The Iconography of Emblematic Animals in The Album of the Ljubljana Noble Society of St. Dismas

Although the present research focuses on the iconography of animals in the emblems of the Album of the Ljubljana Society of St Dismas, it nevertheless addresses several other aspects of this unique book of emblems. Among others, the study tries to answer some open questions regarding the ideals and ambitions of Carniolan first academicians as initiators of the prestigious hand-painted memorial book. It is also the first attempt to contextualize the manuscript in the framework of the early modern emblem book production in Europe, and to identify the possible sources for its concept, as well as potential models for personal emblems of the members.

The book is divided into three parts. In the first part the origin of the Theatrum memoriae is outlined together with a short description of the manuscript book and its characteristics, its illuminations, and the typology of emblems. There is also a brief report on provenance and the present state of the manuscript. Also, some possible prototypes for the Ljubljana Album are identified. The first chapter outlines the status quaestionis: both the earliest mentions of the manuscript in the 19th century and all the relevant recent publications. Then follows a short presentation of the Ljubljana Noble Society of St Dismas and their guiding principles. The description of the manuscript, its content, structure, and above all the beautiful miniatures with emblems focuses on the pivotal features, relevant for iconographic and iconological analyses, which form the core of the research. From the perspective of new findings regarding the historical context of the Ljubljana Album, the most interesting chapter is the one dealing with the prototypes that might have inspired the Academici Uniti in the process of devising their memorial book.

This book is a translation of Ikonografija živalskih emblemov v Spominski knjigi ljubljanske plemiške družbe sv. Dizma by Tine Germ and was co-published by University of Ljubljana Press, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Rijeka, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Split.