Feminae: Medieval Women and Gender Index

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Record Number: 11225 Author(s)/Creator(s): Kottenhoff , Margarete. Contributor(s): Title: Die Miniaturen des "Livre de la Cité des Dames" als historiche Quellen Source: Historisches Jahrbuch 115, 2 ( 1995): Pages 335 - 361. Description: Article Type: Journal Article Subject (See Also): Allegory Christine de Pizan, Poet- Livre de la Cite des Dames Iconography Illumination of Manuscripts Literature- Prose Readers Women Authors Women in Active Roles Women in Art Women in Literature Award Note: Geographic Area: France Century: 14- 15 Primary Evidence: Manuscript; 1)Paris, Bibliotèque nationale, MS 607, fol. 22) Vienna, Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, MS 2605. Illustrations: Two figures, both of Christine reading to women. Table: Abstract: The works of the French authoress Christine de Pizan (1365-1429) generate contradictory impressions in the modern reader. Her own self-assessment seems to be progressive, although she defends conservative values in her writings. Both she herself and her writings were held in high regard at the French aristocratic courts. The Dukes of Burgundy were among her most important patrons. But just a short time after her death no more attention was paid to her work.Side by side with the textual aspect of her work the miniatures seem to offer an explanation for these manifest contradictions. The comparison of the illuminations of the "Livre de la Cité des Dames" (1404) which were executed under her authority with those made after her death lead to several observations: The miniature supervised by Christine is seen to be a complementary medium, illustrating, exemplifying, amplifying, and interpreting the text. Younger minatures do not show such correspondance between picture and text. They are individual artistic products, for the artist could not find an inroad to Christine's values or to the speculative logic significant for her way of thinking, so he replaced it with his own private rationalism. The persuasiveness of her arguments which made her such a popular authoress cannot therfore be regarded as forward-looking but is in essence imitatively "medieval." [Reproduced by permisssion of Verlag Karl Alber]. Related Resources: Author's Affiliation: Conference Info: - , - Year of Publication: 1995. Language: German ISSN/ISBN: 00182621

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