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AbstractThis article analyzes Spanish and Portuguese intellectual and political discourse on Iberism between the fin de siècle and the postwar period, focusing on its multifaceted interactions with the concept of Latinity. The nineteenth century saw the development of different conceptualizations of Europe and the world, including utopian and/or imperialistic conglomerates of nations united by language, culture or race. This study examines Iberism and Latinity as two transnational projects that sparked public debate and influenced the shaping of the idea of Europe. The interactions between the two projects were complex and shifted over time, marked by moments of mutual reinforcement, contradiction and conflict. The intricate relations between Iberism and Latinity affected Spain and Portugal’s relation to other geopolitical blocks: Latin America, with which they maintained a link that fluctuated between brotherhood and (neo-)colonial nostalgia; and the Anglo-American and Germanic blocs, each maintaining their own imperialistic aspirations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Near the end of his career, Dante wrote two eclogues, instigating a literary fashion which was to outlast the Renaissance. These poems—Dante's only known compositions in Latin verse—were prompted by a verse epistle from Giovanni 'del Virgilio', in which the humanist scholar goaded Dante to compose a martial epic in Latin celebrating contemporary Italian military victories, which would prove him a worthy successor to the author of the Aeneid. Dante's response is an elaborate bucolic recusatio, which engages in a rich and intricate intertextual dialogue both with Virgil and with his correspondent. Through a pattern of allusions emphasizing the theme of land-confiscation and dispossession in Virgil's Bucolica and his denunciation of the avarice and violence of contemporary Rome in the Georgics, Dante makes the case that his own career has fulfilled the noble aspirations which Virgil himself compromised, when he abandoned the idea of a cosmological epic, entertained in the second Georgic and chose instead to glorify war and the emperor in the Aeneid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focusses on two Renaissance reinterpretations of Catullus 63, one of his least imitated poems in Italy during that period. I deal with the poetic reinterpretation of Catullus' lines and the reshaping of his choice of metre and genre. I start with a poem by Marullus that defined the way Catullus 63 was later imitated; I continue with the description of a unique reshaping of Catullus' Attis by Giovambattista Pigna, in which I show some reminiscences from Ariosto's Furioso. I add insights on Pigna's blending of Catullus with other ancient and contemporary sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay reviews three recently published books on the intellectual history of the Italian Renaissance. In his survey of Italian humanism in the "long fifteenth century" (c. 1350–c. 1525) The Intellectual World of the Italian Renaissance, Christopher Celenza argues that the intellectual project of the humanists was centred on questions regarding language, philosophy, and the stance of the intellectual toward institutions. Celenza traces the fortunes and mutations of the humanist project into the modern era in The Italian Renaissance and the Origins of the Humanities, and expresses concern that in today's universities the balance struck by the humanists between "openness" and "boundary-generating habits" unduly favours the latter. Humanism, according to James Hankins's Virtue Politics, was primarily about repairing politics by first reforming the moral character of Italy's ruling elites. The language and literature of Roman and Greek antiquity provided the models for this education in virtue. Hankins believes the humanists' educational and cultural programme offers a salutary corrective to our misplaced, post-Machiavellian trust in legal constraints and constitutional guardrails to regulate contemporary political life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The '(neo-)baroque' as a term designates an epoch, a style and whatnot. It has been used to describe literature, music, painting, architecture, and the arts and culture in general. The contribution goes into the term's diverse fields of application in order to explore and elucidate its use for the description of phenomena of, and in, English culture both in the post-Renaissance and in the postmodernist eras.1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on how philosopher, Thomas More's Utopia uses language to reflect Renaissance humanism, which viewed linguistic diversity as a means to understand shared human history. It explores the Utopian language as both functional and a historical artifact, emphasizing its role in revealing cultural history and change over time. It also highlights the influence of antiquarianism in Renaissance humanism.

The article examines how modern Western psychology has distanced itself from metaphysical and spiritual dimensions, focusing instead on a purely empirical approach. It argues that this shift, influenced by secularization since the European Renaissance, has led psychology to lose its connection to the concept of the soul and spirituality.

