I am currently working as a Research Fellow within the ERC project "SenSArt - The Sensuous Appeal of the Holy. Sensory Agency of Sacred Art and Somatised Spiritual Experiences in Medieval Europe (12th-15th century)", PI: Zuleika Murat.
https://sensartproject.eu/
BA in History and Preservation of Cultural Heritage (2010), MA in History of Art (2013), and PhD in History, Criticism and Conservation of Cultural Heritage (2018, supervisor: prof. Cristina Guarnieri), from the Università degli Studi di Padova.
Specialization: History of Medieval Art (L-ART/01, now ARTE-01/A).
I carried out a period of study abroad at the Université Catholique de Louvain (Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, 2011) and a research stay at the University of Warwick, Department of History of Art (2017), under the supervision of prof. Louise Bourdua.
In 2018-2019, I held a Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship at the Università degli Studi di Padova, Dipartimento dei Beni Culturali, within the project "Il Castello carrarese di Padova: spazi e funzioni di un monumento da restituire", under the supervision of prof. Giovanna Valenzano.
Also, I obtained the diploma from the Scuola di Archivistica, Paleografia e Diplomatica of the Archivio di Stato di Venezia (2021).
My research focuses on the visual, material and socio-cultural production of Venice, the Veneto and other regions in the north Adriatic during the 14th-15th centuries, with specific respect to panel paintings and frescoes. Within the project "SenSArt", I am currently working on territories corresponding to present France, considering various types of artworks and objects pertaining to material culture, together with immaterial practices, and examining themes related to liturgy, pilgrimage and the cult of relics, the dressed body and the perception of textiles, private devotion, and, more generally, the sensory engagement of the faithful with artworks.
Address: Padova, Veneto, Italy
https://sensartproject.eu/
BA in History and Preservation of Cultural Heritage (2010), MA in History of Art (2013), and PhD in History, Criticism and Conservation of Cultural Heritage (2018, supervisor: prof. Cristina Guarnieri), from the Università degli Studi di Padova.
Specialization: History of Medieval Art (L-ART/01, now ARTE-01/A).
I carried out a period of study abroad at the Université Catholique de Louvain (Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, 2011) and a research stay at the University of Warwick, Department of History of Art (2017), under the supervision of prof. Louise Bourdua.
In 2018-2019, I held a Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship at the Università degli Studi di Padova, Dipartimento dei Beni Culturali, within the project "Il Castello carrarese di Padova: spazi e funzioni di un monumento da restituire", under the supervision of prof. Giovanna Valenzano.
Also, I obtained the diploma from the Scuola di Archivistica, Paleografia e Diplomatica of the Archivio di Stato di Venezia (2021).
My research focuses on the visual, material and socio-cultural production of Venice, the Veneto and other regions in the north Adriatic during the 14th-15th centuries, with specific respect to panel paintings and frescoes. Within the project "SenSArt", I am currently working on territories corresponding to present France, considering various types of artworks and objects pertaining to material culture, together with immaterial practices, and examining themes related to liturgy, pilgrimage and the cult of relics, the dressed body and the perception of textiles, private devotion, and, more generally, the sensory engagement of the faithful with artworks.
Address: Padova, Veneto, Italy
less
InterestsView All (17)
Uploads
Books by Valentina Baradel
Book Chapters by Valentina Baradel
Journal articles by Valentina Baradel
This article focuses on three crucial paintings which date back to a precise moment of the activity of the Late-Gothic painter Zanino di Pietro, between the first and the second decade of the fifteenth century: the triptych with the Crucifixion and Saints of the Museo Civico in Rieti, whose original context is here discussed and analyzed; a Crucifixion in a private collection, almost unknown; and the painted cross in the church of San Polo in Venice, which was “rediscovered” after the restoration carried out in the late 1990s. The high-quality and lively compositional effects of these three paintings are here interpreted as a result of Zanino’s sojourn in Bologna between 1389 and 1406. At the same time, they also show the impact of the art of Gentile da Fabriano, which Zanino could study once he got back to Venice. Thus, they manifest the hybridization of style that characterizes the art of the painter around 1410.
Thanks to the recent restoration, it has been possible to devout a detailed study to a fresco on the northern wall of the Madonna Mora chapel, so far neglected in the artistic literature on the Santo due to its poor state of conservation and the misunderstanding of its subject. The painting, always believed as a votive mural, depicts instead a specific episode of Christ’s life, i.e. the farewell between the Savior and his mother Mary in Bethany before the Passion, generally known as Christ taking leave of his mother. Mainly spread between the late 15th and the 16th centuries, the subject was believed to be born in Northern Europe around the first decades of the 1400: in these respects, the Santo fresco now represents the earliest depiction of the scene.
