Logan Perleth

April 15, 2011

Age of Love and Reason

Depictions of Nature in French and Flemish Books

The world around us has, for centuries, been influenced by nature and the natural world

as we perceive it through our eyes and through the eyes of religion. In the Middle Ages, the

inspiration that nature had on individuals and organizations seems to be at its zenith whether it be

Saint Francis of Assisi, writings such as the fables of Reynard the Fox, and the influence it had

on people in the artistic community. Books written during the time, such as the French Book of

Hours and the Flemish Book of Hours held in the Loras College Library Special Collections,

contained abundant depictions of nature in the marginalia and within the paintings and full page

drawings and pictures. The use of plants and animals are some of the most common uses of

nature in these books and are most regularly seen as domesticated beasts, birds, plants, and

landscapes rich in the natural world. Both the French Book of Hours and the Flemish Book of

Hours contain these themes but utilize them in different ways.

The French Book of Hours tends to contain more full-page drawings and more intricate

natural depictions within the marginalia whereas the Flemish book spends more time on the

capitals and in the marginalia than with full-page drawings and depictions. The extensive and

expensive detail in the French Book indicates that it was produced for a wealthier recipient than

the Flemish book. The details in nature in the French book are very distinguishable and easier to

study. On page 8 of the French book one of the flowers appears to be a “Glory of the snow” and

another example of it can be seen on page 13.1

The Glory of the snow

typically has five or six petals depending on the species and has a blue coloring with lighter

coloring towards the middle and darker on the petals. Although they are native to the western

Mediterranean area, especially Turkey, they have naturalized outside of that into Germany,

Austria, France, and the United Kingdom.2

They typically grow

in mountainous regions when the snow begins to melt and the start of spring arrives. This can be

interpreted as a very special time to Europeans because when this flower enters, it symbolizes

spring and the beginning of new life and a new season especially in colder, higher altitude

regions. The flowers seen on pages 8 and 13 are good examples of nature in the marginalia and

tend to be located in the center of a group of flowers signifying their importance to a civilization

based on farming and attentive to beauty nature as a reflection of divine perfection.

In the Flemish Book of Hours, flowers and plants are also greatly detailed in the

marginalia. The Flemish book centers mostly on detail in marginalia and in capitals and doesn’t

focus on full-page drawings like the French Book of Hours. The flower that I identified easiest

within the Flemish book was what seemed like a Persian speedwell flower.3 The Persian

speedwell is extremely similar with the Glory of the snow in that it is a snow-growing flower

found in all of Europe and Asia in mountainous regions mostly.4 Examples of this flower are

seen in the inserted two-page drawing of the crucifixion of Chris and the four Evangelists.

They are very easy to identify in

that they are blue in color, only four petals, smaller, and usually grow in groups with numerous

flowers. Since they are a wintering flower, they could be held in high respect because of their

strength and durability. They represent a sense of “good news” because of them flowering when

winter resides and this good news is shown in relationship with the representatives of the four

Evangelists writing the four gospels which, when translated, means “good news.” This flower

has great importance because in the entire book, there is only one, full-page drawing and this

flower was chosen to represent the artist and author’s thoughts and beliefs. This page also has

significance in that the change in artistic drawings in the marginalia happens after this page in

that there seems to be less nature in the drawings and details. The comparison of the flowers

found in the French and Flemish books shows that these regions shared similar beliefs and

symbolism. This could be signified to show the nation of the book’s strength and power to

overcome hardships even when considered a smaller country or county; Flanders could easily be

compared to this description because they faced many enemies whether they are Burgundy or

France or another European nation.

Another interpretation that could be made is the comparison of these flowers to the

resurrection of Christ after the crucifixion. Since the Persian speedwell and the crucifixion are

depicted in the Flemish book on the same page, there is a connection between the two. Both

Christ and the Persian speedwell represent new life and a distinct characteristic of “surviving”

life after death. Christ rose from the dead three days after his crucifixion and the Persian

speedwell regains life and bloom once again each spring after the hardships of the winter season.

The Flemish and French books are both amazing works of art, history, and literature and

the comparison of the two seems easy enough. Both have many aspects of nature in them

especially that of landscapes with plant life that shows the small details that can enhance a story.

These details can help historians understand the cultures of the people that live there and how

these cultures share many ideas and beliefs.

Bibliography

1Healthy Home and Gardening. Glory of the Snow. April 2010.

http://healthyhomegardening.com/Plant.php?pid=1684 (accessed April 2011).

2Pacific Bulb Society. Chionodoxa. March 25, 2011.

http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/index.php/Chionodoxa (accessed April 2011).

3—. Persian Speedwell. March 2009. http://healthyhomegardening.com/Plant.php?pid=1091

(accessed April 2011).

4Virginia Tech. Persian Speedwell: Veronica persica. 2008.

http://www.ppws.vt.edu/scott/weed_id/verpe.htm (accessed April 2011).

I was under the impression from when we talked that you would be discussing naturalism in miniatures and marginalia, treating them together – this is a bit close to overlap with Shanae, though it is distinct enough to not be a problem and is actually pretty interesting. My main suggestion besides the marginal comments would be to consider the relationship of the Persian early Spring flower to the image it surrounds, an image of Christ being crucified (the Passion) and then the Four Evangelists. Springtime flowers have often been associated with the Passion of Christ, because they tell through nature the same story of suffering and death and then rebirth. In this case, the death and suffering are clearly depicted through the bloody crucifixion, while the redemptive message is conveyed through the production of the gospels, the telling of the “good news” of Christ’s redeeming work. It is no accident that Easter itself is a Springtime (usually early to mid-Spring) event. I think making this observation would very much enhance the understanding of the message of the paintings.