THE UADONNA DEL PART0 IN TRECENTO TUSCANY: SYMBOLIC MEWGAND RITUAL USE A thesis submitted to the Department of Art History in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Queen's University Kingston, Ontario, Canada October 1997 copyright O Jillian Harrold, 1997 National Library Bibliothèque nationale 191 of Canada du Canada Acquisitions and Acquisitions et Bibliographie Services services bibliographiques 395 Wellington Street 395. rue Wellington OtiawaON KIAON4 Ottawa ON KIA ON4 Canada Canada Your tue volve rdf&fcma Our lSlo None réfdfma The author has granîed a non- L'auteur a accordé une licence non exclusive licence allowing the exclusive permettant à la National Library of Canada to Bibliothèque nationale du Canada de reproduce, loan, dishibue or sell reproduire, prêter, distribuer ou copies of this thesis in microform, vendre des copies de cette thèse sous paper or electronic formats. la fonne de microfiche/fïlm, de reproduction sur papier ou sur format électronique. The author retains ownership of the L'auteur conserve la propriété du copyright in this thesis. Neither the droit d'auteur qui protège cette thèse. thesis nor substantial extracts from it Ni la thèse ni des extraits substantiels may be printed or othenivise de celle-ci ne doivent être imprimés reproduced without the author' s ou autrement reproduits sans son permission. autorisation. Abstract This thesis examines the naturalistic representations of the Madonna del Parto which emerged in Tuscany in the Trecento. These complex devotional images are considered in tems of both their symbolic meaning and ritual use. The first chapter explores some of the iconographic and visual sources of the Madonna del Pmto type, beginning with the influence of symbolic Byzantine methods of representation on the art of the West. A second iconographic consideration is the impact of the tradition of Romanesque wooden sculptures of the Virgin and Child on Trecento painted images. Finally, the emergence of Italian Romanesque and Gothic naturalism. which provides a source for the visual language of the images, is discussed. The iconographic meaning of the Madonna del Purro is the subject of the second chapter. A simple visuai image of a pregnant Mado~arepresents the central and complex theologicai mystery of the Incarnation, a meaning which descends from the previously mentioned Byzantine and Romanesque types. To gain insight into possible contemporary interpretations of the Trecento images, the writings of medievd theologians and popular religious texts are considered. In the third chapter, the cult or popular meanings and functions of the Mudonna del Parto. which existed simdtaneously to their theological and liturgical counterparts, are explored. The Madonnn del Parto type is show to be amongst the objects and images used to assist women with problems of fertility and childbearing, which functioned on the basis of contemporary beliefs in their positive effect on the matemal imagination. The thesis concludes with a consideration of two Madonna del Parto images still activeiy worshipped today. Acknowledgements I would iike to thank several people who contributed to the development of this thesis. First, Cathleen Hoeniger for her inspiration and assistance, but particulariy for helping me to clarify and express my ideas. Special thanks to rny mother, Diane, for taking time out of her own demanding scheduie in order to edit my work thoroughly, and to my father, Randolf, for proof reading the final draft and for generously making available the administrative support necessary to hish this study. Finally, I would like to thank Mark for al1 his help throughout the past year and a ha. Table of Contents List of Illustrations ....................................... ............................................. P- v Introduction ................................. .,. ...................................................... P. 1 Chapter One Historical Context: The Iconographie and Visual Sources of the Madonna del Parto .................... P. 6 Chapter Two Symbolic Meaning: A Systematic study of the Iconography of the Madonna del Parto ................... p. 32 C hapter Three Ritual Use: A Contextual Exploration of Possible Functions of the Mudonna del Parto ............................... p. 6 1 Conclusions ............................................................................................ p. 90 Bibliography .......................................................................................... p. 93 Illustrations .......................................................................................... p. 1 O0 Vita List of Illustrations fig .1 : Bettino Corsino da Prato, Madonna del Parto. fig. 2: Master of San Martino alla Palma, Madonna del Parto. fig. 3 : Madonna Platytera. fig. 4: The Birth of Julius Caesar. fig. 5: Madonna and Child. fig. 6: Madonna and Child. fig. 7: Three Mothers. fig. 8: Madonna and Child. fig. 9: Madonna Orans. fig . 