The Culture of the Miraculous in Renaissance Italy in Renaissance

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The culture of the miraculous in Renaissance Italy

In Renaissance Italy, miracles were part of everyday life. The entire peninsula was peppered with shrines, at which images of the Virgin Mary or local saints were renowned for their miracle-working properties. The faithful came from near and far in order to leave votive offerings (painted wooden boards, wax anatomical models, crutches, clothes, grain, candles) in gratitude for cures and other miracles effected. Ex voto images testify to the full range of ‘graces’ received – from a child saved from a nasty incident involving a large pair of scissors to a prisoner escaped from gaol. In turn, they provide exceptional glimpses into the lives of families and communities.

The rise of print offered a new medium in which these miracles could be narrated, recorded and celebrated. The first collection of Marian miracles was published in Vicenza in 1475, and compilations of miracle stories and saints’ lives (which detailed miracles)were consistent best-sellers through the sixteenth century and beyond. Again, these narratives give us a unique vantage-point from which to view the experiences and preoccupations of Renaissance Italians. We learn, for example, of the woman falsely accused by her husband of adultery, whose reputation is saved when her one-month-old infant pipes up: ‘Father, please don’t make those accusations, for I am your child’. Or of the little boy who is rescued from the horrible fate of drowning in excrement when the Virgin Mary intervenes to secure his safe removal from the latrine into which he has fallen.

Meanwhile, we join merchants on their business trips and follow bandits into the lawless countryside. And we hear about the Jews and the Muslims who so often appear as the scapegoats in these providential tales.

This special subject presents an unfamiliar yet highly revealing aspect of Renaissance Italy via a rich array of texts (in translation) and images. The course will appeal to those who enjoy crossing disciplinary boundaries. Our study of paintings, objects, and buildings will involve a rigorous training in the interpretation of visual culture. The textual sources will call for sophisticated close reading and an engagement with the history of the book. Our interpretations of the varied evidence will be rooted in the social history of Renaissance Italy.

The course structure interweaves local case-studies with related themes. In each class, we shall consider a text or a body of material evidence from a particular shrine. Classes will be interactive from week one, and students will be asked to prepare presentations. The sources will be heavily weighted towards the visual and the material, including ex votos, altarpieces, narrative art, and buildings. All texts will be provided in translation.

For a taste of some of the sources that are central to this paper, watch the short video here.

Background reading

For those of you who have never studied the Italian Renaissance, you might find it useful to read one or more of the following introductory books: Guido Ruggiero, The Renaissance in Italy: A Social and Cultural History of the Rinascimento (2015); Virginia Cox, A Short History of the Italian Renaissance (2016); Evelyn Welch, Art in Renaissance Italy, 1350-1500 (2000); Stephen Campbell and Michael Cole, A New History of Italian Renaissance Art (2012).

Michaelmas Term

1. Introduction: mapping miracles in Renaissance Italy. Preparatory reading: Garnett and Rosser (chapter on Moodle). Plus watch video about the Volto Santo of Lucca (cf Cervelli): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsKGFYvbW8o

2. Lonigo, Tolentino, Madonna dell’Arco. The emergence of painted tablets and the iconography of the ex voto.Freedberg (ch. 7), Jacobs (on Moodle), Weinryb (chs 3-5).

3. Miracles of the Glorious Virgin Mary. The rise of print and the appeal of the miraculous narrative. Gerulaitis, Schutte, Chavasse, Salzberg (esp. ‘The Word on the Street’, 2014).

4. Annunziata (Florence), Madonna delle Grazie (Mantua).Wax versus wood: the materials of votive culture. Holmes (2009), Panzanelli, Didi-Huberman (online), Bynum (2011, esp. ch. 2), Laven and Chessa in Ivanič et al. (2019)

5. History of Our Blessed Lady of Loreto.The culture of pilgrimage. Torsellino, Biondo and Montaigne. Finucane, Walsham (2013), Williams (1999), Corry et al.(136-155). See also UL blog on an English recusant copy: https://specialcollections.blog.lib.cam.ac.uk/?p=15246

6. Saint Nicholas of Tolentino. Miracles and the politics of sanctity. Katajala-Peltomaa, Gilbertson, Vauchez, Ditchfield (academia.edu).

7. Lonigo (Veneto).Inventing the miraculous image. Garnett and Rosser, Trexler (1972 on Moodle), Maniura (in Thunø and Wolf, 2004), Holmes (2011; 2013, esp. pp. 119-141 on the Madonna of Impruneta – on Moodle).

8. Methodologies Workshop – Visual Culture: Freedberg, Gell, Baxandall, W.J.T. Mitchell (on Moodle), Maniura and Sheperd, Garnett and Rosser. NB: we shall meet in the Fitzwilliam Museum and discuss theory in relation to actual artworks from our period.

