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What Was The Purpose Of Burgundian Civic And Courtly Spectacles? Were They Mere Empty Displays?
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Burundian civic
The purpose of Burgundian civic and courtly spectacles was to encourage members of chivalric order and religious life among people. The dukes had the power of imposing rituals that were against people’s will. This was a dominant way of maintaining ritual power and symbolic communications. History reveals that series of successive dukes such as Philip the Bold, John the Fearless and Philip the Good ruled the region and became extremely powerful. Philip the Bold is known for his wealth in Europe that he inherited from country of Flanders. During his reign territorial power was established between France and Habsburg Empire. Dukes from inspired rival kinds since the beginning that also added to their magnificent authority in the region. Splendorous court culture is a prominent feature of the Burgundan civic life. Burgundian dukes had undergone many projects for the construction of monastery and monuments. Courtly spectacles were not merely empty displays because it was the rich source of celebrated art patrons, public and city rituals.
A common reason for the dukes to invest in the courtly art was their interest in private meditation and prayer. The courts were used for practicing the old rituals of the dukes and ancestors for keeping the rituals alive. The dukes had taken interest in preserving the culture and history of the region by using art (Borchert, Gabriëls, Oosterman, & Oosterwijk, 2013). The court offered new forum for witnesing history, culturre and tradition of the Burgundians. The court contained iimages that transmitted the themes of dignity, power and hnor of the dukes. This refletcs that the dukes had created these artwork for spreaking the awareness about authorittaive and powerful role of the dukes in the region. The art didn’t focused on single domian but it convered differnet aspects such as meditation and prayer were additional features of the Burgundian court. Evidence suggetss that the purpsoe of creating artwork in courts during the reing of Philip the Bols was to give “organized overview of the Valois dukes’ historical origins, their religious piety, their political maneuvers, and their patronage in general” (Brown, 1999). This confirms that the courts were not empty displays because they were filled with different art pieces that transmitted different themes. The purpose of the art was to highlight political aspects, religious and cultural aspects of the Burgundian dukes. These elements had played dominant role in transmitting history and culture to the next generations for centuries. Dukes of Burgundian had also taken interest in establishment of the religious institutions and more specifically churches that reflects their connectivity with spirituality. Construction of Chartreuse and its site is an important achievement of Dijon that confirms the role of religion remained significant in Burgundian reign.
The purpose of courts was also to promote Burgundian style in painting that could allow the region to preserve its culture. Different aspects such as the social, political and religious issues were portrayed in the artwork that included mainly paintings, tapestries and sculptures. One important reason for using art was to convince the public about the powerful and wealthy status of the dukes. The sculptures of dukes portrayed them as superior, authoritative and religious beings. These elements also were used for building symbolic interaction of the dukes with the civilians CITATION Pet97 \l 1033 (Arnade, 1997). The dukes had transmitted the feelings of piety, spirituality and civic obedience in the people. One perspective of these traditional artwork in the Burgundian courts depicts that it was to enforce Burgundian culture and rituals on the people.
The court of the dukes remained in the fifteenth century remained significant patrons of renaissance. Newly wealthy private citizens also commissioned art due to their interest in meditation. A large court existed in Brussels since 1944 that allowed the dukes to travel from one residence to another. The evidence suggests that, “the late fifteenth century might suggest that the Burgundian dukes, far from imposing unwanted ceremonies on Burges, were involving themselves in spectacles and emerged unbidden from the urban environment” CITATION AND99 \l 1033 (Brown, Bruges and the Burgundian 'Theatre-state': Charles the Bold and Our Lady of the Snow, 1999). This was a process adopted for continuous engagement with the ceremonies promoted by the princes and leaders. The court was known for artistic production that included monuments, paintings and other form of art. The artwork was created by the artists that reflected the mercantile world of the court of dukes. Most of the monuments and other forms of art emphasized on the wealth and power that remained important motive of the patrons and dukes CITATION And142 \l 1033 (Brown & Small, 2014).
