A Knight's Journey - Quenton Mosel

True love is allowing both sides of the marriage to have sovereignty, which is the theme of The Wife of Bath’s Tale. In the story, the knight is on a quest to search for the answer to the question “What is the thing that women most desire?” It takes the knight the entirety of his allotted time to complete his quest (a year and a day), to which he is forced marry the old lady who saved his life. The old lady offers to either be young and unfaithful or old and devout, to which she is granted the power of choosing and becomes both and they live happily ever after. This tale along with the drawing by William B. O’Neal go hand in hand for the knight “learns” his lesson and becomes a faithful man, whereas the drawing is of a knight very much in love with his maiden. The knight in the drawing has his armor on, so he may have just gotten back from some form of battle and is now happily relaxing at the base of a tree. The drawing could be a possible look at the knight from the story’s married life if the story were to continue on from it’s ending.

O’Neal, William B. A Maiden Embraced By a Knight in Armor. 1838. pen and brown ink with brown wash, heightened with white, on brown wove paper. National Gallery of Art. Web. 15 Feb. 2014.

A Man's Redemption by Dominick Meyer

Stories can be told by art or by written word but it matters not which is chosen because both can portray even the most amazing of events. The piece I choose is a drawing that I feel embodies the motif of loss and redemption in Fedrigo's Falcon because Fedrigo squanders his wealth in the pursuit of a woman, he sacrifices his most prized possession in the pursuit of honor, but in the end he becomes a man of a finer cloth and wins the woman of his dreams.

Infatuation is a pursuit that will bring nothing but hardship and cold stares if the love is not shared. Fedrigo experiences loss first when he spends a great deal of his money to impress Monna Giovanna but loses track of his funds and finds himself with only a small farm left to work. One example of this is when the story told that “in order to win her“ love, he participated in jousts and tournaments, organized and gave feasts. and spent his money without restraint; but she. no less virtuous than beautiful, cared little for these things done on her behalf, nor did she care for him who did them. Now, as Fedrigo was spending Far beyond his means and was talking nothing in, as easily happens he lost his wealth and became poor, with nothing but his little farm to his name (from Whose revenues he lived very meagerly) and one falcon which was among the best in the world.” Fedrigo was so madly in love he refused to accept she didn’t love him and his wasting of money was really a waste of time. His first loss would however would not discourage his affections toward Monna in any sense. Fedrigo experiences his second lose when he killed his most prized falcon in the pursuit of honor to Monna so they could have a meal worthy of her. The hour was late and his desire to honor the gracious lady was great, but not wishing to turn for help to others (not even to his own workman), he set his eyes upon his good falcon, perched in a small room; and since he had nowhere else to turn, he took the bird, finding it plump, he decided that it would be a worthy food for such a lady. So, Without further thought, he Wrung its neck. In his pursuit to honor Monna he found that his most prized possession meant nothing to him opposed to his desire to please her. Honor is a tool that is necessary for life but can be lost when a man's moral fiber can’t stand against life's challenges. At the end of his descent from a wealthy noble to a poor farm owner Fedrigo still managed to show that he has a heart of gold not the Midas touch. Like when Monna’s brothers said to her “You foolish Woman, what are you saying? How can you Want him; he hasn’t a penny to his name. To this she replied: “My brothers, I am Well aware of what you say, but I would rather have a man who needs money than money that needs a man?” When Monna speaks to her brothers about remarrying she speaks of the selflessness of Fedrigo and how he was a man not rich fool who only thinks with his money and not his heart. Discovery of an old ideal can lead to the creation of a new prospect for all to know.

