Renaissance Studies

Les animaux fantastiques sont omniprésents dans nos sociétés contemporaines. Dragons, licornes, sphinx et phénix peuplent les oeuvres de fiction et notre imaginaire, peut-être même notre quotidien.  Ce sont, pour la plupart, des créatures mythiques apparues à la fin de la préhistoire. Leur rôle et leurs fonctions ont évolué au cours des millénaires. Il existe cependant des constantes dans leur représentations, comme leur rapport étroit au sacré et à la mort, leur appartenance au monde des marges. C'est sans doute ce qui explique que les animaux fantastiques continuent de nous fasciner : ils nous attirent et nous terrorisent ; ils interrogent notre rapport au monde, à la nature et à notre propre animalité. Cet essai retrace, à travers six mille ans d'histoire, l'apparition, l'évolution et l'actualité des plus emblématiques d'entre eux. Certains animaux fantastiques sont en effet omniprésents dans la culture populaire alors qu'ils sont apparus à la fin du Néolithique. Quelles fonctions remplissent-ils ? Pourquoi avons-nous aujourd'hui encore besoin d'eux ? D'où vient cette longévité dans la fascination qu'ils exercent ?

The multiple uses of religion in Shakespeare’s plays seem to counter each other at every turn. In one respect, though, I have found a surprising consistency. Moments when Shakespeare’s drama imagines the afterlife are moments that lend significant insights into the play’s action or characterization, even though the image of one undiscovered country may differ drastically from another. Across the canon, the afterlife may appear as a place of religious judgment, as in Othello, Hamlet, Merchant of Venice; as a classical Elysium or Hades where the spirit or shadow removes elsewhere (Antony and Cleopatra, Titus Andronicus); as Abraham’s Bosom—a place of rest between death and the Last Judgment (Henry V, Richard III, Hamlet); or an unidentifiable life to come (Macbeth, King Lear).

Scaleboard, thin strips or leaves of wood, was used in printing for various purposes, notably to provide interlinear spacing, as well as in bookbinding. This article explores the nature, manufacture and history of scaleboard, and its uses inside and outside the printing industry from the late medieval period to the turn of the twentieth century.

My paper focuses on the influence of an important descent-into-hell narratives of classical literature, the catabasis of Orpheus on Dante's journey through the other world. Dante, in his own confession, is familiar with the Ovidian myth of the Thracian poet, but he is undoubtedly influenced also by other elaborations and interpretations of the myth. One of the aims of this work is to present and explore these sources. The special feature of Orpheus is that he is both poet and traveller of the underworld, and in this quality he turns out an unique Greek-Roman mythological antecedent of Dante. The other purpose of my analysis is to examine Dante's attitude with the comparison of Dante's texts and their possible sources, while taking into consideration the 14th century commentaries to Dante which shed light to the intellectual horizon of the contemporary reader.

Il est sans doute difficile d'imaginer qu'un lecteur médiéval, face à l'Ecloga Theoduli, ait pu se poser sérieusement la question de savoir qui gagnerait un débat organisé entre le porte-parole du mensonge païen et la voix de la vérité chrétienne. Cette pastorale pourrait donc offrir une vue critique de la mythologie, aussi claire que la condamnation sans appel d'Augustin dans plusieurs développements de la Cité de Dieu. Et pourtant, ce texte prête encore à discussion sur de nombreux points, non seulement dans le détail mais aussi dans sa conception d'ensemble. L'oeuvre a de fait servi, tout au long du moyen âge, de dictionnaire de la mythologie antique, mais at -elle pu être écrite dans ce but ? Quel est finalement le statut de la mythologie aux yeux de l'auteur ? Dans ce débat dont les grandes pistes ont déjà été bien balisées, je voudrais proposer simplement ici quelques

Vivimos un momento fascinante dentro del campo de la historia del arte en la forma en cómo construimos nuestra lectura del pasado y del presente, cómo enhebramos nuestros relatos y cómo nos afecta el hoy para poder analizar las imágenes del ayer. Espoleados por una realidad que nos ha sorprendido, de repente advertimos que la sociedad nos exige
que miremos de otra forma para intentar hacer una lectura a contrapelo. No se trata de hacer una historia del arte en la que el presentismo marque nuestras agendas. Se trata de reflexionar acerca de cómo se ha construido la historia del arte para intentar advertir todo lo que nos hemos dejado en el camino por no saber mirar, o directamente por mirar para
otro lado. Las imágenes están cargadas de una fuerza que las hace vivas, explosionan, arden y entonces despliegan todo su significado en cualquier lugar del momento histórico. Partiendo de la idea de que la historia del arte ha construido su discurso como una disciplina anacrónica, ¿somos también los historiadores del arte anacrónicos? Este seminario contará
con la presencia de uno de los más influyentes pensadores, filósofos e historiadores del arte en la actualidad, que ha contribuido con sus ideas a que se produzca una auténtica revolución en la forma de leer las imágenes: Georges Didi-Huberman. Su pensamiento ha sido clave a la hora de que se produzca el giro metodológico en buena parte del mundo
académico -tanto a nivel continental, de manera explícita, como veladamente, a nivel anglosajón-, y todo gracias al poder y latencia que tienen las imágenes, esas que nos siguen mirando y desafiando con su agenda.

