Flesh as Reflector: Edmund Hardy on Dante's Use of 'Alluminar'

UK poet Edmund Hardy has a new post up at his blog Bite the Weeds, which is worth eyemarking in general--this one's about Oderisi da Gubbio, Dante, and the French term “alluminar." Piqued? Well we for one (hmm) love these etymological illuminations (sorry).

In the circle of pride, Dante recognizes Oderisi, a famous miniature painter. In naming Oderisi’s art, the poet chooses to quote the French term “alluminar”, allowing the journey to “Parisi” at the end of the stanza in order to locate the word as spoken. The French ‘enluminer’ derives from the Latin lumina, whereas the equivalent Italian term ‘miniare’ derives from minio, the red oxide pigments used for limning: by choosing “alluminar”, Dante chooses light over earth. The light, however, is reflected and not direct. Oderisi treads Canto XI’s circle of pride because he took credit for work which merely reflected a greater created glory, and was not eternal but part of a chain of more perfect “alluminar” – Oderisi speaks of how his art was bettered by Franco Bolognese, whose paintings were in turn dimmed by the brightness of Giotto. The Canto then addresses death, “se vecchia scindi / da te la carne”, when age peels off (scindi) your flesh, recalling the material lesson of Oderisi’s gold leaf which peels away in time. By the life of “alluminar”, flesh is shown as a temporary reflector of eternal light, peeling and darkening as gilt.

Here's to the New Ages. Read it all at Bite the Weeds.