foundation of mass production of books. Wider parts of the population could afford them and enabled them to follow debates and take part in discussions. The Gutenberg Bible represents all the changes happening during that time period in a concrete and impressive way.

Sources:

http://www.hrc.utexas.edu/exhibitions/permanent/gutenbergbible/history/#top

http://www.bl.uk/treasures/gutenberg/homepage.html

Birthing Chair or Beds

This week we have discussed a lot of social history concerning various aspects of life. Notably centering on pregnancy and giving birth. One of the things we mentioned in passing was the concept of a birthing chair. Searching around online, I found a few examples of birthing chairs. The image chosen is a basic one from the sixteenth century, but also seems to be similar to the kind that is referred to in Bell’s text. Both Savonarola and Mercurio prefer the birthing chair for pregnant women. Mercurio offers the choice for a woman to stand on the knees of another woman, because many families could not afford to purchase a birthing chair.

The description of a birthing chair that Savonarola prefers is rather extensive and detailed. He states that it should be made of strong wood, be approximately two feet wide, a seat of one and a half feet high, and closed with boards on the sides. It would also have sturdy arms for the mother to use as hand rests with a high back, so that if necessary one could place a pillow behind her back. Yet when hit with contractions the pillow would be removed so as to exert maximum pressure against the boards. One key thing to note in Bell’s text is that both Savonarola and Mercurio dislike the idea of pregnant women giving birth in bed. The reason this is so interesting is because in modern times that is the way many women give birth. Yet one can argue that this is a much more difficult way to give birth, interesting to think that 16^th century physicians may know better in this situation.

Source:

pages 110 - 111 of Bell

-Jenn Kervian

Playtime!

While I was perusing the internet looking for children's toys from the renaissance, in conjunction with our readings on renaissance families, I came across an interesting theory.

Illustrated above is Arbella Stuart as a young child. As you can reasonably guess, Arbella was a noble woman who was also considered one of the possible successors to queen Elizabeth I of England. Located in her left hand is a small doll that we can only assume was her favorite. What is interesting about this doll is its clothing. Historians are in agreement that the clothing the doll is wearing is at least 10 years outdated. But how can this be? Surely Arbella's noble family could afford to outfit her favorite play doll with up to date garments. But that's just it. This doll was not originally intended for play.

The outdated clothing on the doll implies that this was actually a fashion doll. A local tailor would have used a doll as a model to create a larger version of the dress that the doll was wearing. This means that when fashions came and went, tailors would give away their obsolete doll models to children who would use them as play things. Obviously dolls have been used as toys centuries before the renaissance era, however these dolls were painfully detailed and wore heavily ornamented clothing of the highest quality. So even though the doll is an age old invention, the dress up barbie doll can trace its history back to 16th century tailors.

Arnold, Janet. Queen Elizabeth's Wardrobe Unlock'd. Los Angeles: Quite Specific Media Group, 2001. 157-58. Web. 9 Oct. 2013.

The Execution of Jan Hus

This image depicts the burning of Jan Hus at the stake for all to see.  Hus was sentenced to death after refusing to repent his beliefs in front of the court.  His followers viewed him as a martyr after he was executed, and went on to uphold his beliefs.  This particular source is interesting because it provides a first hand account of the execution.  This source also provided an eye witness testimony from one of Hus's followers.  This follower by the name of Peter from Mladonovic, explains in detail the accounts of Hus's execution. According to the testimony, Peter watched in horror as they lit the fire beneath Hus; as he was then consumed in the blaze, Peter recollects Hus praying aloud while his body was immersed in flame (Columbia.edu).  this eye witness account along with the picture can vividly explain the horrors of that day.  Sometimes, as historians, we get so caught up in reviewing why someone was killed and the effects of that person on society that we forget to look into the eyes of everyday people who actually witnessed it.  For Peter who was a friend of Hus's, this marked a terrifying event in his life.  Not just because of the powerful beliefs Hus presented, but also because he was a friend and fellow believer.  How would you feel to see a friend and idle being burned at the stake? this is a question I hope no one would ever have to answer, but it does provide a historical perspective from personal level of an eye witness' viewing.


Sources:

http://www.columbia.edu/~js322/misc/hus-eng.html

The Stages of Life

Thought I should post this image of the Stages of Life; it's a woodcut from northern Europe. You can go from infant to old man, but notice the baby walker, which I alluded to in class last time.

My 24 hours in the Ozarks

A note on my last 24 hours: 

When St. Francis planned to make his fellow citizens a little more interested in the human aspect of Jesus, by pulling out some actual stinky barn animals and making a life-size nativity scene, I'm sure that he would not have imagined the appearance of this: 

I wish it came with a St. Francis of Assisi endorsement on the box. It's a travesty little children are playing with these and don't know the history of the first creche. :))

After visiting Toys R Us at 6 p.m. on Saturday, I headed to Patrick's Family restaurant in Nixa (yummy catfish) and listened to some old-timers play some pretty cool Johnny Cash tunes, alongside some faith tunes as well (Folsom prison and Heaven tunes are a bit abrupt). On the wall of the restaurant were various signs--one of the popular themes carved in wood was: "Thank you Jesus".  I would compare this to a Madonna in Italy--in that there was public acknowledgement of the divine. 

On Sunday afternoon at Phelps Grove park, I went for a walk where several groups of role-players interacted in a medieval fantasy game. There were colorful flags erected. Some had tunics, some had long hair braids, some had more like Samurai pants on. I was reminded again of how the age that we are studying comes with so many layers of "history" that we must sort through: the humanists at that time writing their own advertisements; the historians of the 19th century; popular culture and the fantasy of the past ala Game of Thrones; the sexuality of shows like the Borgias . . . I am thankful to have actual primary sources that force me to think through fact and fantasy. I am also thankful that there are people who are interested in the period, despite it heading towards more fantasy. 

