Encounter: Rhythmicity of an Image

Abstract

he illuminated page I discuss is not a prestigious work of art of the sort I could have extracted from a richly decorated late medieval book of hours, but for historians of images and of social practices it is of great interest (Fig. 1). This page (Paris, Archives nationales, MM 406, fol. 6r) has accompanied me during many years of reflection about the importance and function of rhythm in medieval society. In this quest, miniatures quickly acquired a central place: the very beautiful ones, in royal Psalters and princely books of hours; and the others, like this one, more ordinary but still extremely compelling for their formal characteristics. The aesthetic value that we accord images (and which was already recognized at the time of their creation, but following different criteria) did not inspire my choice. Rather, what interests me is the capacity of illuminations to express or, better yet, to elicit rhythm— their rhythmicity, which is often associated with their musicality. The images that attract my attention echo the medieval concept of rythmus, which is concerned above all with vocal music, poetry, and the scansion of dance. This page stands out for the repetitive character of the mise en scène (three red registers); the sequential arrangement of figures (six or seven); their appearance, simultaneously similar and different; and, finally, because of the essential link between line and color in the figures, and the verbal articulations materialized by the inscriptions. For not only do the figures vocalize but they also make the image of their voices resonate: they make the picture talk and sing.