Fedrigo was a man who thought not of himself but of another no matter how much it cost him, an individual who gave what he prized in the quest for redemption, and one who shows that a mans worth is not in gold but in his actions. No matter how you slice it a picture is worth a thousand words but drawing works just as well.

source: Bruegel the Elder, Pieter. Peasants and Cattle near a Farmhouse. 1553/1554. Pen and brown ink on laid paper. National Art Gallery. Web. 11 Feb. 2014

Sovereign Chances- Llanira Castillo

 

The connection between the painting and the theme chosen for "The Wife Of Bath" tales is showing that women should have the same power as the men and should be treated the same and that they should have control. The theme of The Wife Of Bath tales is Sovereignty for women. Women want to be considered equal to their husband or brother and father and be in control and be the masters. In the Middle Ages women were forced to have arranged marriages and they had to obey any husband, brother uncle, etc. It's important to treat women equal and have the same control. They should not be treated for like they are worth less. And that one does not dominate in the other. I think this painting fits well with my theme because it is showing a man crowning the woman. I interpret this as giving the power to her. Men were usually seen as the higher power but the fact the he is kneeling in front of her and placing the crown on her head it shows that women are just the same as men and that women should have the same power as the men. Women should have a chance to have the same rank as men do. That is why this painting fits well with the theme because the its the coronation of a women becoming queen by the king so its giving her power, the same as the guy.

                    The Coronation of the Virgin, c. 1475-1504 Painting, National Gallery of Art, Lippi, Filippino,

Slave of Love-Tyler Gillen

Slave of Love

In the face of true love, a human being becoming a slave is the theme that Giovanni Boccaccio clearly leaves for the reader to pick up. Fortunes, prized possessions, virtues, and opinions are all things that love forces humans to change. In Boccaccio’s tale “Federigo’s Falcon”, Federigo threw away his entire fortune for the woman he had fallen madly in love with. After years in solitude Federigo realized what a mistake he had made doing so. When the same woman was at his doorstep and into his life once more, Federigo killed his prized possession, the falcon, and served it to honor her. These actions show how under the shackles of love one thinks highly on actions they normally would not even dream of following through with. Without love Federigo would have been a wealthy man with a hobby of falconing he would have regularly spent doing.  In this picture, like Federigo, this man has been chained and slaved to love. The shackles on this man are used to show that love has made him a slave under its rule. The disappointment on this man’s face shows how his actions for the one he loved left him with little in life to treasure. Like Federigo he  became a changed man because of actions he thought were necessary at the time. If love had not struck these two men they would have become the men they were destined to be with the values and riches of their previous lives they had found so dear.

Giotto. Slave Bound. 13290-1330. Tempera on panel. National Gallery of Art. Web. 13 Feb

Money Doesn’t Buy Happiness - Laura

In Frederigo’s Falcon, Frederigo spent most of his life trying to impress Monna Glovanna, the love of his life.  He competed in jousts and many tournaments trying to win her over, but he never succeeded.  He then moved to the outskirts of town with nothing by his falcon to keep him company.  Monna on the other hand was also quite depressed.  She lost her husband to sickness and she knew her beloved son was next.  After a long talk, her son told her that he wanted nothing other than Frederigo’s falcon.  Nothing would make him quite as happy, and as a mother, she wanted nothing less than to see her son smile again and fight for his life.  The next morning, Monna Glovanna showed up on Frederigo’s front step in hope to bring home his falcon.  During dinner, Monna enjoyed the meal prepared for her without knowledge of what she was eating.  After Frederigo admitted to preparing his falcon for dinner, Monna went home empty handed and her son died a few days later.  Not long after, Monna and Frederigo, both still depressed, agreed to wed and spent their lives together.  After all this, Frederigo came to realize that money won’t buy happiness, no matter how much one spends.  In the picture The Mourning Madonna, she’s sad and upset, just as Frederigo was most of his life.  The colors in this painting portray sadness and doom similar to the way Frederigo was portrayed in the story.  The Madonna is looking down with sorrowful eyes and has nothing surrounding her indicating possible destitution and loss of worldly possessions.  Happiness can not be achieved with wealth and worldly possessions; however it is based on a state of mind and actions taken to improve the situation.

Crucifixes, Franciscan. The Mourning Madonna. 1272. Tempera on panel. National Gallery of Art. Web. 13 Feb. 2014.

Sacrifice And Love - Seth Liveringhouse

Cite:  Four Scenes from the First Book of Samuel

late 11th century

1975

National Gallery of Art. Medieval and Renaissance Miniatures from the National Gallery of Art. Washington, 1975.