The article explores Christopher Marlowe's influence on Shakespeare's early plays through the lens of Asiatic style, as seen in Marlowe's Tamburlaine. Marlowe's rhetorical exuberance and stylistic excess are rooted in classical theory, shaping his innovative writing style. Shakespeare adapted Marlowe's Asiatic style in his first plays, blending bombastic language, hyperbole, and repetition to create dramatic effects tailored to specific situations and emotions. The article delves into the intricate mechanics of Marlowe's style, highlighting its influence on Shakespeare's early works and the broader literary landscape of the time. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses an exhibition titled "L'Invention de la Renaissance" that explores the development of Renaissance humanism and its impact on various art forms. The exhibition showcases books, manuscripts, cultural objects, and artworks from prestigious institutions such as the BnF, the Louvre, and the museum of the Institut de France. The accompanying publication focuses on the formation of specific types of libraries resulting from the amassing of books. The exhibition covers topics such as the rediscovery of classical texts, the humanist tradition of learning, and the influence of humanism on princely book collecting. However, the exhibition's narrative lacks tight control, and some aspects are not fully explored. Despite this, the exhibition offers a rich and varied experience for visitors to savor and revisit. [Extracted from the article]

Catullus' Poem 64 is a major, and completely unnoted (to my knowledge), analogue for Lycidas. The essay primarily points out this thick unobserved intertextuality, which significantly shapes such well-known passages as those of "the blind Fury" and the "two-handed engine" (two of many others). The influence indeed appears to be mainly stylistic. Nevertheless, thematically, it does support arguments that Milton opposes his poem's Christian and classical elements (rather than mingling them), yet it enacts Milton's deeply held belief that classical poems, even those of the smooth and often erotic Latin elegists, could energize Christian art. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Trans/Form/Ação is the property of Trans/Form/Acao and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Travelling abroad to acquire objects at source was an important aspect of the South Kensington Museum's collecting policy from the outset. With curatorial focus on Italian Renaissance works of art, and growing competition for such objects at salerooms and curiosity shops in London, buying trips to Italy played a critical role in the expansion of the museum's collections throughout its first half-century. This article examines the interactions between curators at South Kensington and the Milanese art market, and considers the role played by Milan in shaping the museum collections between 1850 and 1910. Through the prism of dealers' records, curatorial correspondence and key acquisitions, the museum's activities in Milan are reconstructed and key dealer–curator networks are illuminated, underlining Milan's position as a centre of the art market in the nineteenth century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper traces the changes to the intellectual classification of fencing. The authors of fencing treatises attempted to shift the perception of fencing from its long held violent connotations and towards a more elevated and legitimate practice. This change was prompted by multiple factors, key amongst them were the proliferation of print, the rise of the duel, and courtesy books, such as Castiglione’s Book of the Courtier. These factors allowed fencing to be reconceived with new methods and to reach a wider audience. However, to appeal to a larger and increasingly educated audience, early modern fencing treatises adopted new pedagogical tools and made efforts to legitimise fencing, elevating their new methods above fencing’s violent nature. To achieve this elevation, authors of fencing treatises attempted to raise fencing’s intellectual standing through the application of the trivium and later geometry and humanistic learning, in order to reposition fencing as a practice worthy of gentlemanly study. In this paper, I outline the process of this change and argue that, despite concerted effort to intellectualise fencing, as a means to obtain legitimacy, attempts were never wholly successful, due to an inability to completely separate conceptions of violence from the new science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the use of tiger imagery in literature during the late sixteenth century, focusing on the "Tale of Hemetes the Heremyte." The author argues that the transformation of a woman into a tiger in this text represents female agency and autonomy, challenging traditional associations. The tiger is seen as a symbol of power and awe, and its use in literature, including Shakespeare's plays, explores gender roles and expectations. The author suggests that studying these empowered tiger figures could provide insight into the relationship between femininity, animality, and the uncanny in early modern literature. [Extracted from the article]