Lent Term

9. Social history of miracles. Gender, family, health, wealth, race, age. Please pick and research a theme, using visual and verbal sources. You will be asked to give a short powerpoint presentation on your findings.

10. Critiques, scepticism, controversy, change.Justice (esp. 2008), Sacchetti, Erasmus, Munday, Soergel(2012, esp. ch. 2, ‘Luther on miracles’).

11. Monte Berico (Vicenza). Plague, civic cults and state- sponsored miracles.Operetta molto devotissima novamēte in luce produtta.Grubb (on devotional practices in the Veneto); Trexler (on Moodle) and Maniura (2004, 2005, on Tuscan cults).

12. Miracles of the Most Holy Cross;Rosario della gloriosa vergine Maria (Venice).Rosaries, relics, and miraculous objects:on the specific cult of the Holy Cross in Venice, see Fortini Brown (1982) and Petkov; on rosaries, Winston-Allen, N.D. Mitchell, Galandra-Cooper and Lavenand on devotional objects more generally, Musacchio (2006); on relics, Bagnoli, Walsham, ed. (2010).

13. Urban topographies of the miraculous. Shrines, votive churches and processions. Sanudo, Holmes (2013), pp. 61-103, Davies (1993 and 1995), Muir(2002), Garnett and Rosser (2006), Stinger.

14. Madonna dell’Arco (Naples). Miraculous healing after Trent.Calvi, Gentilcore (1995), Pomata.On prayer and amulets, see Corry et al., 110-117.

15. Coróna di sessanta tre Miracoli della nunziata di Firenze. Preserving miracles for posterity.Laven (2016 – on Moodle); Matthews-Grieco on the Ferrini miracle book; Ciprini on the watercolour reproductions of the Viterbo painted tablets. The focus here is on issues of ephemerality, permanence, and memory, and on the relationship between written and material records.

16. Methodologies Workshop – the ‘psychology’ of miracles in comparative context:Please read one of the following case-studies in preparation for this class: Blackbourn, Brading, Carroll, Christian, Harris, Johnson, Maniura (Our Lady of Czestochowa, 2004), Ward.

Easter Term

17. Revision

18. Revision

19. Revision

20. Revision

PRIMARY SOURCES:

Painted ex votos:

Ballarin, Andreina, ed., Museo di Monte Berico (Vicenza: Frati Servi di Maria, 1996)

Ciarrocchi, Arnoldo and Ermanno Mori, eds, Le tavolette votive italiane (Udine: Edizioni Doretti, 1960)

Ciprini, Gianfranco, ‘La Madonna della Quercia. Una storia meravigliosa.’ (15-31), in Anna Maria Tripputi (ed.), PGR Per grazia ricevuta (Bari: Paolo Malagrinò Editore, 2002)

Gatta, Annalisa, et al., eds, Per Grazia Ricevuta: Gli ex-voto di San Nicola a Tolentino (Tolentino: Biblioteca Egidiana, 2005).

Giardino, Antonio Ermanno and Michele Rak, eds, Per Grazia Ricevuta: Le tavolette dipinte ex voto per la Madonna dell’Arco(Naples: Ci.esse.ti cooperativa editrice, 1983).

Lora, Antonio, et al., eds, Le tavolette votive della Madonna dei Miracoli di Lonigo: Catalogo e ricerche (Lonigo: Parrocchia S. Maria in Madonna dei Miracoli, 2005).

Venetian Plague-Churches: Redentore Santa Maria della Salute – Chambers and Pullan, 414-16: ‘The resolution to build the church of S. M. della Salute, 1630’.On Moodle. San Rocco San Sebastiano

Altarpieces and predella panels: Santa Fina altarpiece, San Gimignano, 1402 Gentile da Fabriano, San Nicola of Bari panels, 1425 St Margaret with stories from her life, by Turino Vanni (1349-1438). Domenico Veneziano, Miracle of St Zenobius (Fitzwilliam), 1442-8 (All viewable on the internet and via Artstor)

Narrative cycle of the Miracles of the True Cross: Vittore Carpaccio, Miracle of the Cross at the Ponte di Rialto, 1496 Gentile Bellini, Procession of the True Cross in Piazza San Marco, 1496 Gentile Bellini, Miracle of the Cross at the Bridge of S. Lorenzo, 1500 (All viewable on the internet and via Artstor)

Miracle texts:

Extracts (translated by MRL) from the following printed collections:

Marian miracles

Miracoli della gloriosa vergine Maria historiati: Novamente corretti in Lingua tosca ridutti. Con diecesette Miracoli aggionti, li quali non sonno nelli altri. (Venice, 1551).