1997

Richler, Martha. National Gallery of Art, Washington: A World of Art. London, 1997: 8

The story Federigo’s Falcon, is about the nature of giving and sacrificing for love.  The picture above represents the theme in the story because, the picture represents love, begging, and sacrifice.  Just like what the story represents.  In the picture above, the man with the in the middle row on the far right represents Federigo.  Federigo was a kind, but poor man who only wanted the love of his life to love him back.  He wanted his wish so much he actually gave up his beloved falcon, so he could feed the woman he loved.  This image fits the theme of the story because it shows begging,   The lady begging in the top left of the picture, and the same women in the middle row, represents Monna Giovanna in the story.  Monna is a young woman who is asked by her dying son to retrieve Federigo’s falcon for him.  Monna is a very kind, widowed mother who would do anything to save her son, like most mothers would.  Monna, taking advantage of Federigo’s love for her she goes to his home to ask for the falcon.  After not getting the falcon for her dying son she realizes she actually does love Federigo.  The young child in the picture, in the middle row represents Monna’s son. Monna’s son, in the story, is dying of some illness and thinks that if he had Federigo’s falcon, that he would get better.  Monna’s son eventually dies, never retrieving the falcon because Federigo cooked the falcon to feed to Monna.  This action by Federigo was a very great and risky action.  Federigo sacrificed his one love in his world for the woman he loved.  This is why this story teaches you that sometimes you must give or sacrifice something for someone else you love.  

Greed=Death Stephen Wright

Greed Ends with Death

In The Canterbury Tales, by Geoffrey Chaucer, the theme of the “Pardoner’s Tale” is that greed leads to Death. The artist, Nicolaes Maes, drew the Death and the Miser. It is a drawing that has a Miser counting his money and Death standing next to him. The drawing and the Pardoner’s Tale have the same theme. In the “Pardoner’s Tale”, the theme is explained by three men at a tavern that get drunk then go out to find Death. They find a pot of gold under a tree and in the end Death takes them because of greed. They were greedy and they each other in order to get a bigger cut of the money. In the drawing, Death is standing near to the Miser, who is counting his money. The definition of a miser is someone who hoards money and lives under their own means in order to keep their money. The Miser is showing greed and Death is near to take him. The drawing is also showing that greed terrible and Death awaits to who has this characteristic. The Pardoner’s Tale and Death and the Miser both show that greed is a terrible thing and only leads to death.

Maes, Nicolaes. Death and the Miser. 1650/1655. Ink on laid paper. National Gallery of Art. Web. 13 Feb. 2014.

Devoted Man, Devoted Mother-Stephanie Munch

Devoted Man, Devoted Mother

In Giovanni Boccaccio’s piece of Middle Age literature, “Fedrigo’s Falcon”, he expresses the theme of devotion in the same way that Domenico Veneziano does in his piece of artwork, Madonna and Child. Boccaccio shows devotion in “Fedreigo’s Falcon” through the main character, Fedrigo. He is devoted to a recently widowed woman, Monna, and proves his devotion to her when he makes his Falcon into dinner for her. His Falcon meant everything to him, but Monna meant more. Monna needed the Falcon to make her son better but then realized that since Fedrigo had made it into her dinner that his love was much greater than the need for the bird. The way Fedrigo shows devotion to Monna would be similar to that of a mother to a child. A mother gives her child everything it needs even if it is hard for the mother to get ahold of. In the painting by Veneziano, Madonna, the mother, is holding her young child close to her body as if protecting him, showing devotion to him. Throughout both the literary work and the painting, devotion is showed intensely with love mixed in. Boccaccio and Veneziano both portray excellent examples of devotion through their Middle Age pieces.

Veneziano, Domenico. Madonna and Child. 1445. Tempera on panel. National Gallery of Art. Web. 14 Feb 2014.

