Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.21857/y26kecg1e9
Drawings on the Margins of the Notary Book of the Rijeka Notary and Chancellor Antun de Renno of Modena
Ozren Kosanović
; Matulji, Croatia
Abstract
Antun de Renno of Modena, Rijeka notary and chancellor, kept records for the period between 1436 and 1465. In the book containing 749 pages of written text, drawings
can be found on the margins. There are two types of drawings. The first type consists
of drawings of the pointing hand, which are here divided into six types of representations. The other type of drawing is represented by simple representations of objects,
human figures and fish. The drawings are not representative examples of art, as they
were created primarily in order to bring the most important parts of the text closer to
the reader. They are located alongside the text of the decisions of the city councils, which
were recorded in the sections of the book where instruments of private law nature were
also entered. As Rijeka’s medieval period is largely unknown due to the poor preservation of written sources of any type, the drawings in this book represent an indispensable
testimony of an era. At that time, for people who were immersed in the text by their
profession, artistic expression was a means of supplementary communication. Some of
the drawings, such as the sleeve on the pointing hand, might be an indirect testimony
of the fashion customs of the time.
Keywords
drawings; drawing of the pointing hand; 15th century; notary and office book; Antun de Renno of Modena; Rijeka.
Hrčak ID:
317115
URI
Publication date:
2.5.2024.
Visits: 0 *