CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2012
| Author | Oliveira, Rose Carinha |
|---|---|
| Title | LANDSCAPE, LOCALITY, AND LABOR: LATE MEDIEVAL CALENDAR IMAGES FROM 1400-1550 AND THEIR VARITIES |
| Summary | Late medieval devotional books often included the Labors of the Month in their calendar sections. Representations this cycle of the seasons and human work reached its zenith the late fifteenth century in Western Europe. Scholars have treated these works, created in specialized workshops, as mines of information about costume and agricultural tools, increasing development of landscapes in art, and reflections of an idealized representation of the peasant world. This paper uses French and Flemish sources in an attempt to understand the differences of development due to regional placement and the context of the societies. By comparing the calendars and examining elements of composition focusing on place, person, gender, and considering the effect of the patron, clear patterns and differences were identified which reflected the needs of the society, consciously and unconsciously. Thus, in the use of landscape, one sees how architecture and town space were used differently to emphasize the correct work, in some cases becoming a proxy for the elite in society. Differing notions of hierarchy in rural and elite contexts are represented both in the increase of noble activities in later calendars and where peasant and upper class member meet. A stark difference in the number of women depicted in the calendars was evident as well as some regional differences in the work in which medieval rural women participated. By placing the Labors into a broader context one better sees how these images developed and functioned based upon the society where they were created. |
| Supervisor | Gerhard Jaritiz |
| Department | Medieval Studies MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2012/oliveira_rose.pdf |
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