10 : Workshop ofPaolo Veneziano, Madonna della Misericordia. fig. 1 1 : Workshop of Paolo Veneziano, Madonna della Misericordia. fig. 12: Jacopo del Fiore, Tripîych of the Madonna della Misericordia. fig. 13: Madonna della Clemenza. fig . 14: Margarita d'Arezzo, Virgin and Child Enthroned. fig . 15 : Morgan Madonna. fig. 16: Madonna and Child. fig. 17: Vierge Ouvrante. fig. 18: Vierge Ouvrante, interior. fig. 19: Piero della Francesca, Madonna del Parto. fig. 20: Taddeo Gaddi, Madonna del Parto. fig. 2 1 : Nardo di Cione, Madonna del Parto. fig. 22: Simone dei Crocifissi, Madonna del Parto. fig. 23: Workshop of Niccolb da Boiogna, Madonna del Parto. fig. 24: Rossel10 di Jacopo Franchi, Madonna del Pmto. fig. 25: Master of San Martino alla Palma, Madonna della Nha. fig. 26: Follower of Nardo di Cione, Mndonna del Parto. fig. 27: Orcagnesque Master, Maria delle Virtir. fig. 28: School of Bemardo Daddi, Madonna and Saints. fig. 29: School of Bemardo Daddi, MagniJcat. fig. 30: Venetian School, Madonna dei Parto. fig. 3 1 : Madonna of the Sheates. Introduction The Trecento Madonna del Parto images were Church sanctioned representations of the Incarnation, rich in detailed theological information. Images such as these, however, also functioned ritually within the popular cult practices of the tirne. Both of these contexts-symbolic meaning and ritual use--mut be taken into account in order to provide a comprehensive examination of the Mudonna del Parto type. Such an examination of powemil devotional images with multiple and complex functions does not lend itself to any single methodology. Therefore, this study will approach the images in several different ways. To date, the scholarship dealing with the Madonna del Porto has been sparse, and much of the existing work concentrates on the classification and identification of the images as a group. Consequently, there is no existing mode1 which takes into account both meaning and fûnction. Therefore, for a thorough study of the Madonna del Parto, this thesis will apply the methodologies of scholars who have explored related devotional images and objects. The task of the first chapter is to describe the iconographic and visual sources of the Madonna del Porto in order to provide background for the emergence of the type. An iconological approach will be used in Chapter Two in order to analyse the symbolic meaning of the images. Fuially, the third chapter will adopt a contextual approach which considers anthropological methods in order to ultimately show how the Madonna del Parto representations could have functioned as aids to women in issues surrounding procreation. The Madonna del Parto belongs to an iconographic tradition of Incarnation representations. In the first chapter, Byzantine symbolic images and Romanesque wooden sculptures will be studied as precursors to the naturalistic Trecento images. Emerging Italian Romanesque and Gothic naturalisrn will be described as a source for the visuai language of the images. The most comprehensive iconological investigation of the Madonno del Parto is Caroline Feudaie's 1957 article, which is considered in Chapter Two.' However, as her article was developed out of her Master's thesis dealing with Piero della Francesca, her intention is to provide an explanation of the iconography of the Piero Madonnu del Parto fresco in Monterchi. As such, her argument is coloured by the apparent funereal location of the Monterchi fresco. nius she focuses on two important Christian mysteries, the Incarnation and the Assurnption of the Virgin, which appear linked in some of the images. It is, in fact, Ilene Forsyth's look at a related Marian image type, the Romanesque Throne of Wisdom sculptures, that provides the best mode1 for the second chapter. The Throne of Wisdom is similar to the Madonna dei Parto because of its simple appearance and complex meaning. Following Forsyth, each symbolic element of the Madonna del Parto will be interpreted in the context of contemporary theological writings.2 The exploration in Chapter Three of the ritual use of the Madonna del Parto will reflect a contextual approach. Information on how devotional images functioned within the context of medieval and Renaissance society, and how the requirements of society impacted on the images, has been provided by the influential studies of Richard Trexler and David ~reedber~.'Furthemore, recent efforts of some scholars to include alternate 'Caroline Feudale, "The Iconography of the Madonna dei Parto," Marsyas 7 (1957) pp.8- 24. In his discussion of Italian images, Gregor Lechner