Anything for Love- Destiny Garcia

Anything for Love

“Fedrigo’s Falcon” was a story of unedifying love and sacrifice. Fedrigo was madly in love with a lady he set his eyes on and decided to have parties and events to impress her. He showed love for her like the mother in the painting showed her son. The time eventually came when he had spent all of his fortune on her and became poor. As time went on it began to be all about sacrifice for love. Shortly after that her son had gotten sick and she was desperate to get him back to health. She did whatever he wanted and showed the love she had for him like in the painting When she asked him if there was anything specific that he wanted that would make him feel better. Finally he brought up Fedrigo’s falcon. The feeling between the painting and the story is grief and worry. She holds her son close to her for comfort. Fedrigo knew he didn't have much but for such a pretty lady, he knew he needed to make her something grand. Even though he loved his beautiful falcon and treasured it, like the lady loved her son. It was sacrificed for a lady. Gave up what he had left and gave it to her to eat for love and affection. He told her what he had done and she was flattered but torn apart as well because of her son. She had all her riches to herself, but was lonely. She had remembered the great sacrifice Fedrigo had made for her and she decided to go to him. Sacrifices are a showing of love and doing things for the one you love that is close to you. Holding each other close, doing anything for love.

Gentile da Fabriano, Madonna and Child Enthroned, 1420, tempera on panel, National Gallery of Art. Web. 17 Feb. 2014

Disrespecting Women - Zayne Kinkade

The theme meant in “The Wife of Bath’s Tale”  is that women are not meant to make decisions, and that the men are to rule the world. This picture shows the theme perfectly. It depicts a man looking down at a woman who seems to be working on something, perhaps sowing. The slight detail in the man’s face gives a condescending look, which was common throughout the time period of Chaucer. “The Wife of Bath’s Tale” tells of a queen who, in the end, let a knight run free when he really should not have. The claim that women are not meant to make decisions is represented nearly perfectly by the picture above. The man looking down condescendingly at the woman who is working represents the view of Chaucer and much of the Middle Ages. The men seem to be powerful figures, while the women are stuck in the background being told what to do, like the picture. The woman looks to be stuck in the back rooms of some house, being told what to do by the man of the house. Woman are not to be making decisions is what the theme is saying, and this picture exemplifies that. Woman should be seen, not heard, and that is what this picture seems to reflect.

Rothko, Mark. Conversation. 1932. Oil on linen. National Gallery of Art. Web. 11 Feb. 2014.

Give It Up For Love- Connor Brown

Give it up for Love

The theme a reader gathers from “Fedrigo’s Falcon” is that people sacrifice possessions, or themselves, for love. Fedrigo gives a lot to get the Monna’s attention. He first gives all of his money and riches to try to get Monna’s attention and she doesn’t notice him. This would drive him into poverty and force him to almost give up on striving for her love. He then goes out to a secluded area with nothing more than a farm and a falcon. At a time of desperation, Monna seeks the falcon to save her ill son, as he says that the falcon can heal him. Only by trying to impress Monna again, does Fedrigo cook up the bird to serve to her. This shows the sacrifice to gain the love of another.  The same can be said through this painting, The Crucifixion with the Virgin, Saint John, Saint Jerome, and Saint Mary Magdalene [middle panel] by Pietro Perugio. This painting shows the way Jesus Christ gave his all for the love of his followers. It shows Jesus giving his life on the cross for his followers who are standing around the base of the cross, as well as the land surrounding the site that represents the now, “Holy Land”. Jesus’ followers, after his crucifixion, realize what he has just done for them. In this case, both Fedrigo and Jesus are giving up something of significance in order to attract attention and gain love.

Photo Citing: Perugio, Pietro. The Crucifixion with the Virgin, Saint John, Saint Jerome, and Saint Mary Magdalene [middle panel]. 1482. Oil on panel canvas. National Gallery of Art. Web. 13 Feb. 2014.

You Can't Take It With You: Whalen

Some people will go to unbelievable lengths to get more for themselves. Greed will consume a person without their knowing. It blinds people from the fact that when your dying day comes you will not be judged by how many material possessions you have, but rather the things you have done and the people you have touched while living on this earth. Greed easily blinds people from seeing what is truly important throughout life and death. The Pardoner’s Tale represents just how far people will go to accumulate more for themselves and this picture also represents that through multiple examples. To begin, the man in the painting looks as if he’s fascinated with the golden object he is holding. This is very ironic because in The Pardoner’s Tale, the three men find gold under an oak tree, while searching for death, and are so obsessed with getting it all to themselves they literally die for it. The next similarity is the dark and mysterious undertone this picture displays, with gold being the brightness in the picture. The Pardoner’s Tale also presents a mystery as to why people let greed capture their mind into thinking that it’s worth killing someone to get more for themselves. This leads to the last way this picture portrays the theme of The Pardoner’s Tale. The man in the picture is holding a weapon that can be used to put people to death, a sword. In The Pardoner’s Tale, the three men plotted against one another to get more for themselves. They went so far to plan to kill one another. In the end this resulted as a poor choice for all of them. This is because they did not end up with the riches they had sacrificed their friends for, instead they met death. The lengths people will go to get more for themselves is unbelievable. If people are not careful greed is able to consume them entirely without their knowing. Greed will easily blind you from what is important when your dying day comes. It's not about the quantity or how extravagant your possessions are. It's about the people you have helped and the things you have accomplished that have changed the world in a positive way.

