The Origins of the Furnace Motif: From Magico-Religious Ritual to Early Modern Tale of Makeability
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Wendy Wauters
Abstract
The article delves into the fiery furnace motif and its evocations of the healing and makeability of men. Building on previous research conducted in religious history, art history and anthropology, a diachronic analysis of the textual and visual traditions of this motif is made. At its base lies the idea that the natural phenomenon of fire has a transformative power. This belief is present in several magico-religious rituals and in the visual imprint within Christian iconographical tradition. Both manifestations exist in conjunction and their evolution is intertwined. Herein lie the roots of the early modern secular motif of the furnace as a place of metaphorical transformation. Society may not have been aware of these previous attitudes, but the urban context does provide a fertile breeding ground for motifs such as The Rejuvenation Furnace and the so-called Baker of Eeklo. From the point of view of Christian ethics, it is interesting that the concentration of the furnace motif can serve as a seismograph of fluctuations in morality.
Acknowledgements
This article is based on my master’s thesis, finalised at the KU Leuven under supervision of Prof. Dr Barbara Baert. Another part of my thesis has been turned into an article for Volkskunde (issue 2/2019), entitled “The Vaporisation of Folly and its Similarity with Early Modern Medicine and Alchemical Discourse”. These two contributions serve as mutually enriching parts of a whole. I want to thank Professor Baert, Prof. Dr Wim François, and my colleagues at Illuminare – Centre for the Study of Medieval Art for their time, encouragement and insightful comments. I also want to express my gratitude to Kris Thielemans for her wonderful translation. Published with the support of the Universitaire Stichting of Belgium.
© 2020 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Making and Meaning-Making: The Antwerp Altarpiece in Ringsaker (c. 1530) across the Reformation
- Remembering the Dead and Reminding the Living: Blessing of the Corpse and Burial in Sixteenth-Century Sweden
- Alfonso de Castro on Vernacular Bible Translation and Christian Education
- The Origins of the Furnace Motif: From Magico-Religious Ritual to Early Modern Tale of Makeability
- Ex Meritis Praevisis: Predestination, Grace, and Free Will in intra-Jesuit Controversies (1587-1613)
- Uneasy Agents of Tridentine Reforms: Catholic Missionaries in Southern Ottoman Hungary and Their Local Competitors in the Early Seventeenth Century
- Shaping the Profession: Some Thoughts on Office, Duty, and the Moral Problematisation of Professional Activities in the Counter-Reformation
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Making and Meaning-Making: The Antwerp Altarpiece in Ringsaker (c. 1530) across the Reformation
- Remembering the Dead and Reminding the Living: Blessing of the Corpse and Burial in Sixteenth-Century Sweden
- Alfonso de Castro on Vernacular Bible Translation and Christian Education
- The Origins of the Furnace Motif: From Magico-Religious Ritual to Early Modern Tale of Makeability
- Ex Meritis Praevisis: Predestination, Grace, and Free Will in intra-Jesuit Controversies (1587-1613)
- Uneasy Agents of Tridentine Reforms: Catholic Missionaries in Southern Ottoman Hungary and Their Local Competitors in the Early Seventeenth Century
- Shaping the Profession: Some Thoughts on Office, Duty, and the Moral Problematisation of Professional Activities in the Counter-Reformation
