A Matter of Life and Death: Forms, Functions and Audiences for ‘The Three Living and the Three Dead’ in Late Medieval Manuscripts by Christine M. Kralik A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Art University of Toronto © Copyright by Christine M. Kralik, 2013 “A Matter of Life of Death: Forms, Functions and Audiences for ‘The Three Living and the Three Dead’ in Late Medieval Manuscripts” Christine M. Kralik Doctor of Philosophy Department of Art University of Toronto 2013 Abstract This dissertation examines approaches to illustrating the Three Living and the Three Dead, a moralizing tale known across Europe in the late Middle Ages. Illustrated versions of the texts survive in a number of different manuscript contexts. While the earliest depictions show an apparently benign conversation occurring between living and dead, by the late fifteenth century other ways of illustrating the tale had emerged. The most striking of these was the aggressive chase after the living by the dead, which most often accompanied the prayers of the Office of the Dead in Books of Hours. While previous art historical investigations have concentrated on localization, chronology, as well as stylistic and formal analyses, my project engages with the larger questions of function, audience, and the relationship between text and image. The thesis begins by situating the Three Living and the Three Dead in the scholarship on the art of death of the late Middle Ages. The art of that period has long been perceived as a reflection of a time of decline. This perspective was established mainly through consideration of large-scale monuments, mostly French and primarily ii displayed in public, funerary contexts. I expand the discussion to include small scale, private devotional images of death, and demonstrate that such images could serve practical and positive functions for their users. The wide range of possibilities for illustrating the story in its early history is established in chapter 2. This overview is followed by a series of chapters that offer close examinations of individual manuscripts and establish the functions that the Three Living and the Three Dead served for their original users. In sum, my project sheds light on the importance of the imagery of death and more specifically of the Three Living and the Three Dead in late medieval culture. It contributes to our understanding of a story that became popular across Europe in a variety of forms in response to the context in which it appeared, the function it was intended to serve and the audience for which it was intended. iii Acknowledgements As a first year graduate student at the University of Toronto, one of the courses I elected to take was a graduate seminar on medieval manuscript illumination, through which I first encountered the Three Living and the Three Dead in the Psalter of Bonne of Luxembourg (New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art—The Cloisters, 69.86). I was spellbound. I found myself wondering: what was this fascinating story involving living and dead, and what was it doing in a Psalter? What meaning would it have had for the viewer? And was the story always depicted in this way? My interest in the story grew over subsequent years, and I decided to make it the focus of my doctoral dissertation. There are many to whom I owe thanks, for a variety of reasons. I was fortunate to receive funding from several agencies, including the Ontario Graduate Scholarship program, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), the Deutsche Akademische Austausch Dienst (DAAD) and the American Academy in Rome. A dissertation completion grant from the Joint Initiative of German and European Studies (JIGES) at the University of Toronto assisted with some of the costs associated with final enrolment and defense. I would like to thank my supervisor Prof. Jill Caskey, committee members Profs. Adam Cohen and Matt Kavaler, reader Prof. Jordan Bear and external appraiser Prof. Erik Inglis, for critical readings of my dissertation. Prof. Caskey coaxed me again and again to push myself beyond what I thought were my limits, and the dissertation is richer and more sophisticated as a result. Prof. Inglis’ thoughtful and thorough report iv elicited deeper insights. Thanks as well to Prof. Alison Syme, Director of Graduate Studies, whose support and encouragement was instrumental during the final stretch. I would like to thank Nicole Eichenberger, Nicole Fallon, Elina Gertsman, Eileen Jacxsens, Guita Lamsechi, Henrike Manuwald and John McQuillen, who read and offered comments on parts of chapters at various stages. Thanks as well to Alixe Bovey, Aden Kumler, Jess Paehlke and Markus Stock who in the course of conversations offered provocative thoughts and insights that enriched my project. Uli Wunderlich, Sophie Oosterwijk, Suzanne Conklin Akbari and Jill Ross showed interest