As a complement to his version of Euclid’s Optics, the Portuguese mathematician Francisco the Melo (1490-1536) wrote a short treatise on the principles of vision that also included a summary description of the components of the eye. Combining arguments of geometric and anatomical nature, that text helps us to understand some of the conflicting ideas of the Renaissance period, before Kepler, but it also invites us to reread the contributions of a number of authors from the Middle Ages, with a particular focus on Alhacen and Witelo. Although Melo's theory of vision cannot be classified as exactly groundbreaking, it presents many interesting and singular peculiarities. In particular the way in which Melo justifies the existence of rays emitted by the eye while incorporating, at the same time, some elements of the intromission theories, and the clear steps he gives to single out the perpendicular ray in the mechanism behind a faithful and distinct vision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines literary discussions of sovereignty in two history plays by the Scottish courtier William Alexander, The Alexandraean Tragedy and The Tragedy of Julius Caesar , which were published during the debates about the Anglo-Scottish union under James VI and I. Alexander's plays speak to problems in the premodern European sovereignty paradigm, particularly its antagonistic structure, its imperial lexicon, and its reliance on historical narratives of past acknowledgments of authority that I label 'sovereign recognitions'. The pervasive effects of this discourse are evident even in the more innovative political writing of George Buchanan (1506–1582) and James himself, as well as in the royal government's arguments for the union as the restoration of the ancient 'Imperiall Crowne' of Great Britain. Alexander's plays, by contrast, employ a form of the recognition scene, including a character's or the audience's realisation of a greater truth, to challenge sovereign recognitions and to reflect on the meaning of 'lawfull Soveraignty'. By understanding the premodern paradigm's dependence on narrative and acts of recognition, we can see how literary texts such as Alexander's drama contributed to early political thought, often responding more thoughtfully to the discourse's shortcomings than most governmental documents, political treatises, or chronicles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The document "Studies in English Literature 1500–1900: Volume 62, 2022" from SEL: Studies in English Literature (Johns Hopkins) contains a variety of articles on topics ranging from John Dryden's work to Frances Sheridan's novels. It includes discussions on epic literature, feminine duties, and ethical considerations in Shakespeare's works. The document also features reviews of recent studies in different literary periods and genres, providing a comprehensive overview of English literature research. [Extracted from the article]

The recent so-called crisis of replication continues to dominate psychology's methodological landscape. It is argued here that the apparent renaissance of Popperian thinking that characterises some of the key responses to the crisis of replication is fundamentally flawed. In essence, there is a serious lack of any sustained and rigorous treatment of ontology that underpins much of the current debate about replication and Popper's falsificationist approach. The overriding problem is that the replication debate reflects the methodologist tendency for mainstream psychologists to avoid or gloss over crucial ontological questions. In contradistinction, this article (a) underscores the primacy of ontology; (b) delineates and applies a critical realist stratified ontology to psychology; (c) utilises the latter as a springboard from which to argue for Popper's methodological "retirement"; and (d) revindicates the indispensability of context and the subtlety of psychological phenomena in arguing for the intrinsic limits of replication and experimentalism in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475–1564) presented some of the most spectacular artworks of all times in frescos on the ceiling and behind the altar of the Sistine Chapel. While Michelangelo's presentations depict events described in the Bible, there is broad consensus that Michelangelo was conveying his knowledge and theoretical ideas gleaned from his experiences with anatomic dissection. Michelangelo appears to have communicated several ideas about the brain in the images of the Days of Creation and the Last Judgment. Taking the Days of Creation and the Last Judgment together, Michelangelo appears to be symbolizing that God is in the brain, specifically the brainstem, and the brain performs mental functions. The five images on the ceiling of the chapel showing Days of Creation may be interpreted as reflecting the course of vertebrate brain evolution. There are further suggestions about brain function, including perceiving light and complex images and giving spirit to Adam. Furthermore, on the front wall of the Sistine Chapel behind the altar, within the work titled the Last Judgment, the central ellipse, in which Jesus is sitting, appears to represent a midcoronal cross section of a human brain, suggesting that it is the brain that renders judgments about good and evil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conventional wisdom dictates that the advent of large organisations engaging innovative managerial practices is a natural by-product of the rationality and technological advancements ensuing from the Industrial Revolution. Accordingly, except for a few studies on medieval and early modern institutions such as armies, feudal estates and governments, preindustrial organisations remain largely unexplored by historians. Arguing for a trans-methodological approach that combines the narrative construction of theoretical constructs with a comprehensive description of events within the historical context in which they evolved, I present a microhistorical case study of the ducal chancery of Renaissance Venice as an exemplar of organisation. Placing particular emphasis on the instrumentality of historical context for the study of preindustrial organisations, I foster a fresh debate on what constitutes 'organisation' as a unit of historical analysis, arguing that the phenomenon of organisation was conceived and given meaning in the early modern era. