PREACHING TO THE MASSES: THE VISUAL PRESENCE OF THE DOMINICAN ORDER IN VALENCIA, 1350-1500 A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Cornell University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy by Taryn Chubb January 2013 © 2013 Taryn Chubb PREACHING TO THE MASSES: THE VISUAL PRESENCE OF THE DOMINICAN ORDER IN VALENCIA, 1350-1500 Taryn Chubb, Ph. D. Cornell University 2013 By the late fourteenth century, Iberian Dominicans had established convents throughout the Peninsula from which they set forth to fulfill their mission to preach. The friars were particularly active in the region of Valencia, where they were lead by a native Valencian, Vicente Ferrer. Vicente and his fellow friars were a visible presence throughout Iberia and beyond, preaching to prepare believers and unbelievers alike for what they believed was the imminent end of the world. During the early years of the fifteenth century, the frairs’ preaching and the texts they published brought the spiritual focus of the Dominican Order out of the convents and into the public eye. These works of art brought their words to life and the combination of words and images made the Domincans’ message even more effective. This study is a comprehensive analysis of the friars’ historical significance that brings historical, textual, and visual evidence together to reveal the ways in which the Dominicans, with Vicente Ferrer leading the way, made themselves and their ideas known in late medieval Valencia. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH Taryn E.L. Chubb graduated with honors from Hood College in Frederick, Maryland in 2003, receiving her Bachelor of Arts degree in Art and Spanish. In 2005, she was granted her Master of Arts degree in art history from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. She received a doctorate in the History of Art from Cornell University in 2013. iii For dad, mom, and Mark iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS When I began working on Vicente Ferrer as a graduate student at Southern Methodist University in 2003, I quickly realized that there was much work to be done not only on the Valencian saint, but also on the Dominicans of medieval Iberia more broadly. Many thanks to my thesis advisor at SMU, Dr. Pamela Patton, who first took me to see a panel painting of Vicente Ferrer at the Meadows Museum and who provided guidance and support throughout the research and writing process. Her encouragement and friendship have been invaluable as the project has progressed. Thanks are also due to my dissertation advisor at Cornell University, Dr. Cynthia Robinson, for her assistance in facilitating the expansion of my Master’s thesis into this dissertation and to the two other members of my committee, Dr. Annetta Alexandridis and Dr. Simone Pinet. All three have provided important advice in regard to my research, methodology, and writing, but above all, they have helped me learn to navigate the complex world of academia and academic publishing. This project would not have been possible without the assistance of several organizations, including Meadows Museum at Southern Methodist University, the Department of the History of Art and the Graduate School at Cornell University, and my current academic home, East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma. Research travel funding was provided by the Frank and Gretel Dechert Goldring Fellowship, granted by the Department of the History of Art at Cornell University, The Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies at Cornell University, The Society for the Humanities at Cornell University, and the Program for Cultural Cooperation between Spain’s Ministry of Culture and United States Universities. Finallly, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my family and friends for their support throughout the seven years that I have been working on this project. I could v not have done any of this without them and I owe particular thanks to Maile, Leah, Mark, Neesa, my brother, and most of all, my parents. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Biographical Sketch ............................................................................................................................ iii Dedication ........................................................................................................................................... iv Acknowledgemnts .......................................................................................................................... v-vi Table of Contents .............................................................................................................................. vii List of Figures ................................................................................................................................... viii Chapter 1: Introduction and State of the Field ............................................................................... 1 Chapter 2: A Brief History of the City and Region of Valencia ................................................. 19 Chapter 3: Dominican Formation, Education, and Mission ....................................................... 32 Chapter 4: The Convent of Santo Domingo in Valencia ............................................................. 57 Chapter 5: The Dominicans Beyond the Convent of Santo Domingo ..................................... 86 Chapter 6: Conclusion .................................................................................................................... 116 Figures ............................................................................................................................................... 120 Bibliography ..................................................................................................................................... 160 vii LIST OF FIGURES Maps 1. The city of Valencia at the beginning of the fourteenth century ........................................ 120 2. The city of Valencia in 1391 .................................................................................................... 121 Figures 1. First Modo de Orar from a fourteenth-century Latin edition ................................................ 122 2. Second Modo de Orar from a fourteenth-century Latin edition ........................................... 123 3. Third Modo de Orar from a fourteenth-century Latin edition .............................................. 124 4. Fourth Modo de Orar from a fourteenth-century Latin edition ............................................ 125 5. Fifth Modo de Orar from a fourteenth-century Latin edition ............................................... 126 6. Sixth Modo de Orar from a fourteenth-century Latin edition ............................................... 127 7. Seveth Modo de Orar from a fourteenth-century Latin edition ............................................ 128 8. Eighth Modo de Orar from a fourteenth-century Latin edition ............................................ 129 9. Ninth Modo de Orar from a fourteenth-century Latin edition .............................................. 130 10. First Modo de Orar from a fourteenth-century Castilian edition .......................................... 131 11. Second Modo de Orar from a fourteenth-century Castilian edition ..................................... 132 12. Third Modo de Orar from a fourteenth-century Castilian edition ........................................ 133 13. Fourth Modo de Orar from a fourteenth-century Castilian edition ...................................... 134 14. Fifth Modo de Orar from a fourteenth-century Castilian edition .......................................... 135 15. Sixth Modo de Orar from a fourteenth-century Castlian edition .......................................... 136 16. Seventh Modo de Orar from a fourteenth-century Castilian edition .................................... 137 17. Eighth Modo de Orar from a fourteenth-century Castilian edition ...................................... 138 18. Ninth Modo de Orar from a fourteenth-century Castilian edition ........................................ 139 19. Convent of Santo Domingo, Valencia ................................................................................... 140 20. Convent of Santo Domingo, Valencia ................................................................................... 141 21. Plan of the Convent of Santo Domingo, Valencia ............................................................... 142 22. Cloister of the Convent of Santo Domingo, Valencia ......................................................... 143 23. The chapter room (“Sala de las Palmeras”) in the Convent of Santo Domingo, Valencia ........................................................................ 144 24. Lonja de la Seda (Silk Market), Valencia ................................................................................ 145 25. Scenes from the Life of St. Dominic of Guzmán, Pere Nicolau, c. 1403 ...................................... 146 26. Retablo de la Santa Cruz (Retable of the True Cross), Miguel Alcanyis, early 15th c. ................. 147 27. Virgen de la Leche (Virgin of the Milk), Juan Sivera, early 15th c. ............................................ 148 28. Annunciation, Jacomart, c. 1440-1450 ...................................................................................... 149 29. St. Vincent Ferrer, Jacomart, c. 1455-1461 ............................................................................... 150 30. Star of David Window, Valencia Cathedral ..........................................................................