The Meanings of Dance Scenes in the Margins of Illuminated European Codices from the Mid-13th to the 15th Century

peer-reviewed article

Zofia Załęska

zofia.zaleska@uw.edu.pl
Institute of Art History, University of Warsaw (Poland)
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3744-054X

Abstract

This article focuses on dance scenes present in the margins of medieval religious manuscripts (such as a psalter, a book of hours and a breviary) produced in the Latin Middle Ages between the mid-13th and the 15th century. The text discusses selected examples of illuminations, which are analysed with regard to the various semantic contexts of dance (among others, the division of dance into “sinful” and “heavenly” as derived from the biblical tradition). The author focuses on the function of the marginalia and their relationship to the text. She argues that the scenes are parallel to the text and constitute a significant part of the narrative. Imbued with didactic and moralistic values, they offer the reader either an example to follow or a warning. Illuminations enrich the semantic contexts of the manuscript and suggest the ways of reading the text.

Supporting Agencies

The De Brzezie Lanckoroński Foundation

Keywords:

dance scenes, medieval manuscripts, prayer book, marginalia

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Published
2022-09-30

Cited by

Załęska, Z. (2022). The Meanings of Dance Scenes in the Margins of Illuminated European Codices from the Mid-13th to the 15th Century. Biuletyn Historii Sztuki, 84(3), 487–518. https://doi.org/10.36744/bhs.1232

Authors

Zofia Załęska 
zofia.zaleska@uw.edu.pl
Institute of Art History, University of Warsaw Poland
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3744-054X

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