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Just as Gothic cathedrals have long dominated the perception of medieval architecture, the spectacular drawings of the German lodges have shaped our view of the medieval design process. However, their towering importance has diverted scholarly attention from alternative drafting practices and reinforced the view of a homogeneous Gothic design practice based on quadrature. Historians generally accept that in the 16th century a new Renaissance graphic language challenged and ultimately replaced the Gothic tradition north of the Alps. However, this antagonistic narrative of one dominant practice superseding the other needs to be re-examined because hitherto neglected drawings for other types of buildings reveal that medieval drafting practice was more varied and open to new developments than is often believed. This paper will examine three rare sets of architectural drawings, together consisting of over thirty sheets, made for three stone sluices in the provinces of Utrecht and Holland between 1556 and 1563. They show that for technically demanding hydraulic works, drawings directed every step of the process, from enabling discussion of the most suitable design to guiding the stonemasons in the execution of the work. Moreover, they demonstrate that for such projects, Gothic masters did not adhere to tradition but engaged with new design methods, using scale, colour, and multiple views to convey all aspects of the project, thus indicating that changes in style and method were not always interrelated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Beyoncé lançou, em 2022, Renaissance, seu sétimo álbum de estúdio, que tem como inspiração, entre outras referências, a Ballroom. Trata-se de um movimento de resistência LGBTQIAPN+ criado por mulheres trans e drag queens negras em Nova Iorque na década de 1970 e que hoje está presente em todo o mundo. Este artigo busca refletir sobre as dinâmicas de reflexividade entre a cultura pop e a Ballroom a partir do álbum Renaissance e as práticas em balls da cena de Belo Horizonte. Para isso, é apresentado uma Ball Show performada pelas pessoas da cena da cidade em um evento universitário promovido pelo DCE da UFMG em novembro de 2022. Fundamentamos em discussões sobre a cultura pop, gênero e sexualidade. Foi constatado que existe um movimento reflexivo entre a Ballroom e a cultura pop, mas que as pessoas que a compõem não usufruem dos privilégios da indústria do entretenimento.

One of the most recognized decorations of the pick-up technique is the millefiori glass, which has been commonly attributed to Venetian production. However, Portugal is the country where the largest known assemblage of this type of glass artefact has been studied and published. In this work, two important archeological contexts were selected: (1) Santa Clara-a-Velha monastery (SCV) and (2) São João de Tarouca monastery (SJT). The fragments selection was made based on the diversity of decorative motifs, colors, and original forms that has been associated with Portuguese production. The compositional characterization was conducted by performing micro-particle-induced X-ray emission (µ-PIXE) mapping, which facilitated the visualization of the distribution of different oxides across the different glass layers and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) to obtain the major, minor, and trace elements composition, including rare earth elements (REEs) to determine which kind of raw materials were used. Additionally, µ-Raman spectroscopy was employed to investigate the opacifiers, while UV–Visible spectroscopy was used to study which chromophores are presented in the glass samples. All the analyzed glass layers can be considered to be of a soda–lime–silica type, and four different geological patterns (from GP1 to GP4) were detected and reported. This result can indicate that these objects were made by using silica sources taken from four different geological settings. Interestingly, the GP3 represents about 41% of the analyzed glass fragments and is compatible with the pattern detected in some production wastes found in two different archeological contexts located in Lisbon, which reinforces the veracity of the theory that this GP can be attributed to a Portuguese production. On the other hand, GP1 was probably attributed Granada provenance.

Abstract Around 1526, Emperor Charles V decided to build a new Renaissance palace in addition to the Nasrid palaces in the Alhambra of Granada, a monumental site currently included in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) World Heritage List. In that period, a large floor plan, which is preserved today at the Library of the Royal Palace of Madrid, was drawn to represent the building and its surroundings. Although this anonymous drawing has attracted considerable historiographic interest, a study of the graphical aspects analysed here, namely, paper assemblage, drawing technique, representation system, metrology, graphical scale, dimensioning, and labelling, is lacking. To accomplish this analysis, the original document was carefully examined and digitalised with high definition. This process allowed a comprehensive graphic analysis, utilising other drawings from the same period as a comparative reference and studying for the first time the major characteristics of one of the most relevant architectural drawings of the 16th century.

