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Carter, D. A. (2009). History and Hagiography in Matthew Paris's Illustrated Life of Edward the Confessor. Retrieved from http://purl.flvc.org/fsu/fd/FSU_migr_etd-4143
In the mid-thirteenth century, the English monk, author, and artist Matthew Paris produced a rich collection of illustrated manuscripts. Although he is best known for his historical chronicles, Matthew also wrote and illustrated several saints' lives, including those of Saint Alban, Edward the Confessor, and Thomas Becket. The existing copies of these works reveal that Matthew frequently infused his saints' lives with additional historical material, blurring the lines between history and hagiography. This thesis focuses on the Life of Edward the Confessor (Cambridge, University Library, MS Ee.3.59) and explores the way in which Matthew visually represents the lengthy historical sequences that he has added to the more traditional account of the saint. I argue that these additions have a significant impact on the narrative and that they suggest that Matthew had an unusual understanding of how history and hagiography relate to one another. I begin with an exploration of the differing approaches that Matthew took in the illustration of his saints' lives as opposed to his chronicles and demonstrate that Matthew decorated both types of manuscripts with innovative images that were tailored to suit their accompanying texts. I then investigate the nature of Matthew's alterations to his Life of Edward the Confessor and argue that these historical additions provide a contextual frame for the hagiographic narrative by placing Edward's saintly life within the broader context of English history. Furthermore, I suggest that Matthew carefully designed the illustrations of this historical material in order to present his intended reader, Queen Eleanor of Provence, with a very special manuscript that suited her age, lineage, and status as an influential woman. I argue that Matthew's historical additions created a narrative that was not only spiritually affective, but also entertaining, educational, and representative of contemporary changes in the notion of both history and sainthood.
Illustrated Saints' Lives, English Saints, Word and Image, Reception, Historical Manuscript Illustration, La Estoire de Seint Aedward le Rei, Chronica Majora, Narrative Structure, Medieval Manuscript Illustration, English History, St. Albans Abbey, English Manuscript Illustration, Thirteenth-Century England
Date of Defense
April 10, 2009.
Submitted Note
A Thesis submitted to the Department of Art History in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts.
Bibliography Note
Includes bibliographical references.
Advisory Committee
Richard Emmerson, Professor Directing Thesis; Paula Gerson, Committee Member; Stephanie Leitch, Committee Member.
Publisher
Florida State University
Identifier
FSU_migr_etd-4143
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Carter, D. A. (2009). History and Hagiography in Matthew Paris's Illustrated Life of Edward the Confessor. Retrieved from http://purl.flvc.org/fsu/fd/FSU_migr_etd-4143