The first aim of the paper is to trace back the origins of this peculiar iconography to the Meditationes Vitae Christi and the Passion plays developed during the 14th century: there is reason to believe that the religious drama was the primary source for the genesis of scene, as the dialogic inscription on the upper part of the fresco (now almost faded) seems to demonstrate.
The second part of the article regards the patronage: excluded the role of the confraternity of St Anthony, who used the chapel of the Madonna Mora and was in charge of the altar on the eastern wall, the painting could have been commissioned by the Negri family. Indeed, Gerardo Negri first obtained the right to maintain the chapel together with the confraternity in 1364, and then – in 1371– the concession to place his tomb on the left corner of the northern wall. Needless to remark the strict connection between the burial site and the painting: therefore, the image would have become part of the Negri funerary monument, to commemorate their dead and first of all Gerardo, whose death could be dated within the February 1372. The arrangement of the tomb on the wall seems to precede the fresco, suggesting the intervention of Buzzacarina Buzzacarini, Gerardo’s wife, as its patron.
The dating of the image around the early Seventies of the 14th century is also confirmed by a stylistic approach; so does the attribution to Giusto de’ Menabuoi, first expressed by Ferrari and Bettini.
In the end, the author considers another fresco of the Santo, depicting St Anthony’s “true image”, and proposes an attribution to the same painter.
Catalogue and Dictionary Entries by Valentina Baradel
Conference presentations by Valentina Baradel
Among the array of liturgical accoutrements, my focus will particularly hone in on a group of French miters made between the 13th and 15th centuries. The miter, in addition to being one of the emblems of episcopal dignity and thus a symbol of authority, was also endowed with multiple spiritual values. Since it was worn on the head, it was associated with physical sensations but also with cognition, in terms of memory, perception, and intellectual understanding. Therefore, when placed on the bishop or abbot's head during consecration, it was accompanied by prayers and a highly symbolic ritual intended to protect the wearer’s senses from evil and sin.
To illuminate this topic comprehensively, I will draw on a diverse array of materials, encompassing literary sources such as pontifical books, liturgical commentaries (e.g., Durandus’ Rationale), treatises (like Bruno of Segni’s De Mitra), and miracle accounts. Additionally, I will explore the materiality of the objects themselves, as the choice of fabric, inclusion of precious stones, pearls, small bells, and even relics, along with their decorative patterns, all played a crucial role in conveying the meanings outlined above.
This article focuses on three crucial paintings which date back to a precise moment of the activity of the Late-Gothic painter Zanino di Pietro, between the first and the second decade of the fifteenth century: the triptych with the Crucifixion and Saints of the Museo Civico in Rieti, whose original context is here discussed and analyzed; a Crucifixion in a private collection, almost unknown; and the painted cross in the church of San Polo in Venice, which was “rediscovered” after the restoration carried out in the late 1990s. The high-quality and lively compositional effects of these three paintings are here interpreted as a result of Zanino’s sojourn in Bologna between 1389 and 1406. At the same time, they also show the impact of the art of Gentile da Fabriano, which Zanino could study once he got back to Venice. Thus, they manifest the hybridization of style that characterizes the art of the painter around 1410.
Thanks to the recent restoration, it has been possible to devout a detailed study to a fresco on the northern wall of the Madonna Mora chapel, so far neglected in the artistic literature on the Santo due to its poor state of conservation and the misunderstanding of its subject. The painting, always believed as a votive mural, depicts instead a specific episode of Christ’s life, i.e. the farewell between the Savior and his mother Mary in Bethany before the Passion, generally known as Christ taking leave of his mother. Mainly spread between the late 15th and the 16th centuries, the subject was believed to be born in Northern Europe around the first decades of the 1400: in these respects, the Santo fresco now represents the earliest depiction of the scene.
The first aim of the paper is to trace back the origins of this peculiar iconography to the Meditationes Vitae Christi and the Passion plays developed during the 14th century: there is reason to believe that the religious drama was the primary source for the genesis of scene, as the dialogic inscription on the upper part of the fresco (now almost faded) seems to demonstrate.
The second part of the article regards the patronage: excluded the role of the confraternity of St Anthony, who used the chapel of the Madonna Mora and was in charge of the altar on the eastern wall, the painting could have been commissioned by the Negri family. Indeed, Gerardo Negri first obtained the right to maintain the chapel together with the confraternity in 1364, and then – in 1371– the concession to place his tomb on the left corner of the northern wall. Needless to remark the strict connection between the burial site and the painting: therefore, the image would have become part of the Negri funerary monument, to commemorate their dead and first of all Gerardo, whose death could be dated within the February 1372. The arrangement of the tomb on the wall seems to precede the fresco, suggesting the intervention of Buzzacarina Buzzacarini, Gerardo’s wife, as its patron.