This article compares the sonnets of Richard Barnfield and William Shakespeare, focusing on their exploration of homoerotic and homosocial themes. Barnfield, a lesser-known poet, published works in the late 16th century that included explicit expressions of same-sex attraction. The analysis highlights the linguistic and stylistic similarities between the two poets, while also noting their differences in language and imagery. By examining Barnfield's contributions, we gain a deeper understanding of the diverse expressions of human relationships in early modern England. [Extracted from the article]

This article highlights the renaissance project of the Arab world proposed essentially by the Algerian thinker Abdelmadjid Meziane. He suggested many multidimensional reforms before Arab nations could be influential in the contemporary civilization. It also exposes the main ideas of Abdelmadjid Meziane’s plan to resolve the Arab nation problems and dealing with its situation of weakness and laziness. He introduces a new reading for the event of the past, and made a comparison between the Eastern and the Western world. His project aims at changing positively the reality of the Arab world, and make their people influent by an imminent return to the roots of belonging purely to Islam religion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the most recognized decorations of the pick-up technique is the millefiori glass, which has been commonly attributed to Venetian production. However, Portugal is the country where the largest known assemblage of this type of glass artefact has been studied and published. In this work, two important archeological contexts were selected: (1) Santa Clara-a-Velha monastery (SCV) and (2) São João de Tarouca monastery (SJT). The fragments selection was made based on the diversity of decorative motifs, colors, and original forms that has been associated with Portuguese production. The compositional characterization was conducted by performing micro-particle-induced X-ray emission (µ-PIXE) mapping, which facilitated the visualization of the distribution of different oxides across the different glass layers and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) to obtain the major, minor, and trace elements composition, including rare earth elements (REEs) to determine which kind of raw materials were used. Additionally, µ-Raman spectroscopy was employed to investigate the opacifiers, while UV–Visible spectroscopy was used to study which chromophores are presented in the glass samples. All the analyzed glass layers can be considered to be of a soda–lime–silica type, and four different geological patterns (from GP1 to GP4) were detected and reported. This result can indicate that these objects were made by using silica sources taken from four different geological settings. Interestingly, the GP3 represents about 41% of the analyzed glass fragments and is compatible with the pattern detected in some production wastes found in two different archeological contexts located in Lisbon, which reinforces the veracity of the theory that this GP can be attributed to a Portuguese production. On the other hand, GP1 was probably attributed Granada provenance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The satires of Juvenal were immensely popular in Renaissance Italy, printed in various forms over 70 times in the period 1469‐1520, and five times in 1501 alone. The satires contain a wealth of references to instruments, instrumentalists, and playing practices that are frequently used in double entendres connoting lewd acts and infidelity, most potently in the sixth satire. The five Renaissance commentaries printed alongside the satires in 1501 editions suggest how much contemporary scholars wished to say, or indeed not say, about these saucy musical passages. This article will examine the ways in which contemporary commentators unpack and explain musical aspects of the sixth satire, their surprisingly detailed and determined efforts adding up to a distinctive strand of music‐historical study that is in evidence across numerous books of commentated classical verse from our 1501 corpus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aristotle and utopia may seem an odd combination. Anthologies of utopian texts do not contain passages from Aristotle's writings. He also typically does not feature in histories of utopia. Nonetheless, a close reading of the Politics reveals that Aristotle had an extensive and rather distinctive interest in the enterprise of imagining utopias or ideal cities. The peculiarity of his exploration of utopia lies in its multifaceted approach. He combines critical assessments of some of his predecessors' ideal cities with the creation of several of his own. This article explores the hypothesis that Aristotle's lengthy and varied analysis of ideal cities plays a crucial, though not obvious, role in the history of utopia. The relevance of his speculation lies in identifying (i) distinct ways of conceptualizing the activity of imagining a utopia and (ii) themes and concerns fundamental to designing it. However, the importance of Aristotle's place in the history of utopia is not primarily due to his direct impact on later utopists – his major influence is limited to a handful of Renaissance authors. Instead, his significance lies predominantly in the fact that he was one of the very first thinkers to recognize and articulate key elements of the utopian endeavour. This study examines the points of contact between Aristotle's utopias and representative modern/contemporary utopias and dystopias. It aims not to institute strict parallelisms between these works and the Politics but to show how they share some of the 'essential ingredients' of utopian literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Nuova Rivista Storica is the property of Societa Editrice Dante Alighieri s.r.l. