Board of Books: The Tablets of the Sienese Biccherna

Abstract

Abstract: Taking as a cue the concept of the “whole” book, the author analyses a very particular form of fragment, the tablets of the Biccherna, the office of public expenses of the city of Siena. This article proposes a fresh look at the category of fragments. Those painted boards represent an extraordinary collection of fragmented bindings—not binding fragments. This paper highlights the need to see those very special types of fragments with a particularly sharp expression of mimetic materiality. Those tablets are simultaneously protective covers of accounts and examples of artistic expression and literate culture. But their full potential can only be uncovered if they are positioned in their full context—as books-in-the-world. Thus contextualized, their analysis can also help us in building better frameworks for the whole field of fragmentology.