The dating of the image around the early Seventies of the 14th century is also confirmed by a stylistic approach; so does the attribution to Giusto de’ Menabuoi, first expressed by Ferrari and Bettini.
In the end, the author considers another fresco of the Santo, depicting St Anthony’s “true image”, and proposes an attribution to the same painter.
Among the array of liturgical accoutrements, my focus will particularly hone in on a group of French miters made between the 13th and 15th centuries. The miter, in addition to being one of the emblems of episcopal dignity and thus a symbol of authority, was also endowed with multiple spiritual values. Since it was worn on the head, it was associated with physical sensations but also with cognition, in terms of memory, perception, and intellectual understanding. Therefore, when placed on the bishop or abbot's head during consecration, it was accompanied by prayers and a highly symbolic ritual intended to protect the wearer’s senses from evil and sin.
To illuminate this topic comprehensively, I will draw on a diverse array of materials, encompassing literary sources such as pontifical books, liturgical commentaries (e.g., Durandus’ Rationale), treatises (like Bruno of Segni’s De Mitra), and miracle accounts. Additionally, I will explore the materiality of the objects themselves, as the choice of fabric, inclusion of precious stones, pearls, small bells, and even relics, along with their decorative patterns, all played a crucial role in conveying the meanings outlined above.
In this way, the devotees lived an immersive and highly emotional religious experience.
In this paper, I shall “unfold the narrative” (Elliot & Heath, 2022) of this pilgrimage experience, by arguing that the tomb was designed to create a performance and stimulate the devotion and the sensory responses of pilgrims in several ways. First, from a visual point of view: in fact, upon entering the mausoleum, the faithful would have been in front of a tableau vivant of limestone statues staging the Resurrection of Lazarus. Secondly, pilgrims would have been invited to experience the miracle of the resurrection – Lazarus’ one in the historical time and their own in the present – by descending into the tomb and crawling through it. In this case, not only would the senses of sight and touch have been engaged, but the entirety of perceptions that a body moving in an unknown environment might be subject to.
Despite the amount of information acquired, this paper argues that some issues remain largely under explored and aims to address new questions to this Book of Hours, showing how Jeanne’s daily prayers and spiritual practices implied its performative use, while also being enhanced by its visual and material features, that stimulated both the physical and the spiritual senses of the queen. In order to grasp this crucial aspect, I will conduct a new combined examination of the prayers and images found in the manuscript, while also considering historical, textual, and material sources (e.g. devotional instructions, conduct manuals, other similar manuscripts).
But what happens when they do not ring? During the Middle Ages, bells remained still and silent in the Sacred Triduum from Maundy Thursday to Holy Saturday (precisely from the moment when the consecrated Host was placed in the Sepulchre to the 'Gloria' on Holy Saturday). According to an old popular tradition they withdrew and flew all the way to Rome, while Satan became the lord of the universe; it was only on Easter Sunday that they returned to their place, to celebrate the Resurrection of the Lord. Thus, in the final days of Holy Week, the acoustic void due to the absence of their melodious sounds was filled by loud, dark and disjointed noises, the 'sounds of darkness', obtained with idiophones of various shapes and nature and mainly made of poor materials such as wood, as opposed to the noble metal used for the manufacture of bells (e.g. little hammers, rattles, sticks, castanets, wooden clackers....). These are generally known as 'instruments of darkness', in relation to the liturgical office that took place on the three days before Easter (Tenebrae o Matutina tenebrarum, so called since the 12th century because it implied a progressive extinguishing of candles and a total darkness at the end of the rite).
This paper will focus on the use and meaning of these sounding objects during the Easter liturgy in the Middle Ages, with a special focus on 13th-15th century France, where one of the oldest testimonies of their practical function of calling the faithful to the Mass during the Triduum is recorded («Necnon etiam altitude signorum, quae fiebat per vasa aerea, deponitur, et lignorum sonus usquequaque humilior aeris sono, necessario pulsatur, ut conveniat populus ad Ecclesiam», said Amalarius of Metz in the 9th century). Moreover, surviving works provide material pieces of evidence to explore the ritual from an object-based perspective in addition to a theoretical one (e.g. the cog rattle now kept at the Metropolitan Museum).
The paper will also develop new, comprehensive considerations of the multi-sensory aspect of the Tenebrae, with particular regard to its aural dimension and performative quality, implemented at specific moments and through specific actions. This refers not only to the reading of the Psalms, Lectio, Antiphons and Responsors, but also to the customary practice of making a loud noise at the end of the rite by dropping books on the floor or violently knocking chairs, so that the faithful could reenact the moment of Christ's death in an immersive environment and in an emotional way.