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The east end of Winchester Cathedral was altered in the late 15th and early 16th centuries, with the Lady Chapel substantially refurbished. The Guardian Angels Chapel, on the north, was left largely untouched. To the south, the death of Bishop Thomas Langton provided the opportunity to rebuild the chapel there as a chantry within which he was buried. The vault above is peppered with his initials, heraldic devices and rebus. The Langton Chapel remained largely disused down subsequent centuries, a dusty corner in the furthermost reaches of a busy cathedral. In the mid-20th century, a remarkable man, Harry Altham, took an interest in Langton's chapel and, in light of this, the Dean and Chapter of Winchester agreed that the restoration of the chapel would form a fitting memorial to him. In the process of researching the details of that restoration, new information has come to light regarding the early introduction of all'antica work into the cathedral, suggesting that the Renaissance style was first introduced to England at Winchester, not in Westminster Abbey as is widely supposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Architectural projection could be the most decisive kulturtechnik in modern architectural processes, from the Renaissance and the Enlightenment to the present. Indeed, it is the technique that makes architectural practice modern by grounding it on the medial field of intellectualcorporeal distinction and constituting an operational field that is parallel to the modern notion of projection (Heideggerian Entwurf) that causes the dissolution of the ontology defined by a transcendental context. Architecture becomes a practice based on mediation (subject-agentobject), in which all its techniques (agents) are employed to project all mundane actions into the future. This text draws attention to the in-between area as an operational field where the kulturtechnik - a term employed by German media theory, particularly after the 1990s, as the fundamental element of the mediation - mediates and thus creates the differences, tries to represent the field itself as an operational ground for comprehensive interpretation of architectural representation, by following a Kraussian approach that allows us the hybrid conceptualization that the mediations require, reproducing the semiotic square. By reproducing the Kraussian diagram in the context of two categories, which are fundamental for the dissolution of classical ontology and therefore all the heterogeneous modern practices, such as architecture, it is aimed at mapping the expanded field of architectural representation to evaluate its mediations. In other words, this text aims to contribute to the literature by proposing a highly hybrid performative guide to evaluate architectural history and theory by mapping the mediations of architectural representation (its pragmatic, semantic, and syntactic hybridizations) in modern processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research paper delves into the profound interplay between mathematics and visual art, revealing a fundamental correlation rooted in the concept of order. By examining historical periods, particularly the Renaissance and Enlightenment, we illuminate how mathematics catalyzed intellectual and cultural transformations. The Renaissance witnessed a revival of ancient mathematical knowledge, intertwining with the prevailing humanist philosophy. Artists of this era employed mathematical principles, such as perspective and proportion, to bridge the abstract and tangible. In the Enlightenment, mathematical innovation was driven by a commitment to rationality and empirical evidence, mirroring the era's quest for universal truths. Engaging with theoretical and historical literature, we decode the intricate threads connecting mathematics to the pulse of human knowledge and progress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This month, I offer a lovely poem, the seventh in a series, by Adele Ne Jame, a first-generation Lebanese American who has lived in Hawai'i since 1969. The speaker in the poem draws an analogy between the artist Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), High Renaissance Italian polymath, and the subject of his unfinished painting, Saint Jerome (c.347-420), early Christian priest, theologian and translator, describing them as "brothers in suffering." Living as an ascetic for four to five years in the Syrian desert, later near Bethlehem for 34 years, Jerome was "beautiful in steadfastness." Often troubled by bouts of melancholy, Leonardo was "moved by the hermetic life of the saint," and "he re-worked for 36 years relentlessly" the unfinished painting of Jerome. While the speaker proclaims that the painting honors "the contemplative, living spirit of both men," the same can be said of the poem itself. One aspect of the "reworking" of the painting may be of particular interest to physicians and medical students. Leonardo began "St. Jerome Praying in the Syrian Desert" around 1480. It was one of his first anatomical paintings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Florence counts as one of the cradles of European Renaissance art and architecture where linear perspective first emerged. These developments led to the pivotal role perception played in Florence's architectural and urban design conceptions, as seen in the works of Brunelleschi (1377–1446), Michelozzo (1396–1472), and Alberti (1404–1472), among others. Alberti's De re aedificatoria presented an analogy of the city as a house and vice versa, negating hard distinctions between architectural and urban design, while Alberti's oeuvre, particularly De pictura, underscores the primacy of the eye. This suggests the exploration of mathematical relationships between architectural façades and urban space configurations within the Florentine context. Through this approach, the paper explores the cases of Palazzo Pitti, Strozzi, and Rucellai, and advances ongoing debates regarding Palazzo Rucellai's envisioned finished appearance by using a 3D Digital Twin (DT) of the palace and its immediate urban context to test alternative façade hypotheses. Ultimately, the