Presence of the astonishing artwork in the court of Burgundian dukes depicts that they were not merely empty displays. Oil painting remained one of the visible artwork held in the court of dukes during the Northern Renaissance. Glazes and layer of paints were used for making extremely attractive artwork that used color and oils. Textures were imitated from fresco or tempera that reflected the representation of material reality and remained important to the Renaissance artists and patrons. The amazing oil paints played significant role in creating illusion of metal surfaces with jewels and textures were visible on the wool, wood and hair CITATION Gra00 \l 1033 (Runnalls, 2000). History reveals presence of attractive artworks in the courts that existed between 1364-1419. The death of the great duke Philip the Bold 1404 brought a collection of artwork to the spectators. The art included mainly the monuments of Philip the Bold, his son John the Fearless. This reflects that monuments and paintings had been prominent aspects of Burgundian art. Most of the artwork is still existing in France and in the museums of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, The National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C., Bibliothèque Royale, Brussels CITATION Cod04 \l 1033 (Codart, 2004). The objects displayed from the court include the monuments of Philip the Bold and John the Fearless who were the patrons. Carthusian monastery was built by Burgundian duke situated outside Dijon, the Charterhouse of Champmol (1383—c. 1410). This was the monument of Philip the bold and also of his successors. The monetary was destructed during the French Revolution and the site was later converted to a psychiatric hospital CITATION Pet97 \l 1033 (Arnade, 1997).
The courts were not empty displays because they contained unique work of artists. “Burgundian court patronage including sculpture, panel paintings, illuminated manuscripts, a tapestry, stained glass, gold- and silversmith works, jewelry, enamels and ivories that illustrate the development of a Burgundian court style” CITATION Cod04 \l 1033 (Codart, 2004). This confirms that the dukes had invested significant resources in the creation of art pieces. Sophisticated artwork was visible in the courts that reflects the strong link of dukes with art and culture. The patronage of Burgundian court between 1364-1419 referred to the region that encompassed low countries such as Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg CITATION Ste041 \l 1033 (Fliegel & Jugie, 2004). French Royal House of Valois is also one of the prominent artwork of this century. Some of the paintings reflects the bravery and dynastic elements of dukes. Philip the Bold was among the prominent dukes who invested in the creation of sophisticated court that contained various pieces of artwork. His collection emulated great banquets, sculptures, oil paintings and tapestries. Grand civic tournaments were organized for engaging society in the work of art. This also remained an important strategy for preserving culture and civic rituals. Over 100 tapestries were decorated during his reign that expresses the taste of courts for luxury items CITATION Gra00 \l 1033 (Runnalls, 2000).
The elements of artwork created charm and fascination among the people because the court displayed beautiful objects. Philip the Bold had transformed a small town to a cultural location by promoting art and culture in the fifteenth century. On the outskirts of Dijon, a monastery was created by 24 monks that focused on the themes of the power of dukes. Historical evidence depicts that “it featured some of the finest examples of Burgundian court sculpture from the chisels of Flemish sculptor Claus Sluter (ca. 1350–1406) and his nephew Claus de Werve (Netherlands, ca. 1380–1439), as well as Antoine le Moitourier (French) and Jean de la Huerta (1414–1461)” CITATION Cod04 \l 1033 (Codart, 2004). Most of the artwork was destructed during the French revolution but the monasteries of Philip the Bold and his son were preserved.
Burrgundian courts help amazing artists work that depicts that they were not merely empty displays. The popular artists Sluter and de Werve created sculptures that are still appreciated in the current world. The sculptures were created for transmitting the interest of dukes in power and they continually supported artwork. Beautiful engravings with gold color and rosewater are important features of the artists work. The courts were used for attaining the purpose of preserving the Burgundian culture, ceremonies and religion. It is not support to say that the courts were empty displays because the artwork carried deeper message for the people.
References
BIBLIOGRAPHY Arnade, P. (1997). City, State, and Public Ritual in the Late-Medieval Burgundian Netherlands . Comparative Studies in Society and History , 39 (2), 300-318.
Brown, A. (1999). Bruges and the Burgundian 'Theatre-state': Charles the Bold and Our Lady of the Snow. History , 84 (276), 573-589.
Brown, A., & Small, G. (2014). in Court and civic society in the Burgundian Low Countries c.1420–1530 . Hive .
Codart. (2004). Dukes and angels: art from the court of Burgundy (1364-1419) . Retrieved 11 18, 2019, from https://www.codart.nl/guide/agenda/dukes-and-angels-art-from-the-court-of-burgundy-1364-1419/
Fliegel, S. N., & Jugie, S. (2004). Art from the Court of Burgundy, 1364-1419 . Retrieved 111 19, 2019, from https://hnanews.org/hnar/reviews/art-court-burgundy-1364-1419/
Runnalls, G. A. (2000). Civic Drama in the Burgundian Territories in the Late Middle Ages. Revue belge de Philologie et d'Histoire , 78 (2), 409-422.
T. Borchert, W. B., Gabriëls, N., Oosterman, J., & Oosterwijk, A. V. (2013). Staging the Court of Burgundy. Harvey Miller.
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