This will shed new light on the role played by rhythmic sounds other than those produced by bells and musical instruments in the Christian liturgy.
https://www.chiesedivenezia.eu/project/la-chiesa-di-santa-maria-dei-servi-e-la-comunita-veneziana-dei-servi-di-maria-secoli-xiv-xviii-venezia-3-4-dicembre-2020/
Over the past century, much has been said about the liturgy in the Middle Ages. Starting from the historical contribution of Mario Righetti (1946), in the last decades scholars have explored fresh research paths, incorporating notions and tools established by diverse disciplines. Philippe Buc (1997) and Eric Palazzo (2000) have opened up new research opportunities by assimilating sociological concepts, exploring the role of rituals as agents in shaping society and fostering social cohesion. More recently, this field has been fuelled with contributions from numerous disciplines that have started to engage in the study of the past, including neurosciences, performance studies, anthropology (Bull & Mitchell, 2016) and sensory studies (Palazzo, 2014; Neri & Caseau, 2021).
The scientific relevance of these contributions in generating adventurous approaches and opening up new panoramas is unquestionable. Following these fresh pathways, the first conference of the series “Experiencing the Sacred”, established by the SenSArt ERC project, aims to develop the topic further by triangulating the liturgy (broadly intended), the experience of the faithful (understood both as an individual and as social groups) and the sensoria (i.e. the diverse sensory systems that existed in the Middle Ages). In so doing, it aims at showing that the experience of the sacred was not homogeneous and static. On the contrary, it was a multimodal and multisensorial activity, one that bore complex and overlapping layers of meaning, and which was perceived in different ways by the diverse groups and individuals involved.
In order to reach this objective, the conference will consider both the material and the immaterial aspects of the liturgy, and will emphasise the wide range of its sensorial appeal. Images, objects, odours, words, flavours, movement, and sounds all formed part of the liturgical performance that permeated the life of medieval people. And yet, they were exploited and perceived in different terms by the diverse groups involved, such as the religious and lay community, men and women, members of the aristocracy and of the lower social groups.
The meeting will bring together a multi- and interdisciplinary community of scholars with a broad interest in the religious rituals of the late Middle Ages (ca. 1200 to ca. 1500), with particular respect to Art History, History, Musicology and Liturgy, in order to cross-fertilise these perspectives.
trappings and were used in funerary ceremonials as garments for the deceased or furnishings
within churches and shrines, serving the twofold purpose of wrapping bodies and articulating,
dividing, and concealing/revealing spaces and objects. Additionally, they were offered as gifts to
the divinities or were employed to dress religious images, thus becoming connectors between
the sacred and the profane, the private and the public, not to mention their function as
embellishment of the bodies of the clergy and the dedicants, as well as the adornment of the
altars during the celebration. Last but not least, they were regarded as sacred objects possessing
special powers. While often they were produced for the purpose, frequently such textiles were
also passed down, patched, reused, and recycled, and thus charged with symbolic meanings,
becoming “material memories”.
This conference aims to champion a materiality approach – the notion that the physical
properties of a cultural artefact have consequences for how the object is used, worn, and
manipulated – to the study of sacred textiles from Antiquity to the Middle Ages. Engaging
scholars from different fields and methodological perspectives, the symposium will explore
how the understanding of sacred textiles, usually viewed through a strictly disciplinary lens, can
be enriched by focusing on the physical structures and raw materials of the objects, and by
combining these aspects with ritual and devotional practices, liturgy and the spaces in
which it was performed, and the interpretation of written sources.
We invite potential speakers to submit a 250-word paper abstract and a short written biography
(100 words max) to the following emails: [email protected]; [email protected];
[email protected].
Each speaker will be allotted twenty five minutes.
The language of the conference is English.
Deadline: 27 July 2024. Notification will be sent by 2 August 2024.
Organising Commitee:
Margarita Gleba (Associate professor, University of Padua, dBC)
Zuleika Murat (Associate professor, University of Padua, dBC)
Valentina Baradel (Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, University of Padua, dBC)
The seminar will be held in Padua, Polo Beato Pellegrino, Aula 11, starting from 5:00pm (CET). The event will be held both in person and virtually via Zoom. Please send an email to Valentina Baradel ([email protected]) to register for online attendance.
Sponsored by the ERC-StG Project “The Sensuous Appeal of the Holy. Sensory Agency of Sacred Art and Somatised Spiritual Experiences in Medieval Europe (12th-15th century) – SenSArt”; P.I. Zuleika Murat. This project has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement No 950248).
Organized by Valentina Baradel and Zuleika Murat
The meeting will bring together a multi- and interdisciplinary community of scholars with a broad interest in the religious rituals of the late Middle Ages (ca. 1200 to ca. 1500), with particular respect to Art History, History, Musicology and Liturgy, in order to cross-fertilise these perspectives.