Abstract
O manuscrito IL 51 do fundo de Iluminados da Biblioteca Nacional de Portugal é um dos cerca de trinta códices desta tipologia que conservamos nas colecções portuguesas. É parte de uma herança cultural da maior importância, não só como objecto artístico, mas também como testemunho da história cultural, religiosa e social da nossa Idade Média. De realçar, desde logo, as características de portabilidade deste novo tipo de códices que vieram ao encontro das novas necessidades e usos do Livro, contribuindo, de forma inequívoca, para o alargamento das comunidades de leitores. Associadas ao desenvolvimento das Universidades mas também da acção de Ordens religiosas como os Franciscanos ou Dominicanos, as Bíblias portáteis do século XIII registam, igualmente, assinalável interesse por parte dos leigos, essencialmente das classes mais favorecidas da sociedade, encontram-se vinculadas a novos meios de cultura e formas de religiosidade. Através do vasto programa iconográfico e ornamental do IL 51, podemos conhecer a forma de organização interna do códice, a ideia de hierarquização no uso e dimensão dos diversos tipos de iniciais - historiadas, ornadas e filigranadas - e os temas iconográficos mais comuns associados ao textos bíblicos, assim como o modo como são usados os recursos cromáticos no contexto de um discurso visual que, apesar de vinculado ao textual, normalmente, se desenvolve com certa autonomia.
The National Library of Portugal IL 51 manuscript, with its illustrated background, represents one of around thirty codices of this type preserved in Portuguese collections. This constitutes cultural heritage of the greatest importance not only as an artistic object but also as a means of bearing witness to the cultural, religious and social history of the Portuguese Middle Ages. From the outset, we highlight the portable characteristics of this new type of codex, which met new needs and usages for the Book and thereby unequivocally contributing to expanding the community of readers. Associated to the early development of Universities but also to the actions of religious orders such as the Franciscans and Dominicans, the portable Bibles of the 13th century also drew notable interest among lay society, essentially among its better endowed members, thus became bound up with new means of culture and forms of religiousness. From the vast iconographic program throughout IL 51, we may grasp the internal organisation of the codex, the idea of the hierarchical priorities in its usage and the dimension of the diverse types of initial capitals - historiated, ornate and in filigree - and the most common iconographic themes associated to the biblical text as well as the way in which chromatic resources are applied within the context of a visual discourse that, despite its binding textual connection, normally also develops with a certain degree of autonomy.
Resumo
The National Library of Portugal IL 51 manuscript, with its illustrated background, represents one of around thirty codices of this type preserved in Portuguese collections. This constitutes cultural heritage of the greatest importance not only as an artistic object but also as a means of bearing witness to the cultural, religious and social history of the Portuguese Middle Ages. From the outset, we highlight the portable characteristics of this new type of codex, which met new needs and usages for the Book and thereby unequivocally contributing to expanding the community of readers. Associated to the early development of Universities but also to the actions of religious orders such as the Franciscans and Dominicans, the portable Bibles of the 13th century also drew notable interest among lay society, essentially among its better endowed members, thus became bound up with new means of culture and forms of religiousness. From the vast iconographic program throughout IL 51, we may grasp the internal organisation of the codex, the idea of the hierarchical priorities in its usage and the dimension of the diverse types of initial capitals - historiated, ornate and in filigree - and the most common iconographic themes associated to the biblical text as well as the way in which chromatic resources are applied within the context of a visual discourse that, despite its binding textual connection, normally also develops with a certain degree of autonomy.
Resumo
Translated title of the contribution | The National Library of Portugal IL 51 Manuscript: One portable Bible of XII Century |
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Original language | Portuguese |
Article number | 4 |
Pages (from-to) | 16-25 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Invenire: Revista de Bens Culturais da Igreja |
Issue number | Número Especial 2015 |
Publication status | Published - 15 Sept 2015 |
Keywords
- Iluminado 51
- Biblioteca Nacional de Portugal
- Bíblia Portátil
- Século XIII