Freedman, Joanne. Saint Alcuin. 1972. Oil on panel. National Gallery of Art. Web. 11 February, 2014.

Unconditional Love--Sami Cromer

In “Federigo’s Falcon” by Boccaccio, the theme is making an exceptional sacrifice in an attempt to gain an unattainable love.  The story is very comparable to the painting A Gentleman in Adoration before Madonna by Giovanni Moroni.  In the story Federigo is faced with loving someone who does not love him back.  This leads him to make the decision to sacrifice the falcon that he loves as the dinner to be served for his love.  Within the painting is a woman who is holding a child, and pleading to a man for help of some type.  This is very similar to Federigo’s Falcon where Monna, the woman who Federigo is in love with, is convinced that Federigo’s falcon can save her sick son.  In an attempt to save him, she unexpectedly arrives at Federigo’s house to request the falcon.  Federigo, surprised by her unexpected showing, makes that rash decision to kill his bird, roast it, and serve it to his guest. Much like the story, the woman appears to be uncomfortable, but desperate, and the man, like Federigo is her last hope.  Ultimately the story and the painting connect on the basis that a mother will do whatever she needs to do to save their child, and that sometimes humans make decisions for instant satisfaction, without first analyzing the possible consequences.

Giovanni Battista Moroni. A Gentleman in Adoration before Madonna. 1560. Oil on canvas. National Gallery of Art. Web. 13 Feb. 2014.

The Love of a Falcon Vs. A woman- JP

The love of a falcon Vs. a woman

Love is essentially giving and sacrificing, the act of doing something without determining the consequences for the sake of someone, or even just caring for someone so much that the love comes out in bursts. The acts of love and how they can make anyone do just about anything, including killing a falcon, and serving it to the woman of  dreams is the main theme in the tale “Federigo's Falcon”.

The Falconer by Jacques Callot, symbolizes the main theme in many different ways, including the Falconer’s yearning for the princess, the fact showing that is he’s hiding behind the tree, showing he’s scared as if he’s contemplating the idea of whether or not he should show himself to beautiful woman, or hide in his cowardice ways. If he did ride up to her and talked to her, that’s one of the acts of love, confidence. Confidence, in the acts of love, is basically doing something where the heart has taken control of the mind and set it’s course, in this situation the beautiful lady. If he hid in his cowardice ways, it’d prove that even though his love for her is strong, he’s not ready for all of the tasks before him, which makes him more of a character then if he did go up to her.

He’s debating the idea of being in a relationship with her would benefit the both of them, or just him. The acts of love has two different sides what one person wants out of love and what the other person wants as well. In this situation, he’s contemplating, not what’s best for him, but what’s best for her as well. Even though it may be hard for him, he will do what is best for the both of them. That’s what one of the many acts of love is, doing what’s best for each other, not what's best for one. Also, the horse looks like it just stopped, showing he just got there while he’s contemplating the idea, which can be shown into the acts of love, he’s scared on what she’ll think of him, just like Federigo was whenever he saw her. The falcon is also there to show how much he cares for the falcon, because if he didn’t care for the falcon, he could have left him anywhere. Just like the theme, the falcon will go wherever the Falconer goes, because he cares for his master in only a way that a animal lover and his pet can show. In the end, The Falconer symbolizes the main theme of “Federigo’s Falcon”, which is the acts of love, in meaning that they can make anyone do anything. Even though, no matter what The Falconer does, it’d be an act of love. There are many possibilities of which the situation may turn out, people can assume he chose the right decision.

