medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
This image is what is known as a "decorative vignette", i.e. a pleasing
illustration inserted by the printer to fill otherwise blank space.
Earier nineteenth-century books from France and from England (to say
nothing of other places) exhibit these frequently. The object chosen
would come from a repertory of engravings the printer had on hand (or
rented from a colleague) and would be chosen both for size and for
visual interest. In most volumes of the original PL, index material of
some sort (usually the end of the Ordo rerum or Index rerum) takes up
all or almost all of the verso of last printed page. But in vol. 16
and also in vol. 25 (and in what other volumes later in the sequence I
do not know), the corresponding matter takes up only a few lines of
print at the top of the page. In these volumes, by adding the vignette
in question the printer has been able to fill up much of the remaining
white space.
Why this particular scene? Who knows? In the 1840s a steamer with
sails (which is what the object depicted is) would connote modernity
and progress. One with a French flag (and bearing as well what is
probably the ensign of some French shipping line) would in Paris strike
a patriotic note. Beyond that, there is the possible influence of the
metaphor of extended reading as a form of voyaging. But unless the
printer or the publisher left contemporary evidence as to the intent,
one can only engage in more or less informed speculation about the
rationale underlying this choice (which latter, after all, came from
what was probably a smallish universe of available engravings of the
requisite size).
Best,
John Dillon
On Monday, December 12, 2005, at 6:45 am, Csaba Nemeth wrote:
> Erudite Listmembers,
>
> let me share with you something distracting. If you open the first
> edition of PL vol. 16 (Ambrosius) at the very end (coll. 1543-44),
> justbelow the inscription FINIS INDICIS RERUM, you will find there
> an image
> of a three-mast steamboat sailing under French flag. One mast shows
> another flag with letters "CT". You certainly find this image in the
> first /1845/ edition of PL 16 (reimpressions not checked).
>
> Begging for your guesses,
> what is that and why is here?
**********************************************************************
To join the list, send the message: join medieval-religion YOUR NAME
to: [log in to unmask]
To send a message to the list, address it to:
[log in to unmask]
To leave the list, send the message: leave medieval-religion
to: [log in to unmask]
In order to report problems or to contact the list's owners, write to:
[log in to unmask]
For further information, visit our web site:
http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/medieval-religion.html
|