Alberto da Castello, Rosario della gloriosa vergine Maria (Venice, 1522)

Bologna, San Luca

Leandro Alberti,Cronichetta della Gloriosa Madonna di San Luca, Del monte della Guardia, e de’ suoi Miracoli, dal suo principio infino all’Anno 1577. E dell’origine del Convento delle Venerande Monache di San Mattia. (Bologna, 1598)

Ferrara, Giovanni da Tossignano

La vita e miracoli del beato Johāni da Tossignano Vescovo di Ferrara dellordine de frati Jesuati di Sancto Hieronymo (Venice, 1512)

Florence, Annunziata

Luca Ferrini, Coróna di sessanta tre Miracoli della nunziata di Firenze scritti à honore e reverenza di sessanta tre Anni, che visse la Beata Vergine in questo Mondo. (Florence, 1593) NB: illustrations will be studied from 1593 edition.

Lonigo, Madonna dei Miracoli

Giovanni Domenico Bertani, Historia della gloriosa imagine della Madonna di Lonico (Verona, 1605)

Mantua, B. Giovannibuono

Costanzo Lodi, Vita et miracoli del beato Giovannibuono Mantuano, eremita agostiniano Morto già Trecento & quarantadue anni sono. Raccolti et descritti da F. Costanzo Lodi, da S. Gervaso Bresciano, teologo dell’istesso Ordine dell’ Osservanza di Lombardia. (Bergamo, 1590).

Tolentino, San Nicola

Vita gloriosissima et miracoli eccelsi del beato confessore santo Nicola di Tolentino, raccolta da gli antichi Originali (Ferrara, 1588)

Venice, True Cross

Questi sono i miracoli dela santissima croce della scola di misier san zuane evangelista. (Venice, 1481)

Miracoli della Croce Santissima. Della scuola de San Giovanni Evangelista. (Venice, 1590)

Vicenza, Monte Berico

Operetta molto devotissima novamēte in luce produtta. A cōsolatiōe de li devoti et disquegliati spiriti: Nella quale si cōtiene una nō men devota che curiosa istoria. La quale cōpiutamēte dechiara tutto il muodo di lo stupēdo edifitio et mirabile costrutione di santa Maria Dimonte fuora li muri di Vicenza situata. Con molti miracoli devotissimi. I quali la gloriosa matre de Idio ha in quella echiesia sua dilettissima demostrati. Quai non piccola devotione partoriscono agli devoti Lettori. (Venice, 1527).

Accounts of shrines:

Flavio Biondo, Italy Illuminated, vol. 1, books 1-4, ed. and translated by Jeffrey A. White. (Parallel Latin-English text); on Loreto, pp. 263-5.

Montaigne, Travel Journal, trans. and ed. Donald M. Frame (North Point Press, 1983); on Loreto, pp. 106-10

Anthony Munday, The English Romayne Life (London, 1582); pp. 28-40 and 49- 55. On EEBO: images 19-25 and 29-32.

Marin Sanudo il giovane, De origine, situ et magistratibus urbis Venetae ovvero La città di Venetia (1493-1530), ed. By Angela Caracciolo Aricò (Milan: Istituto editoriale Cisalpino-La Goliardica, 1980); translated extracts on miraculous sites of Venice.Camtools

Orazio Torsellino, History of our B. Lady of Loreto 1608. (The Scolar Press, 1976: facsimile edition; pp. 540 plus prefatory and end matter). Also available in the 1608 edition via EEBO.

Critiques of miracles:

Franco Sacchetti, Il libro delle trecentonovelle, ed. Ettori Li Gotti (Milan: Valentino Bompiani, 1946), novella no. 109, p. 270.On Camtools.

Erasmus, ‘A pilgrimage for Religion’s sake’, in The Colloquies of Erasmus, trans. Craig R. Thompson (Chicago, 1965), pp. 285-312; see pp. 289-91, for Mary’s letter. On Camtools.

Erasmus, Praise of Folly and Letter to Martin Dorp, 1515 (Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1986), 126-30.

ADDITIONAL PRIMARY SOURCES

Leon Battista Alberti, The Family in Renaissance Florence. Books I-IV, trans. Renée Neu Watkins (Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 1969).

Pietro Casola, Pilgrimage to Jerusalem in the year 1494, ed. by Margaret Newett (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1907; available online).

David Chambers and Brian Pullan, eds, Venice: A Documentary History, 1450-1630 (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2001).

David Chambers (ed.), Patrons and Artists in the Italian Renaissance (London: Macmillan, 1970).

Thomas Cohen and Elizabeth Cohen, Words and Deeds in Renaissance Rome: Trials before the Papal Magistrates (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1993).

‘The Other Voice in Early Modern Europe’; a series of early modern primary texts about gender: http://www.press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/series/OVIEME.html

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