- Institut für Kunstgeschichte und Filmwissenschaft
Friedrich Schiller Universität Jena
Fürstengraben 18
D-07743 Jena
dieter.blume@uni-jena.de
The Cocharelli codex is a very peculiar book: not only it connects knowledge and images taken from very different fields in a personal view made for the use of the family for which it was conceived, but it is also a fascinating document... more
The Cocharelli codex is a very peculiar book: not only it connects
knowledge and images taken from very different fields in a personal view
made for the use of the family for which it was conceived, but it is also a fascinating document of the intellectual culture of the rich Genoese merchants of the fourteenth century. The article has in aim to focus on the survived folios of the treatise on the vices, in order to shed light on their relationship to the text. Full-page miniatures show the character of a specific vice, but also the main examples taken from recent history. Idyllic scenes are painted(where enough space is left on the page) as a sort of counterbalance to the text.
Finally, we have the medallions in the framing of the pages, that are in a dialogue with the text. Special attention is given to hunting scenes, to falconry in particular, but also to the whole animal world with a specific focus on birds and insects. The last folios (with the margins crowded by different species of animals and insects) form, under an iconographical point of view, a completely independent part of the codex, to be considered as a sort of zoological atlas of the natural world.
knowledge and images taken from very different fields in a personal view
made for the use of the family for which it was conceived, but it is also a fascinating document of the intellectual culture of the rich Genoese merchants of the fourteenth century. The article has in aim to focus on the survived folios of the treatise on the vices, in order to shed light on their relationship to the text. Full-page miniatures show the character of a specific vice, but also the main examples taken from recent history. Idyllic scenes are painted(where enough space is left on the page) as a sort of counterbalance to the text.
Finally, we have the medallions in the framing of the pages, that are in a dialogue with the text. Special attention is given to hunting scenes, to falconry in particular, but also to the whole animal world with a specific focus on birds and insects. The last folios (with the margins crowded by different species of animals and insects) form, under an iconographical point of view, a completely independent part of the codex, to be considered as a sort of zoological atlas of the natural world.
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In the Old Sacristy of San Lorenzo in Florence, an exact image of the starry sky was painted in the second quarter of the 15th century. Since the planets were also identified some time ago, a new date has emerged. At the same time, it... more
In the Old Sacristy of San Lorenzo in Florence, an exact image of the starry sky was painted in the second quarter of the 15th century. Since the planets were also identified some time ago, a new date has emerged. At the same time, it became possible to attempt an astrological interpretation relating to the patron Cosimo de Medici.
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Together with the astrologer Pietro d' Abano, Giotto painted the great hall in Padua's town hall at the beginning of the 14th century. These frescoes have been painted over several times, but copies from the 14th century make it possible... more
Together with the astrologer Pietro d' Abano, Giotto painted the great hall in Padua's town hall at the beginning of the 14th century. These frescoes have been painted over several times, but copies from the 14th century make it possible to reconstruct the depictions of the planets. This famous cycle of frescoes influenced astrological paintings in Italy for over a century.
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The essay deals with the development of cosmic diagrams at the Carolingian court in Aachen and the adoption of ancient representations of the constellations in the tradition of the Aratea under Louis the Pious. The focus is on the famous... more
The essay deals with the development of cosmic diagrams at the Carolingian court in Aachen and the adoption of ancient representations of the constellations in the tradition of the Aratea under Louis the Pious. The focus is on the famous aratea manuscript from Leiden (Ms. Voss. Lat. Q 79) and Ms. Harley 647 from London.
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An introductory text to the exhibition, which places the painting in its cultural context and addresses issues relating to the city republics, the courts and the Renaissance in general. The focus is on Siena and Florence from the 13th to... more
An introductory text to the exhibition, which places the painting in its cultural context and addresses issues relating to the city republics, the courts and the Renaissance in general. The focus is on Siena and Florence from the 13th to the 15th century.
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Reconsideration of my astrological interpretation from 2000 of the fresco in the dome over the altar in the Old Sacristey of San Lorenzo in Florence, together with some remarks concerning the astronomical importance of this imressing... more
Reconsideration of my astrological interpretation from 2000 of the fresco in the dome over the altar in the Old Sacristey of San Lorenzo in Florence, together with some remarks concerning the astronomical importance of this imressing picture of the starry sky..
