Session: De Consolatione Philosophiae, by José Meirinhos

Mainly through the Consolatio Philosophiae, read in Latin or in the numerous translations carried out from the tenth century onwards, Boethius (c. 480-c. 524) exerted an impressive cultural, spiritual and philosophical influence throughout the Middle Ages. Manuscript LA136 in the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum bears witness to this influence across several levels. The text in French translation is introduced by five illuminations in filigree frames, from the Flemish school, which open and interpret steps from each of the books. The material, iconographic and textual elements of this codex, which will be analysed here, allow us to understand the prominent place that the Consolation de la Filosofia occupied among court readings in the 14th and 15th centuries. The marginal glosses inserted in precise points of the text hold particular relevance to understanding the doctrinal influence of the work and the classical models of virtue, happiness and human achievement that this conveys.

This meeting takes place within the framework of the seminar cycle “Treasures in Parchment – The Western Illuminated Manuscript Collection of Calouste Sarkis Gulbenkian”., the result of a partnership between Calouste Gulbenkian Museum and the Institute of Medieval Studies (IEM)of the Faculty of Social and Human Sciences, Nova University of Lisbon (NOVA FCSH).

Location: Lisbon, Calouste Gulbenkian Museum, Founder’s Collection – Educational Sector Room
Organisation: Calouste Gulbenkian Museum; IEM-NOVA FCSH