Forging the Augustinian Past: The Rule-Giving of Saint Augustine in a Duecento Gradual

Abstract

This study investigates the development of the Rule-giving image of the Augustinian friars through its most sophisticated surviving example, the initial of a finely illuminated late-duecento gradual (Cambridge, Fitzwilliam Museum, MS Charles Fairfax Murray 5). In addition to revealing the Augustinian patronage behind the creation of the manuscript, I analyze the iconographical, liturgical, and political context of the Rule-giving scene. The unique features of the illumination shed new light on the early cult of saints of the Augustinian friars, their special devotion to Saint Augustine, and the unconventional use of apocalyptic imagery. I argue that the manuscript was created in an Augustinian convent in the 1280s–90s, when the order was threatened with suppression due to its lack of antiquity. To refute this accusation, the order claimed Saint Augustine as its founding father. This study suggests this assertion was first made significantly earlier than has been assumed and that the Rule-giving image promoted a direct connection between Saint Augustine and the Augustinian friars. The illumination in the Fitzwilliam gradual bears witness to the development of the order’s self-confidence and shows how commissioning artworks could serve as a powerful tool for dealing with political tribulations. Ultimately, my study contributes to a better understanding of the collaboration of text, liturgy, and image in the Augustinian gradual and illuminates the role of artistic patronage in promoting origin stories for new religious institutions.