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Questo contributo esamina vari esempi di iconografia politica nei comuni dell’Italia settentrionale dei secoli XIII e XIV. Tra questi, l’epigrafe del Bargello di Firenze composta da Brunetto Latini, i resti di affreschi nel Palazzo della... more
Questo contributo esamina vari esempi di iconografia politica nei comuni
dell’Italia settentrionale dei secoli XIII e XIV. Tra questi, l’epigrafe del Bargello di Firenze composta da Brunetto Latini, i resti di affreschi nel Palazzo della Ragione milanese, le fontane di Nicola e Giovanni Pisano, e quella di Arnolfo di Cambio a Perugia e l’affresco, oggi perduto, del Comune rubato di Giotto. Si tratta di un’iconografia che si serve soprattutto delle figure dell‘araldica e di svariate tecniche allegoriche.
dell’Italia settentrionale dei secoli XIII e XIV. Tra questi, l’epigrafe del Bargello di Firenze composta da Brunetto Latini, i resti di affreschi nel Palazzo della Ragione milanese, le fontane di Nicola e Giovanni Pisano, e quella di Arnolfo di Cambio a Perugia e l’affresco, oggi perduto, del Comune rubato di Giotto. Si tratta di un’iconografia che si serve soprattutto delle figure dell‘araldica e di svariate tecniche allegoriche.
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»'l volger del ciel«-Dantes Sterne Riassunto: L'astronomia ha un ruolo importante nella Commedia; a più riprese si rinvia alla posizione/costellazione degli astri. Da una parte, ciò serve a definire il tempo, ma anche a chiarire le... more
»'l volger del ciel«-Dantes Sterne Riassunto: L'astronomia ha un ruolo importante nella Commedia; a più riprese si rinvia alla posizione/costellazione degli astri. Da una parte, ciò serve a definire il tempo, ma anche a chiarire le coordinate del cosmo. Dante attribuisce alla danza dei beati un movimenti armonico in qualche misura assimilabile al moto degli astri. Nel momento in cui arriva nel cielo delle stelle fisse, il narratore menziona quel segno zodiacale sotto il quale è nato e al quale si sente legato. Inoltre, nella Canzone Io son venuto al punto della rota, menziona addirittura la costellazione che si vedeva a Firenze la sera del Natale 1296.
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Überblick über Themen profaner Wandmalerei im europäischen Mittelalter unter den Kategorien Kosmos und Geschichte, Natur und Jagd, Ethik und Liebe.
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General remarks on the themes of profane paintings in the Middle Ages organized under the categories of Cosmos and History, Nature and Hunting, Ethics and Love.
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Rezension zu: Benjamin Anderson, Cosmos and Community in Early Medieval Art New Haven/London: Yale University Press 2017, 216 Seiten mit 67 Farb- und 10 s/w-Abb., ISBN 978-03-00-21916-6
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Teh text discuss poetry by painters and drawings by writers in the 14th, 15th and 16th century in Italy.
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Amor is a prominent figure in early Italian poetry, where the antique image of the god of love was enriched with some new and modern elements. While Brunetto Latini’s Tesoretto introduced the idea of Cupid‘s blindness, very influential... more
Amor is a prominent figure in early Italian poetry, where the antique image of the god of love was enriched with some new and modern elements. While Brunetto Latini’s Tesoretto introduced the idea of Cupid‘s blindness, very influential was a sequence of thirteen sonnets by Guittone d' Arezzo that describe and explain a painting of Amor. The god is conceived here as a very frightening hybrid creature with the claws of a hawk. From this poetic ekphrasis arose an exchange of poems and a long lasting debate on the character of love. Another frequent image is that of Amor sitting on a throne in his court, in the midst of a multitude of lovers. A prominent painted example is the frontispiece of the Canzoniere palatino, which reflects a profane and more or less positive notion of love inspired by courtly literature. On the other hand, a more frightening version of Amor shows him standing on the back of a galloping horse and attacking defenceless people. This image must have had a wide circulation but is today conserved only in a few miniatures and a fresco in the Castello di Sabbionara at Avio. Francesco da Barberino participated in this discourse with a specific picture commented by a long poem, which he recited in a public performance. He conceived a detailed theory of love for a communal audience, according to which bad as well as good things emerge from love. Further examples show that images and poems are part of a discussion that continued during the entire fourteenth century. The article explores these varying ideas of the god of love and the mutual exchange on this theme between painting and poetry.