Beatrix Frangepán (* c. 1480, +(27 March) 1510) from the Counts of Veglia (Krk), Modrus and Zengg was a descendant from one of the leading families of the Hungarian–CroatianHungarian–Croatian late Medieval Kingdom. She became wife of Crown Prince János Corvinus-Hunyadi and later of Margrave Georg Hohenzollern-Brandenburg. From her first marriage, she had three children. One of these, Kristóf, who died young, was buried together with his father in Lepoglava (Croatia). Recently, successful archaeogenetic analyses have been performed on the remains of János and Kristóf Corvinus-Hunyadi; and in the course of these studies, the family background of Kristóf’s mother, Beatrix Frangepán, became an important factor. The present study provides a nine-generation family tree of Beatrix Frangepan as a complementary data pool for an eventual expansion of the archaeogenetic studies. Preliminary results of archaeological study of the supposed grave of Beatrix Frangepán are also reported.

This paper focuses on a falchion in the Luigi Marzoli Museum, Brescia (inv. G15). Its entire blade is covered with a distinctive design comprising lines of short and deep parallel semi-circular niches. This unusual detail is found on other arms in international museum collections, two of which bear the signature "Faustino Gelpho bresciano". This paper will consider connections between this idiosyncratic style and the unknown craftsman, Faustino Ghelfo. It will also attempt to reconstruct a portrait of master Ghelfo based on a possible personal modus operandi.

Castles and Transportation Networks in Podvine, Belarus, during the Livonian War (1558 –1583)
The study of warfare in Belarusian Podvine (Polack and Viciebsk Voivodeships along with the Braslaŭ district) throughout the Livonian Wars has garnered considerable scholarly attention. However, several pivotal aspects have not been explicated, including the objectives behind various war campaigns and the efficacy of strategies employed by the adversaries – the Tsardom of Muscovy and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth from 1569). A thorough analysis of military logistics, with its focal points being transportation routes and fortifications, is essential for a comprehensive insight into these issues. The assessment of military potential associated with Lithuanian and Muscovite castles is most effectively executed through an in-depth analysis of their arsenals and garrisons. Evidently, the supply of weaponry indicated that Vilnius anticipated an intense struggle for control over the Daugava River, which was significant for dominance in Livonia. The Polack campaign led by Ivan the Terrible during the winter of 1562/1563 should be evaluated as a rational, yet daring manoeuvre. This endeavour instigated the construction of a robust network of fortresses in the occupied territories, the upkeep of which proved very expensive, and the lack of waterways further exacerbated the problem. Conversely, the Lithuanians adeptly devised a defensive framework on the left bank of the Daugava River, and successfully thwarted efforts to block Viciebsk – a city that maintained control over river transportation. The skilful utilisation of roads and watercourses within Podvine emerged as a pivotal factor contributing to the triumphs of Stephen Batory’s military campaigns from 1579 to 1582.

In Nutricia, 426-433 Poliziano allude a una serie di opere del poeta alessandrino Callimaco. Tra di esse, spiccano i Giambi, tredici componimenti di carattere scoptico che però non vengono menzionati nelle liste antiche di opere callimachee a disposizione di Poliziano. L’obiettivo dell’articolo è quindi dimostrare in che modo Poliziano fosse giunto a conoscenza dei Giambi di Callimaco. Dopo aver fornito una panoramica sulle citazioni da Callimaco negli scritti polizianei, l’autore analizza i riferimenti ai Giambi contenuti nelle fonti antiche lette da Poliziano e la loro presenza negli zibaldoni autografi (in particolare i codici Flor. II.I.99, Mon. Gr. 182 e Par. Gr. 3069).

Abraham Ortelius, or more simply Ortelius, was the first important creator of the modern atlas with his Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, and with good reason, together with Cluverius, he is considered the founder of Historical Geography, thanks to the publication of the Parergon, which originated as a supplement to the Theatrum, and although drawn on 'modern' maps, takes the reader into the dimension of the ancient world.

