 |
 |
medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture Wearing of colors by clergy outside of the liturgy has its own history. Blue almost never enters into discussions of the colors clergy were not supposed to wear on the streets. See my article "Forbidden Colors" in in vol. 1 of Medieval Clothing and Textiles. For liturgical usages, it would be worth while consulting the Rationale divinorum officiorum of Guillelmus Durantis the Elder. There is an edition in Corpus Christianorum: *Guillelmi Duranti Rationale divinorum officiorum /* Guillaume *Durand*; Anselmus *Davril*; T M *Thibodeau*; Bertrand G *Guyot* 1995-2000 *Latin* Book Book 3 v. : col. ill. ; 26 cm. Turnholti : Brepols, ; ISBN: 2503044018 (relié) 9782503044019 (relié) 2503044026 (broché) 9782503044026 (broché) 2503044034 (v. 2 : relié) 9782503044033 (v. 2 : relié) 2503044042 (v. 2 : broché) 9782503044040 (v. 2 : broché) 2503044050 (v. 3 : relié) 9782503044057 (v. 3 : relié) 2503044069 (v. 3 : broché) 9782503044064 (v. 3 : broché) 2503030009 (série) 9782503030005 (série) There also is a local English usage of "Sarum blue" for Advent vestments. See this excerpt from the Sarum Rite article in the old version of The Catholic Encyclopedia [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13479a.htm]: (6) The Sarum sequence of colours is very ill-defined. However, as in the Dominican <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12354c.htm> Missal <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10354c.htm>, it is expressly laid down that on solemn days the most precious vestments <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15388a.htm> be used irrespective of their hue. Otherwise, the recognized Sarum colours were white, red, green, and yellow, with black for Masses for the Dead. In the later centuries purple or violet, and blue, seem to have been very generally added. Tom Izbicki Paul Chandler wrote: > medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture > There is an extensive guide to the literature on medieval colour > symbolism in R.E. Kaske's very useful Medieval Christian Literary > Imagery: A Guide to Interpretation (Toronto Medieval Bibliographies > 11), Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1988, 172-181. It is > organised under the headings: General | Colours associated with the > elements and the rainbow | Liturgical colours | Colours of love | > Miscellaneous. > > Kaske agrees with Jim Bugslag that "colour-symbolism--even in the > intensely allegorical climate of the Middle Ages--seems never to have > developed the complex rationale evident in, say, the numerical > treatises of Geoffrey of Auxerre, Thibault of Langres, and Odo of > Morimond" (172-173).-- Paul Chandler > > On Dec 2, 2007 4:53 AM, jbugslag <[log in to unmask] > <mailto:[log in to unmask]>> wrote: > > > It is my general impression that the highly systematic scheme of > colour symbolism that we > have begun discussing here is very much a post-medieval > formulation. Although under > certain circumstances, such as decorating an altar for various > feast days, certain colours did > become symbolic, at least by the later Middle Ages, there was, and > is, no definitively "code" > of colour symbolism, and any symbolism that colour has, or had, > depends on its very definite > context: without a context, colour is seldom symbolic in > intention. As somebody once put it: > sometimes red is just red. Or blue blue. > Cheers, > Jim Bugslag > > > -- > Paul Chandler, O.Carm. | Institutum Carmelitanum > via Sforza Pallavicini, 10 | 00193 - Roma | Italy > tel: +39- 06-6810.0849 | fax: +39-06-6830.7200 > [log in to unmask] > <mailto:[log in to unmask]> > ********************************************************************** > 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 ********************************************************************** 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