results unveil the multidimensional character of Renaissance architectural façade design and their urban role as signifiers of the cultural, intellectual, economic, and political valour of their inhabitants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the mid-fifteenth century, Venice inherited Cardinal Bessarione's collection of ancient manuscripts, an exceptional legacy that contributed to the renewal of mathematical studies. This essay outlines the spread of mathematics in Venice in the early Renaissance, when scholars actively discussed Euclid and universal proportions. Based on this cultural context, the author briefly analyzes the role of polyhedra and an example of the application of proportions to architecture: the church of San Francesco della Vigna in Venice. This church is an interesting and rare case of 'declared' application of proportions to architecture, since we have specific indications in Francesco Zorzi's memorandum written in 1535. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of a nation is nebulous as a construct to be restricted within the confines of a definition and is relived and revisited through the chronicles of history across time and space (and not only academic spaces). The epistemological and ontological configurations of the construct of a nation depicts it as a liquefied narrative to be construed from diverse angles. In his work, The Renaissance in India and Other Essays on Indian Culture, Sri Aurobindo talks about India as a nation in the face of Western incursions and posits the concept of an Indian renaissance in the mode of a reawakening or revival of the original spirit of the nation along with its ideals. He refers to a new India trying to recover herself to arrive at a healthy revival by returning to the spiritual motif which is the basic foundation of her culture, but she must apply the same procedure to every aspect of the nation's life--art, literature, poetry, polity, and religion. She is the Bharata Shakti operating on the basis of her spiritual energy, trying to sustain a balance between the mind, body and spirit. This paper explores the diverse interpretations of the concept of nation as represented by Sri Aurobindo (2019). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Specula is the property of SPECULA UCV and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article examines the role of Mary Shelton in the Devonshire Manuscript, a collection of 16th-century poems. Despite her humble background, Shelton was known for her intelligence and is believed to have played a significant role in writing, copying, and circulating the poems. The article aims to provide insight into court manuscript culture and gender power dynamics during the reign of Henry VIII. While the dates of Shelton's birth and death are uncertain, it is known that she had multiple lovers, including Henry VIII. Her signature in the manuscript indicates her authorship and active involvement. The article also discusses the poems written by Shelton, suggesting that she may have critiqued the cunning and deceitfulness of men in her work. It highlights the collaboration and dialogue between Shelton and Margaret Douglas, another contributor to the manuscript. The poems explore the dynamics of court culture and the tragic consequences of relationships, and Shelton's contributions can be seen as an attempt to give voice to the injustices suffered by women at the hands of powerful men and patriarchal society. [Extracted from the article]

In our historical study, we are unveiling one of the very first surgical treatments of hydrocephalus originally scripted in Latin by Fabrici d'Acquapendente and then transcribed into the French language by Chez Pierre Ravaud. During the European Renaissance, Italian pioneering surgeon Fabricid'Acquapendente illustrated the technique performed at that time. Fabrici described the drainage of fluid for hydrocephalus using the insertion of a cannula. The cannula was kept in place for several days and the fluid was drained slowly and in regulated controlled amounts. Layers of bandage drapes were applied to prevent the leakage of fluid escaping from the wound. Unfortunately, we are missing some significant information regarding the surgical techniques as these were not documented by Fabrici. Although skull trephination was relatively well known, it is unsure whether at the time the cannula was inserted deep within the ventricles. Drainage of the fluid may have still occurred from the extracranial space. Moreover, we are unaware of how long the cannula was kept in place. Nonetheless, Fabrici d'Acquapendente may be considered among the first in Italy and possibly in Europe to lay down the foundations for external ventricular drainage system for hydrocephalus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"The study of emotional expression," it has recently been said, "has long been the provenance of scientific discovery and heated controversy" (Keltner et al., 2016, p. 467)—and nothing has been more central to this inquiry than attempts to understand the precise connection between affective experience and human facial expression. But as science moves forward, it is also wise to consider where it has been. This Brief Report reproduces a pre-Darwinian account of the facial expression of emotion from Thomas Wright's The Passions of the Minde in Generall (1604), one of the most interesting books on emotion from the English Renaissance. Before the modern scientific revolution, Wright's theorization anticipates several key aspects of 21st Century thought on the facial expression of emotion, an intriguing reminder of the connection between historical folk understanding and modern research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyses familial cultures and exchanges of pleasure among 11 eighteenth-century gentry families. The research is based on a substantial collection of family correspondence and identifies emotion words within these letters to understand familial conversations about pleasure and