Literary and Philosophical Perspectives on the Wheel of the Five Senses in Longthorpe Tower
The medieval wall paintings of Longthorpe Tower (near Peterborough, England), discovered by fortunate accident over thirty years ago, have been the object of several critical investigations; because of their delicate and fragmentary condition, however, it has been impossible to arrive at an exact in...
| Authors: | ; |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Cambridge University Press
1985
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| In: |
Traditio
Year: 1985, Volume: 41, Pages: 311-327 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (JSTOR) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | The medieval wall paintings of Longthorpe Tower (near Peterborough, England), discovered by fortunate accident over thirty years ago, have been the object of several critical investigations; because of their delicate and fragmentary condition, however, it has been impossible to arrive at an exact interpretation of the entire program. Two of these fourteenth-century paintings appear to treat the Seven Ages of Man and the Labors of the Months. Of particular interest is a third large painting (see plate), which depicts the wheel of the five senses. Much attention has been given to elucidating the significance of the five animals positioned on the rim of the wheel and to interpreting the meaning and function of the male figure who stands behind the wheel and appears to govern its motion. The problem of interpretation is not new. Indeed, the unknown artist provided a written guide to these wall paintings, but unfortunately the remnants of these inscriptions, found by the circumference and spokes of the wheel, are now indecipherable. Critics are in general agreement that the painting represents the five senses, and most cite the passage in Thomas of Cantimpré's Liber de natura rerum, which pairs specific animals with individual senses. |
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| ISSN: | 2166-5508 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Traditio
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1017/S0362152900006930 |