Description
Book SynopsisRobin Raybould's The Sibyl Series of the Fifteenth Century examines the startling and sudden change that occurred in the representation of the sibyls throughout Europe during the early Renaissance. Raybould describes how and why during this period the number, names, attributes and prophecies of these archaic prophetesses were selected and stabilized thus providing new witness to the Christian message in sharp contrast to earlier representations where the sibyls had played a minor role in the history of classical and Christian divination and prophecy. The book examines all the fifteenth-century instances of these series, as well as the manuscripts which describe them, identifies the origin of the sibylline prophecies and suggests reasons for the widespread popularity of this new artistic phenomenon.
Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Introduction 1. Greek and Roman Origins 2. The early Christian Era The Sibylline Oracles Lactantius St. Augustine The Influence of Virgil 3. The Middle Ages The Encyclopaedic texts The Apocalyptic texts The Pisano Sibyls 4. The Sibyls at the beginning of the Fifteenth Century 5. The Cortina Sibyls 6. The Orsini Sibyls The Tradition of Wall Painting in the Palaces of Italy The New Canon of Twelve Sibyls The Camera Paramenti 7. The Manuscripts of the Orsini series The Early Manuscripts: Zwölf Sibyllen Weissagung Other early Manuscripts 8. The Theme, Order and Attributes of the Fifteenth Century Sibyl Series 9. The Sibyl Series derived from the Orsini Frescos The Ferrara Sibyls Feo Belcari and the Rappresentazione Baccio Baldini De Barberis The Nuremberg Chronicle Other Series 10. The Oracula Sibyllina of St. Gall 11. The Sibyl Series derived from Lactantius The Tempio Malatestiano Ulm Cathedral Siena Cathedral The Oxford Paintings 12. Conclusion Appendix 1 Text and Origin of the Prophecies of the Orsini Sibyls Appendix 2 Pausanias: Description of Greece Chapter 10.12 Appendix 3 Clement of Alexandria: Stromata Appendix 4 Lactantius: Divine Institutes; references to the sibyls Appendix 5 Table of the Order of the Sibyls Bibliography Index