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In the decades after 1300 you find in Italy an intensive re-reading of ancient texts and especial of Ovid, which is connected with the intellectual cultures of the cities. One example is of course Dante with his specific amalgam of... more
In the decades after 1300 you find in Italy an intensive re-reading of ancient texts and especial of Ovid, which is connected with the intellectual cultures of the cities. One example is of course Dante with his specific amalgam of ancient myths with the christian story of salvation. Important are also the lectures of Giovanni del Vergilo in Bologna, which retells the metamorphoses in a clear and simple language. An very interesting case is Paolo da Perugia, who in Naples works out complexe diagramms to explain the correlations of all the different mythological figures. His interests are mainly historical and cosmological. The young Petrarca however uses selected metamorphoses as metaphors of his emotional feelings as a loving poet. Petrus Berchorius writes in Avignon an extensive allegorical explanation of the metamorphoses. Beside theological interpretations he is discussing ethical questions, which are connected with the experiences of his readers. The text of Berchorius was soon connected with an extensive illustration. In a splendid version for Bruzio Visconti the miniatures offers an own, sensitive reading of the Ovidian narratives including the emotional tensions of the stories. A manuscript from Bergamo, which has only very simple drawings, can proof the existence of a model, where a detailed iconography of all the pagan gods was developed soon after 1350. Florentine drawings done by readers of the italian translation by Arrigo Simintendi focus again on the emotional aspects of the Ovidian stories.
The individual readings differs widly in their interests, but all are in their own way a form of actualization and connect Ovid with the reality of the 14th century. They all together establish the ancient myth as a new system of reference.
The individual readings differs widly in their interests, but all are in their own way a form of actualization and connect Ovid with the reality of the 14th century. They all together establish the ancient myth as a new system of reference.
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In a private room for Clemens VI (1342–1352) in the palace of the popes at Avignon, frescoes show a peaceful vision of nature with flowering trees, numerous birds, and hunting scenes. There is a strong contrast between the castle-like... more
In a private room for Clemens VI (1342–1352) in the palace of the popes at Avignon, frescoes show a peaceful vision of nature with flowering trees, numerous birds, and hunting scenes. There is a strong contrast between the castle-like architecture of the tower in which the room is located and the expansive view of plants and animals offered by the paintings. All of the people in the frescoes are more or less youthful, some collecting fruits, some bathing, and others trying to catch birds or rabbits. It is a very selective impression of nature, with much left out. The experience of nature articulated in the same period by Francesco Petrarca uses very similar elements. Apart from all differences, the frescoes and the writings of Petrarca share a newly emerged interest in nature in the middle of the fourteenth century.
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Frescoes of the 13th century in a palace of a cardinal in Rome
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Interpretation of the painting of Sebasian in Vienna as a programmatic picture concerning theory of art, which was may be done for Lodovico Gonzaga.
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Reading the fresco in the cupola of the Old Sacresty of San Lorenzo in Florence as an horoskop for Cosmio Medici.
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Photographs from the giant Buddha statues in the Bamiyan Valley of Afghanistan made in summer 1977 by Dieter Blume and Jochen Blume
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The figure of Amor in early Italian poetry and painting around 1300. The papers discuss poems by Guittone d' Arezzo, Francesco da Barberino and Dante Alighieri as well as correlated paintings and the iconography of Amor.
Research Interests: Italian Literature, History of Art, Italian Renaissance Art, Guittone d'Arezzo, Medieval illuminated manuscripts, and 10 moreDante Alighieri, Medieval Iconography, Iconography and Iconology, Early Italian poetry, medieval Florence, Figuras De Amor, Francesco Da Barberino, Profane Iconography, Canzoniere Palatino, and iconography of Amor
Short overview on the iconography of the constellations in medieval manuscripts concerning astronomy, astrology and computus.
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The present article focuses on the analysis of two manuscripts that seem to be symptomatic of the subtle and variegated reception of the Ovidian Metamorphoses in fourteenth-century Italy: on the one hand, the luxurious copy of the of... more
The present article focuses on the analysis of two manuscripts that seem to be symptomatic of the subtle and variegated reception of the Ovidian Metamorphoses in fourteenth-century Italy: on the one hand, the luxurious copy of the of Ovidius Moralizatus (Gotha, Forschungsbibliothek, MS Membr. I 98) made ca. 1350-1360 for the Milanese aristocrat Bruzio Visconti and intended to be illustrated by 284 miniatures; on the other hand, the humble manuscript preserving the translati~n in volgare of the Ovidian work by the FlorentiDe notary Arrigo Simintendi (Florence, Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale, MS Panciatichi 63), whose marginal drawings (added ca. 1360-1370) can be attributed to a group of "interactive readers" who tried to intensify their reading experience by giving visible form to their partiewar interpretations of the text. Despite their differences, both works betray an unprecedented attention to the representation of nature and witness to the existence of an ongoing debate-pervading both the courtly and urban realms-over the value of antique myths and the effects of the human passions so memorably described by the classical poet. This partiewar reception of the Ovidian work may have paved the way to another, new experience of subjectivity and, therefore, to an intensive intellectual engagement with emotions that would have marked a significant step in the history ofthe "Nachleben der Antike".
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Remarks on the political iconography in the Italian city-states during the 13th and early 14th centuries.
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In the 13th century an impressive City-Palace was built in Ancona and dercorated with important reliefs telling a poitical version of the story of Kain and Abel.