Resumen de Nuovi studi sulla miniatura delle matricole e degli statuti delle confraternite medievali bolognesi
In the medieval period Bologna had many important lay confratemities, vital institutions in the life of the city. Many Bolognesi spent a significant part of their lives attending confratemities and the majority of the members belonged to the middle class, being crafismen and small-scale merchants. In the matricules there can also be found the names of many artists, painters, sculptors and illuminators. The confratemities had strong relations with the principal political powers and with the church: this required the maintenance of a high profile, and the arts were fundamental in this. In particular, all confratemities had important oratories with paintings and sculptures, but also had matricule and statutes with illuminations.
This study discusses some examples of these particular commissions and analyzes the artistic productions of masters of illumination around the confratemities. The first of these cases involves the decoration of Vita del Beato Raniero da Perugia, Statuti e Divozioni dei Battuti di Santa Maria della Vita (Bologna, Biblioteca Comunale dell’Archiginnasio, BCB, Fondo Ospedali 2), the most part of which was painted by Maestro della Bibbia Lat. 18. Massimo Medica tried to identify the master with Antolino di Rolando (‘ll Cicogna’), and some signs in the decorations of the manuscript could prove the point.
The study then investigates the illuminations connected with the Sant’Eustachio confratemity. The members authored four different manuscripts, 1316, 1324-29 (Bologna, BCB, miscellanea Gozz. 210), 1396, 1442 (Archivio di Stato di Bologna, ASBo, cod. min. 28), which contain several illuminations painted by different masters, such as the anonymous Bolognese master, Maestro del B.l8, Stefano di Alberto degli Azzi and Maestro del 1446.
The article discusses the decorations of Statuti e matricole della Compagnia dei Devoti Battuti di Santa Maria della Vita XV-XVI sec. (BCB, miscellanea Gozz. 210), where there is a famous painting of the Maestro delle Iniziali di Bruxelles, but also other different decorated initials. One of these can be ascribed to the Maestro del 1446, and, from the analysis of his productions, it is possible to develop new considerations regarding his connection with the Maestro del 1428.
The last part of the article investigates two unpublished illuminations, created by the San Girolamo confratemity. The Statuto della Compagnia di San Girolamo Miramonte (Bologna, BCB, miscellanea Gozz. 206) contains an important decoration painted around 1440. This decoration is characterized by a new conception of space, different from the majority of Bolognesi examples of the same period. Finally, the analysis of Matricola della Compagnia di San Girolamo di Miramonte (Bologna, ASB, ms. 65) reflects on a direct reference to the polyptych of San Gerolamo (Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna, Inv. 6316) painted by Pietro di Giovanni Lianori in 1453.