Las empresas o divisas (asociacion de palabra e imagen) son una importante rama de la literatura emblematica, entroncada en sus origenes con la heraldica. Fueron utilizadas por reyes, caballeros y eclesiasticos como forma de ostentacion de altos ideales heroicos, amorosos, religiosos y de otra indole, convirtiendose en un genero de gran exito en toda Europa entre los siglos XV y XVII. Su casuistica es extremadamente rica y variada, pero su estudio se ha visto dificultado por la ausencia de un enfoque global debido a la compartimentacion de las disciplinas humanisticas en el ambito universitario. Ademas, la inexistencia de un catalogo de empresas o divisas pertenecientes a caballeros espanoles obstaculiza su analisis profundo y riguroso. Se ofrece un catalogo de divisas basado en fuentes heterogeneas datadas entre 1511 y 1629. Completa el trabajo un estudio previo donde se reflexiona sobre el genero y analiza las particularidades de la empresa espanola a la luz de los casos recogidos...

L’article interroge la manière dont des morceaux de réalités américaines sont passés au XVIe siècle par une série de processus de médiatisations qui ont façonné la manière dont ils ont été intégrés dans le cadre français et qui ont participé à la construction des savoirs sur l’Amérique depuis l’Europe. La saisie du Nouveau Monde par sa matérialité interroge la manière dont différents fragments (d’une espèce, d’un territoire, etc.) du monde naturel et humain peuvent servir de support à la transformation d’une connaissance partielle en un savoir cohérent et élargi, sur un espace dont la particularité est d’être encore largement méconnu par les Européens.

Ouvrage à lire sur https://cham.fcsh.unl.pt/livros-coleccoes-detalhe.php?p=3429

This special issue of the Journal of Interdisciplinary History of Ideas takes its origin from a call for paper on the theme: “Erasmian Science: The Influence of Erasmus of Rotterdam on Early-Modern Science”. Is there any disciplinary field or scholarly context of the past that can be conveniently indicated as (an) ‘Erasmian Science’? Can this expression, as some sort of historiographic construct and instrument, direct the investigation of historians of scientific culture to realms and relationships that have so far escaped their consideration? This are the challenges we are putting forward in this  Introduction , offering some background and suggestions as to the feasibility of more thorough studies of ‘Erasmian Science’.

O artigo analisa os discursos sobre o bem-estar físico, material e emocional presentes na produção midiática da pregadora norte-americana Joyce Meyer, cujos livros encontram uma boa venda em nosso país há cerca de dez anos. Sob a perspectiva da História Cultural avalio essa "mídia de manutenção" para evangélicos adultos, composta por livros de aconselhamento, vídeos e uso da internet, que visa oferecer ferramentas para permanecer na fé cristã em meios às adversidades do cotidiano. A primeira parte do texto discorre sobre a construção da imagem pública da pregadora para legitimar seu discurso no mercado evangélico norte-americano e brasileiro; a segunda analisa as características dos seus produtos disponíveis no Brasil. Observo uma forte ênfase no auto-aperfeiçoamento e no fortalecimento espiritual e emocional individual, ressaltando-se a parceria entre o indivíduo e Deus, a fim de fortalecer a autonomia religiosa individual e, ao mesmo tempo, livrar o sujeito dos fardos da...

Les auteurs s’interrogent sur les différentes conceptions et usages des catégories de la mémoire et l’oubli. Cela, à la fois chez les penseurs et les littéraires européens à partir du xve siècle, et chez les chercheurs contemporains en sciences humaines. Entre état de l’art et réflexion théorique, l’introduction discute du paradoxe qui relie toujours la mémoire à l’oubli : la prétention de l’une à éliminer l’autre tandis que l’une suppose toujours l’autre.

The paper chapter the Procaccini family's relocation from Bologna to Milan. One of the most important families of painters active in Northern Italy at the start of the seventeenth century, the Procaccini established a family business that played a fundamental role in the development of Lombard art. By looking at recent studies in the field of socio-economic history, the study describes Milan as a microcosm of international influences, offering a perspective on the city’s connections with Flanders and Spain. Aside from demonstrating that the Procaccini consciously elected to move to a more dynamic city, the study emphasises that Milan was involved in the largest program of Post-Tridentine diocesan reform ever enacted in Italy. The city had the largest diocese in Italy and one of the largest in Europe, counting over 2000 churches and 200 monasteries. From 1580 onwards, many of these buildings were renovated, presenting opportunities for capable artists. The Procaccini took advantage of this situation easily superseding local competition.