the various purposes that pleasure was put to. Here pleasure is problematised and studied as an emotion. There are three main arguments. Firstly, the letters reveal a previously hidden world of family pleasure, connected to but in some ways remote from the public and sensory pleasures of the urban renaissance that most previous studies have focused on. The letters reveal an emotional economy of pleasure, where feelings materialised as currencies underlying the building and breaking of family relationships. Secondly, pleasure was not a singular or solitary feeling, but rather operated in affective clusters with other emotions such as anxiety and surprise. Finally, pleasure and displeasure were vital in keeping good order among the gentry and between the gentry and their subordinates, within inheritance systems and family dynamics where inequality and an unequal distribution of resources were part of everyday life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Taking advantage of key recent advances in long-run economic and financial data, we analyze the statistical properties of global long-maturity real interest rates over the past seven centuries. In contrast to existing consensus, we find that real interest rates are in fact trend stationary and exhibit a persistent downward trend since the Renaissance. We investigate structural breaks in real interest rates over time and find that overall the Black Death and the 1557 "Trinity default" appear as consistent inflection points. We further show that demographic and productivity factors do not represent convincing drivers of real interest rates over long spans. (JEL E43, F30, N20) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article considers Kristian Levring's 2000 film The King is Alive from a radically open historicist methodology, analysing the film as a product of multiple interleaved archives. An adaptation of King Lear , the film's relevant archive includes documents from the English Renaissance like the early modern recipe books and seventeenth-century medical treatises that this article uncovers. Yet because The King is Alive was filmed in an abandoned German mining colony in the Namib desert, the archive must also include accounts of the colonialist 'Scramble for Africa' more than two centuries after King Lear was written. The methodological deftness of history-as-adaptation allows us to see the film's anxieties about food that rest at the nexus of these two archives. Shakespeare's play worries about liminal foods—species-specific foods, foods that fail to nourish, and foods that become poison—but the film updates these concerns to implicate Western imperialism and global capitalism. Surrounded (and, in one instance, killed) by potentially botulistic cans of carrots that remain after the German occupation, the characters in the film must grapple with the toxic leftovers of colonialism, including Shakespeare's playtext. The film thus asks its audience to consider further archives related to the imperialist roots of the invention of canning, the discovery of vitamins, and the export of Shakespeare as a 'civilizing' figure. Finally, the film gestures to the foodway challenges exacerbated by both capitalism and climate change, becoming a palimpsest of archives from across multiple temporalities: a Shakespearean past, a colonialist present, and a warming future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Around 1526, Emperor Charles V decided to build a new Renaissance palace in addition to the Nasrid palaces in the Alhambra of Granada, a monumental site currently included in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) World Heritage List. In that period, a large floor plan, which is preserved today at the Library of the Royal Palace of Madrid, was drawn to represent the building and its surroundings. Although this anonymous drawing has attracted considerable historiographic interest, a study of the graphical aspects analysed here, namely, paper assemblage, drawing technique, representation system, metrology, graphical scale, dimensioning, and labelling, is lacking. To accomplish this analysis, the original document was carefully examined and digitalised with high definition. This process allowed a comprehensive graphic analysis, utilising other drawings from the same period as a comparative reference and studying for the first time the major characteristics of one of the most relevant architectural drawings of the 16th century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The direct anodic conversion of alkali carbonates in aqueous media provides access to peroxodicarbonate, which is a safe to use and green oxidizer. Although first reports date back around 150 years, its low concentrations and limited thermal stability have consigned this reagent to oblivion. Boron-doped diamond anodes, novel electrolyser concepts for heat dissipation, and the mixed cation trick allow record breaking peroxodicarbonate concentrations >900 mM. The electrochemical generation of peroxodicarbonate was already demonstrated on a pilot scale. The inherent safety is ensured by the limited stability of the peroxodicarbonate solution, which decomposes under ambient conditions to oxygen and facilitates subsequent downstream processing. This peroxide has, in particular at higher concentrations, an unusual reactivity and seems to be an ideal reagent when peroxo-equivalents in combination with alkaline base are required. The conversions with peroxodicarbonate include the Dakin reaction, epoxidation, oxidation of amines (aliphatic and aromatic) and sulfur compounds, deborolative hydroxylation reactions, and many more. Since the base equivalents also represent the makeup chemical for pulping plants, peroxodicarbonate is an ideal reagent for the selective degradation of lignin to vanillin. Moreover, peroxodicarbonate can be used as a halogen-free bleaching agent. The emerging electrogeneration and use of this green platform oxidizer are surveyed for the first time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]