| Description |
The Wolfenbiittel Sachsenspiegel is a fourteenth-century German lawbook containing the territorial and feudal laws of Saxony. Its pages display two columns with the legal text on the right and the multi-colored images on the left. In this study I explore how the images supplemented the text, and I argue that they provided a mnemonic function for the reader. The study begins with a codicological analysis of the manuscript, examining the physical evidence of the book's production and concluding that several hands in a workshop setting contributed to its production. It continues with a critical analysis of several studies which explore text-image relationships in the Wolfenbiittel Sachsenspiegel, the iconography of the images, and their relation to oral traditions and other literary genres. Building upon these theories, I suggest that the images provided a mnemonic function. An exploration of the historical context for this manuscript provides the supporting evidence for this theory. I discuss the possible identities of the patron of the book and examine the importance and prevalence of memory in fourteenth-century Europe to establish the background, and I conclude with an interpretation of the Wolfenbiittel Sachsenspiegel's design and images in the light of mnemonic methods and technics. |