Callot, Jacques, The Falconer, French, 1592-1635, National Gallery Of Art, Wed, Feb. 11, 2014

Anything For You - Jade Cook

In the story “Fedrigo’s Falcon,” love is shown through many ways and this painting is an example of how a motherly figure or just anyone in general will do anything for her child or the one they love. For example when Fedrigo saw a lady named Monna Giovanna he would participate in jousting and tournaments to win Monnas love. Even though he did not succeed he did not give up on the love he had for her just like the painting is showing that an individual will not give up on the other person. The painting also shows how much love someone has for another person and Monna’s son loved Fedrigo’s falcon so much that he became sick because he could not have the falcon. Just like in the painting Monna will do anything for her son and he asked for the falcon because that is the only thing that would make him feel any better. Fedrigo could not return the favor and the boy eventually died. This painting shows so much love by the individuals staying strong and caring for each other. Because of the love she had for her son she did not care that Fedrigo had no money, all she cared about was the fact that his bird made her son very happy and when he passed, the thought of being with Fedrigo shows how much she loved her son.

Rodin, Auguste. Two Figures. 1905. Graphite with wash. National Gallery of Art. Web. 14 Feb. 2014.

Love Conquers All-Claire Sickler

In the story “Federigo’s Falcon”, the power of true love overshadows the power of wealth. This portrait, painted by Giotto, represents many things from “Federigo’s Falcon.” Primarily, it shows the love the mother has for her child, much like the love that Monna has for her son. This love is an unconditional love that cannot and will not be broken. When most people think of true love, they think of a man and a woman who love each other more than anything in the world. But who is to say that true love cannot be with a child or mother or grandmother? In Federigo’s Falcon, Monna proves to Federigo that money isn’t everything. She says that she would rather have a man with high morals than a man who has a big wallet. In the story, Monna does all she can to save her dying son. She even asks Federigo for his most prized possession, his falcon. This painting can connect to that in the way that this mother is doing what she can to keep her child cheerful. Even though Federigo’s Falcon and this beautiful painting have different meanings, it’s easy to see the love and compassion that this mother has with her child, just like Monna and her son. Behind the mother and child in this painting, there is a large gold figure in the background. It shows that wealth tries to take the place of love, but love wins everytime. Just like “Federigo’s Falcon”, wealth tries to take the place of love in peoples eyes and hearts. Fortunately, when all is said and done,  love over takes the pleasure of wealth.

Giotto. Madonna and Child. 1320-1330. Tempera on panel. National Gallery of Art. Web. 13 Feb 2014.

La Pieta: Nature of Giving and Loss - Austin Persinger

The story “Federigo’s Falcon” by Giovanni Boccaccio contains a theme that includes the nature of giving and sacrifice, love, and loss. There is a piece of artwork that matches the theme quite well. The masterpiece La Pieta, sculpted out of marble by Buonarroti Michelangelo, displays the nature of giving and sacrifice, while also exposing a significant sign of loss that is also displayed in “Federigo’s Falcon”. Giving and sacrifice is shown in the sculpture because Jesus was a sacrifice for the world and the people in it. In the story, Federigo sacrifices his beloved falcon to serve the love of his life, Monna. This piece of art shows Virgin Mary’s true love for Jesus, as she is cradling him in her arms as he lies dead. Federigo proves his extreme love for Monna throughout the entire story. He spends all of his wealth trying to impress her and also kills his prize possession, the bird, because he had nothing else to serve Monna for dinner. Losing something significant in life can be a difficult task, and it is shown in the sculpture. Virgin Mary loses her son, and it shows how saddened she is by it even though she knows its for the good.Federigo has one thing left in his life that is truly important, the falcon. He loses his falcon after realizing that Monna came to him to ask for the falcon. At first, Federigo doesn’t know how to cope with the situation, but in the end, he gains what he has been trying to get for a majority of his life, Monna. The theme of “Federigo’s Falcon” is exhibited well through giving and sacrifice and a sign of loss, which connects strongly with this piece of art.

Buonarroti, Michelangelo. La Pieta. 1499. Sculpted of Marble. Saint Peters Basilica. Web. Feb. 11, 2014