Now to the store, I need one of those nativity scenes! Who doesn't love Little People? 

Four Steps to a Happier Life

Marriage was an extremely significant factor during the time of the Italian Renaissance.  Rather than a true profession of love between a man and a woman, it was more of a negotiation that resulted in a transfer of property and a possible change in social status.  According to Brucker’s primary source the father would arrange the marriage and almost “haggle” with the other on the subject of dowry money.  The ceremony itself was a highly public affair, celebrated lavishly so as to insure that neither family would end up indebted to the other, through dowry dues or otherwise.  In class we didn’t really go over the marriage process in great detail, and after some research I found that there are four specific steps a couple must take in order for their marriage to be considered secure:  the impalamamento, the sponsalia, the matrimonium, and the nozze.  All had to be carried out or the bond was not considered undoubtedly true. 

The impalmamento was the initial meeting of couple’s fathers and a few other select family members.  They basically discussed the basics of the future union and if they were successful in their negotiations, a marriage contract was officially sealed with the help of a marriage broker.  The next stage was the sponsalia, which was a meeting of all the male members of the two families.  They discussed things like dowry money and other payment arrangements.  Because one family could become indebted to the other, a marriage hardly ever made a large jump in social status.  One interesting aspect about the sponsalia is that the father had to gain consent from the bride or the marriage wouldn’t be able to happen.  I think it’s great that the woman at least had some say in her marriage, even though it was already arranged for her.

Ceremonial marriage belt

Matrimonium was the third step.  The future bride and groom had to be asked multiple questions that were required by the Church so as to be truly verified in their union.  After this medieval game of twenty questions the vows would finally be exchanged and the groom would then place the ring on his bride’s finger.  A unique custom for this marriage process was the giving of a bridal belt on the wedding day.  Pictured above, it was given as an ode to the god Vulcan giving such an item to the goddess Venus, and was meant to inspire love.  The final step of marriage was the nozze, which basically publicized the now-official marriage.  A procession was held in which the bride, beautifully clothed and adorned with a wedding crown, was led to her new husband’s house.  It’s so amazing that the Italians back then took so much pride and care when planning a wedding, right down to the smallest detail.  This flamboyant and ritualistic four-step idea truly embodies the life of the Renaissance period.

Sources:

The Society of Renaissance Florence, Brucker

http://insanehobby.150m.com/clare/weddings.html

The Seal of Nero

In class, we briefly discussed the "Seal of Nero" in regards to Botticelli's "Portrait of a Young Woman" and the gem's place among the Medici family's impressive collection of artifacts. This gem is probably the oldest artifact that has been mentioned in our class- dating all the way back to the Hellenistic period c. 30 BC - 20 AD. However, it's relevance to the history of the Italian Renaissance is great because it was one of the most valued pieces of antiquity in the Medici collection and because it was frequently copied and used in various cameos for jewelry and other art forms. 

Lorenzo Medici acquired this artifact from Cardinal Ludovico Trevisan, and he from Cosimo Il Vecchio, and so on and so forth- passed down from generation to generation of important, wealthy families- It's last owner being the Farnese family 1583. The gem now makes it's home in the Museo Nazionale in Naples. 

The specific tie in to our class is that relating to the depiction of the young women wearing what some believe is the seal. However, scholars have concluded that this in fact is not the original "Seal of Nero", but is a cameo of the original. This would be plausible for many reasons. One, being that this gem was valued at thousands of florins (at least double the price of Michelangelo's "Pièta"), and therefore would have not been strung daintily around a neck in pendant form. Also, the coloring is all wrong. The original seal was a reddish color due to it's material being carnelian. The seal depicted is either bronze or stone, and therefore was probably a cameo.  Another myth associated with this painting is that it was paying homage and alluring to the Medici. However, this cannot be due to the timeline of the painting. Botticelli painted this portrait in the early 1480s, yet the Medici did not acquire the seal until roughly 1847, therefore the Medici family would have no tie to this particular depiction of the gem. 

"Portrait of a Young Woman"
Botticelli, c. 1480-1485

"The Seal of Nero"
Dioskourides, c. 30 BC- 20AD

The gem depicts a mythological story of Apollo, Marsyas and Olympus. The scene shown is the outcome of a musical challenge between the god Apollo and the satyr Marsyas. Olympus is the student of Marsyas, and is seen knelling before the victorious god, begging for his master's life. 

Many of the famous Italian Renaissance artists that we've discussed can be related to the gem. Prior to the Medici acquiring the gem, it had actually been inlaid into a golden ring. And who designed said golden inlay? Why none other than Lorenzo Ghiberti (aka golden door guy?). As I mentioned previously, this depiction of mythology was copied countless Renaissance artists- search for the classical past much? It is said to have effected the art top dogs such as Michelangelo and Raphael(same posing of Apollo can be seen in "The School of Athens").  

As you can see, this gem deserves it's own blog post. Check out the scholarly source by Rambach listed below to see examples of the various cameos/copies of the gem. 

-JRC

Sources: 

Rambach, Hadrien. "Apollo and Marsyas on engraved gems and medals." Jahrbuch für Numismatik und Geldgeschichte. 61. (2011): 131-146. Print. http://www.academia.edu/1132277/Apollo_and_Marsyas_on_engraved_gems_and_medals 

  http://eragem.com/news/the-ancient-seal-of-nero-carnelian-is-featured-prominently-in-hmnss-gems-of-the-medici-exhibition/ 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portrait_of_a_Young_Woman_of_Frankfurt_(Botticelli)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portrait_of_a_Young_Woman_of_Frankfurt_(Botticelli)