«Contemplar a Dios sin imágenes». La imagen en los tratados de meditación en la Primera Edad Moderna

Abstract

The role and the use of the image constitutes an extraordinarily interesting topic in the analysis of Early Modern devotional literature, in which numerous aspects (iconographical, historical, social, theological and doctrinal) are to be considered. The image, in fact, represents a key issue in Early Modern religious debates, and plays a significant role in the Reformation and Counter Reformation fracture in the second half of the 16th century. The present study assesses the role of image in the 16th and 17th century meditation treatises (mainly of Hispanic and Italian origin). It examines the doctrinal premises that sustain the Early Modern theory of religious image, surveys the contemporary debates concerning its legitimate use, and explores the role of the material image (figura) in meditative practice. Finally, it assesses the image as an agent of soft censorship, in other words, it explores its function in the doctrinal disciplining of the devotees.