Dear Duncan and all fellow medievalists,
Many thanks for all the suggestions on Jesse Trees and Coronations of
the Virgin..
Duncan, I am quite happy with a negative on finding Trees with
Coronations in English typmana, as I argue that in the Ormesby Psalter
is it an unusual feature, possibly borrowed from French art, and
connected with the specifics of the patrons devotion to the Virgin. The
closest English example which I have come up with is in the late 13th
century Huntingfield PSalter in the Pierpoint Morgan, which has a
Coronation in the frame surrounding the B initial of the first psalm.
This seems to forma part of a Last Judgement cycle around the frame,
rather than the Tree itself. Where are Trees found in Romanesque glass?
As a new (and enthusiastic) member of the list, I should perhaps briefly
explain my interests. I am just finishing a Ph.D. at the Courtauld
Institute of Art, London, on a large and luxurious illuminated Psalter
in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, produced intermittently between c. 1280
and c. 1340 in a centre in East Anglia, probably Norwich. It has lots of
interesting marginalia: grotesques, animals and people in a variety of
probable and improbable situations. The decoration is odd, in that it
seems to have been executed in a series of campaigns by at least seven
teams of artists working for different patrons. The manuscript finally
ended up in Norwich Cathedral Priory, to which it was presented by a
monk of Norwich, Brother Robert of Ormesby, perhaps in around 1336/7.
Most unusually, it still retains a medieval chemise binding.
As a more general question, I would be interested if anyone is aware of
any texts dealing with the precise nature of the connection between the
Virgin's powers of intercession with Christ on behalf of souls, her
virginity and her royalty. Is the power bestowed by the Coronation, or
does she have it independent of that? Sorry if this is not very clear,
but the images which I deal with seem to suggest an association of these
ideas, but obviously can't express it directly.
Question to Bill East: my psalter includes a series of collects inserted
in the text, one after each psalm, which as far as I can tell is a
fairly uncommon feature in psalters of this period. I would be
interested to know exactly when collects ceased to be used as part of
the liturgy and what role they played after this.
BEst wishes,
Freddi Law-Turner
Best wishes,
MR D B C GIVANS wrote:
> Hi Freddi, and everyone reading,
>
> Sorry for not responding sooner. I'm not in everyday. The two
> Romanesque tympana in England with a Coronation of the Virgin are
> both too small to fit a Jesse Tree as well. The example in the north
> portal
> at Quenington (Glos) is set with figures associated with the
> Revelation textual root, but more importantly for your interests is
> that the tympanum in south portal of the church is a Harrowing of
> Hell. No wall paintings survive and the fragments of sculpture are
> not indiciative of any other iconographic types.
> The question of locating both images together and in a portal, rather
> than elsewhere is an interesting one.
> Jesse Trees are not common in English Romanesque architectural,
> contexts but this may be survival; those that I am aware of are
> glass.
> I'm not as well informed about wall paintings, but it would be easy
> to find out (especially for you at the Courtauld!).
> I was interested to read of the association of the images in the
> cloister at Silos because I dont think its the type of combination
> you would be likly to find surviving in the kinds of churches where
> English tympana are preserved. In addition English Romanesque
> cloisters are not well preserved. However, this general lack of
> examples may be because presentations in other mediums/media,
> from other parts of churches have not survived in tact?
> All a bit imponderable I'm afraid, but I must stress that I am not
> very conversant with post-Romanesque evidence such that I can
> comment. For example crowns stand out in my mind as a feature
> of the Jesse reredos at Christchurch Hants, but not a coronation.
> Again, much is missing from that work and I have no picture to hand.
>
> I'm soory if this is a bit rablesome, but do let me know what you
> turn up in terms of associations in the period up to your MS.
>
> best wishes
>
> Duncan Givans
>
> PS For information the other examples of a Coronation of the Virgin
> on an English Romanesque tympanum is at Worth Maltravers (Dorset).
> None sport a Tree of Jesse.
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