IMC 2026: Sessions

Paper 602-a:

Drawing upon the manuscript tradition preceding the 1482 printed editions, this study seeks to elucidate the authorship of the illustrations featured in Ars Memoriae by Jacobus Publicius, as published in the Venetian editions by the German printer Erhard Ratdolt between 1482 and 1485. It is demonstrated that certain illustrations are derived directly from Publicius’s original texts, while others appear to have been introduced by the printer himself, with the aim of enhancing the reader’s comprehension and facilitating the text’s dissemination within the early modern book market. The artistic characteristics of the woodcuts are examined, alongside their connections to other works produced by Ratdolt during this period.

Paper 602-b:

The cult of the Virgin Mary remains a characteristic feature of Cistercian spirituality and piety. Their churches were primarily dedicated to Mary. From 1335, their convents were also required to have seals bearing the image of Mary. From then on, various iconographic types of this theme began to appear on them. This paper concerns their occurrence on six known medieval conventual seals (used until the 16th-17th centuries) of Cistercian monasteries from one of the most important Polish diocese in the Middle Ages – Cracow’s. So far, these seals have not been studied from this perspective. In the Middle Ages, there were five male Cistercian abbeys in the Diocese of Cracow: in Jędrzejów, Wąchock, Koprzywnica, Mogiła (Cracow) and Szczyrzyc. During the presentation I will present the ideological content and symbolizm of various iconographic types of Mary, especially Madonna dell'Umiltà, Apocalyptic Madonna, hortus conclusus, Regina Caeli. I will also discuss the reasons for choosing a particular artistic approach, as well as the influence of monastic tradition and filial ties between individual abbeys on this decision.

Paper 602-c:

The half-figure of Man of sorrows in the St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna (Prague, ca. 1400) is considered one of the key sculptures of medieval Vienna. At the beginning of the 16th century, the work was adapted to a new functional context. Its new use was probably related to the activities of the Brotherhood of the Body of God, in particular to the processions taking place under its leadership in the cemetery surrounding St. Stephen's. Even before this change, it likely served as a model for funeral monuments associated with important artistic personalities (Landshut, Wiener Neustadt). The contribution attempts to reconstruct the original function of the sculpture.