Speakers
Conferencistas convidados · Ponentes
Luis Campos Ribeiro, Universidade Nova de Lisboa
The illuminated copies of Le Régime du Corps: an example of the circulation of models and images in the late medieval period Written by the physician Aldobrandino of Siena in the second half of the 13th century, Le Régime du corps is considered the first book of medicine in French. Being directed to the laymen and not the practicing physician, 'Le Régime' had a wide circulation in the 14th, 15th and beginning of the 16th centuries. In four chapters, the book addresses the main precepts of health and the dietary requirements for a healthy life. The surviving manuscripts present various levels of decoration, from simple decorated initials and margins, to full-page frontispieces and historiated initials. Some of its most lavish copies present a large collection of these historiated initials. Made for rich patrons they feature an extensive decorative programme with more than 100 miniatures, each representing the topics being address in the given chapter. These miniatures represent an iconographical model for 'Le Régime' that circulated from the 13th century to the late 15th century. Codex 52-XIII-26 of Biblioteca da Ajuda is a good example of the circulation and production of this kind of manuscripts. Not only it contains the work of two different artists, as its iconographic programme is one of the last examples of this three century long lineage of illuminated manuscripts. Taking as a starting point the Ajuda codex, this paper discusses some examples of the models and the circulation of images surrounding the manuscript production of Le Régime du corps. |