in my work and offered me opportunities to publish in edited volumes. During research trips abroad, I was fortunate to meet scholars who took me under their metaphorical wings. Dagmar Eichberger was a mentor during my time in Germany and spoke with me fruitfully about my work. At the American Academy in Rome, participation in Christopher Celenza’s seminar on Palaeography and its historiography was an incomparably rewarding experience. I forged friendships with brilliant seminar participants Eileen Jacxsens, Jenny Knust and Sonia Sabnis and learned a great deal from all of them. Eberhard König and Klaus Krüger welcomed me to participate in their Kolloquien at the Freie Universität in Berlin, which afforded rewarding opportunities to present research in seminar contexts. Research trips were rendered more feasible and affordable due to the generosity of friends; Aleks Koutny in Cambridge, Shana Worthen in London, Betsy Purvis in Florence and Kelly de Luca in New York City generously provided me with places to stay. The examination of manuscripts in person allowed me to form insights and observations on the material not otherwise possible. I would like to thank Julien v Chapuis, who during his tenure at The Cloisters graciously permitted me to examine the exquisite Psalter of Bonne of Luxembourg. Alixe Bovey, during her time at the British Library, invited me to examine the Smithfield Decretals with her in Conservation when the manuscript was otherwise inaccessible. For their assistance, I also wish to thank Roger Wieck and Sylvie Merian at the Pierpont Morgan Library in New York; Andreas Heese at the Kupferstichkabinett in Berlin; Dieter Kudorfer and Brigitte Gullath at the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek in Munich; and Isabella Ceccopieri at the Biblioteca Casanatense in Rome. Many thanks to Michael Koortbojian, whose undergraduate survey was so thrilling that I was inspired to pursue the study of Art History in the first place. He was a mentor through my undergraduate and graduate studies. Jens Wollesen and Elizabeth Leesti nurtured my interest in the study of Medieval art as an undergraduate, and continued to show interest in my work and achievements during my time as a graduate student. Dear friends at U of T who were sources of strength and support include Margo Beggs, Rebekah Carson, Betsy Moss, Magda Hayton, Rose Logie, Carolina Mangone and Martina Meyer. Whitney Binns, Paula Deane, Carly Klassen and Marija Popovic too were wonderful and supportive friends, who got me through some of those inevitable lonely and doubt-ridden moments. Thanks to my partner, David Strutt, for his love, support and encouragement. I was plagued by debilitating back pain and stress-related chronic fatigue for several years as I worked on my PhD, but chiropractor Shalini Bhat and Pilates instructor Leslie Parker assisted me in my efforts to keep a mentem sanam in corpore sano. vi Finally, I would like to thank my parents, Sue and Erich Kralik, for instilling in me a love and appreciation for art, music and cultural history. I also thank them for their patience and love over the course of what was a very long process. My mother’s unwavering support sustained me in more ways than one during the final push to the finish line. I dedicate this dissertation to her. vii Table of Contents Abstract ii Acknowledgements iv Table of Contents viii List of Illustrations ix Introduction: Foundations and New Directions 1 Chapter 1. A New Vision of Death: Confronting Huizinga’s Legacy for the Study of the Three Living and the Three Dead 36 Chapter 2. Images, Texts, Contexts: Situating the Three Living and the Three Dead in Thirteenth- and Fourteenth-Century Manuscripts in Northern Europe 69 Chapter 3. The Three Living and the Three Dead in Books of Hours for Women of the House of Hapsburg: Berlin, KK-SMPK MS 78 B 12 and London, BL Add. MS 35313 101 Chapter 4. The Three Living and the Three Dead in a Monastic Miscellany: Munich, BSB cgm 3974 132 Chapter 5. The Three Living and the Three Dead in a Spiritual Miscellany: Rome, Bibl. Casanatense MS 1404 156 Chapter 6. The Three Living and the Three Dead in a Housebook for a Young Woman of Strasbourg: Wolfenbüttel, HAB Aug. 16. 17 4o 177 Conclusion 201 Appendices 214 • A: Manuscripts to which I refer in this dissertation • B: Manuscripts discussed which contain the Three Living and the Three Dead • C: Transcriptions and Modern English translations of select passages • D: List of known occurrences of the Three Living and the Three Dead in Books of Hours Bibliography 230 Illustrations 264 viii List of Illustrations Fig. 1. The Three Living and the Three Dead. The Miscellany of Marie de Brabant, ca. 1285. Paris, Bibliothèque de l’Arsenal MS Fr. 3142, fol. 311v. Fig. 2. Incipit page of Cum Apertam Sepulturam, fourteenth century. Ferrara, Biblioteca Comunale Ariostea MS Classe II, n 211e, fol.