Nous proposons une étude des genitalia masculines dans la production de Michel-Ange afin de saisir ce qu’un tel motif pouvait signifier dans différentes œuvres selon le sujet qu’elles représentent. En nous concentrant principalement sur quatre œuvres de l’artiste florentin nous désirons éclaircir l’impact visuel du dévoilement du sexe masculin et la perception que pouvait en avoir le public italien du XVe siècle et du XVIe siècle. Le Bacchus (1496-1497), Le David (1501-1504), Le Christ Rédempteur (1519-1520) et Le Jugement dernier (1536-1541) ont été choisis pour la diversité des thèmes qu’ils illustrent et pour leurs différents contextes de production et d’exposition. Nous comparons les œuvres religieuses aux œuvres profanes afin d’y relever les problématiques spécifiques qui résultent dans chacun des cas. Le choix de s’en tenir à la production de Michel-Ange implique aussi de se pencher sur un type de figure masculine bien précis, directement inspiré de l’Antiquité. Pour mieux comprendre ce qui résulte du dévoilement des genitalia, nous définissons des notions primordiales comme le nu, la nudité, la sexualité, la masculinité et la virilité dans l’art de la Renaissance. À partir d’une approche historiographique, dont La sexualité du Christ à la Renaissance et son refoulement moderne de Leo Steinberg constitue la référence principale, nous appuyons ses hypothèses quant aux représentations du sexe du Christ. Et selon une approche historique, nous suggérons des hypothèses quant à la nudité intégrale de figures emblématiques de la production de Michel-Ange. En nous concentrant principalement sur les œuvres nommées ci-haut et le détail des genitalia, nous remarquerons que les artistes, y compris Michel-Ange, ne représentent pas ce détail par hasard, mais bien parce que cette partie du corps riche en signification peut servir à exprimer et appuyer plusieurs concepts. / We propose a study on the male genitalia in Michelangelo’s production, in order to grasp the significance in different works of art depending on the subject that they represent. By focusing on four pieces of art of the Florentine artist, we would like to clarify the visual impact of the male genitals unveiled and the perception from the Italian audience of the fifteenth century and sixteenth century. The Bacchus (1496-1497), The David, (1501-1504), The Risen Christ (1519-1520) and The Last Judgment (1536-1541) have been chosen for the variety of the topics they illustrate and for the different contexts of production and exhibition. We compare religious pieces of art to profane pieces of art to identify specific issues that result in every case. The decision to stick to only Michelango’s artistic production also implies looking at a specific type of male figure, directly inspired by the Antiquity. For a better understanding of what results from the genitalia’s unveiling, we define essential notions like nude, nudity, sexuality, masculinity and virility in the Renaissance. With a historiographical approach based on The Sexuality of Christ in Renaissance Art and in Modern Oblivion, written by Leo Steinberg, we support his hypothesis about the representations of Christ’ genitals. And with a historical approach we suggest some hypotheses about the nudity of iconic figures realised by Michelangelo. By focusing mainly on the pieces of art mentioned above and the detail of genitalia, we notice that artists, such as Michelangelo, did not represent this detail by chance, but because this part of the body is rich of signification and can serve to express many concepts.

Fifteenth-century diplomatic protocol required the city of Florence to send diplomats to congratulate both new and militarily victorious rulers. Diplomats on such missions poured praise on their triumphant allies and new rulers at friendly locations. However, political realities also meant that these diplomats would sometimes have to praise rulers whose accession or victory opposed Florentine interests. Moreover, different allies and enemies required different levels of praise. Jealous rulers compared the gifts, status, and oratory that they received from Florence to the Florentine entourages sent to their neighbors. Sending diplomats with too little or too much social status and eloquence could spell diplomatic disaster. Diplomats met these challenges by varying the style, structure, and content of their speeches. Far from formulaic pronouncements of goodwill, diplomatic orations varied from one speech to the next in order to meet the demands of the complex diplomatic world into which they fit. Contextualizing these orations reveals the subtle reservations of diplomats praising a hostile ruler, the insertion of specific citations to flatter specific audiences, and the changing intellectual and stylistic interests of humanists throughout the fifteenth century. This essay will examine the different shades of flattery practiced by Florentine diplomats and the contexts that explain these variations.

This thesis is an examination of the circulation networks and the patterns of collection of Italian printed books in France in the sixteenth century. Although the cultural relations between the Italian and French territory have been studied, a systematic survey to assess the impact of books on the shaping of the French Renaissance has never been attempted. The first section of this study examines the trade routes and networks which facilitated the circulation of Italian printed books across the French territory. Because of the nature of the French early modern book trade, focused primarily on two major centres (Paris and Lyon), a geographical division has been adopted in investigating this phenomenon. Chapter one explores the trade networks existing in sixteenth-century Lyon, from the powerful Compagnie des Libraires to the activity of the libraires italianisants in the second half of the century. Chapter two examines the importance of Italian editions in Paris. Chapter three is devoted to the circulation of Italian books in the provinces and the impact of large regional centres and trade routes on the availability of books locally. Chapter four investigates private networks and their importance in making specific texts available to French readers. The second section of this study investigates the status and importance of Italian printed books within French Renaissance libraries. Chapter five looks into the development of the French Royal library and the role played by Italian items in defining its identity as an institution. Chapter six examines the presence of Italian books in French aristocratic and courtly collections. Chapter seven is devoted to the libraries of the French literary milieu, analysing the extent to which Italian books were cherished as literary exemplars, particularly with regard to vernacular texts. Chapter eight examines the presence of Italian books in professional collections, with particular attention here given to texts in Latin and other scholarly languages imported from Italy. The conclusion draws all of these strands together, looking at the specific role played by Italian culture, through the printed book, on the development of the French Renaissance. A catalogue of about 2,400 Italian printed books with early modern French provenance is included as an appendix volume. This data provides the evidential basis for this study.

No description available.

The main focus of the dissertation is 15th century Italian court dance, which was one of the prime manifestations of the emerging aristocratic society all across renaissance Europe. The dissertation draws on a detailed research into original dance notations and works on dance theory of dance masters Domenico da Piacenza, Antonio Cornazana and Guglielmo Ebreo/Giovanni Ambrosio and contains first-time Czech translations of important parts of these works. The text first addresses general issues (occasions and locations for dancing, dance education and the role of the dance master, functions of dance in a given historical period, intellectual and philosophical framework of early dance treatises) and moves on to analyse specific features of period dance theory and provides a description of ractical aspects of the realization of dance choreography (basic steps and movements, figures, spatial dance forms etc.). The dissertation contains a reconstruction of one such dance choreography. A certain journey into related fields and later historical periods are chapters on the aesthetic of movement (required posture, position of the head, facial expression, hand gestures etc.) and period etiquette (acceptance of social hierarchy in dance and beyond, ways of showing respect and greetings, asking to dance and...

No description available.