Elementos iconográficos en los manuscritos de los Cuentos de Canterbury.

Abstract

This article is divided into two main parts. The first ofthem deals with the various types of illustration found in al! the manuscripts which contain the Canterbury Tales. Sorne ofthem show a few ornamental capitals and flourished lines on the margins, whereas others add figures and representations of the pilgrims. The second part is devoted to the analysis of the miniatures of Chaucer's characters found in the Ellesmere manuscript, one of the most beautiful and well-organized volumes containing the Canterbury Tales. This part analyzes the relationship between the description of the pilgrims made by Geoffrey Chaucer in his Prologue and their pictographical representation carried out by three different illuminators throughout the manuscript. These artists offer distinct approaches to Chaucer's words, ranging from a literal interpretation to a mere depiction of archetypes. As a result we are left with a wonderful collection of portraits that allows us to learn about the medieval concept of social classes and that exemplifies how scribes and illuminators shared their work in the production of a manuscriptin the Middle Ages.