The Carnerius Code:
Botanical symbolism in
the diploma di laurea
of Gaudentius Carnerius,
1684
An Italian mystery
• The University of Manitoba Archives contains a
diploma given to a man called “Gaudentius
Carnerius” by the University of Padua, in January
1684
• Part of the Dysart Collection, donated to the
University in 1953
• Dysart is an eclectic assortment of materials,
made up primarily of early European documents,
handwritten or printed
• Items in the collection were intended to be
exemplars of early European publishing
• Little was known about
the diploma aside from
the date, place and
name of the graduate
• The diploma is about the
size of a modern trade
paperback, with
embossed leather
covers and 1 seal
attached
• Inside it contains a
handsewn vellum
“octavo”, which is
handwritten and
illuminated
Some questions
• Who was “Gaudentius Carnerius”?
• What kind of diploma is it? What does it
say?
• Are there others like it? Is the style
common for the period and location?
• Do the illuminations/illustrations mean
anything, or are they just decorative?
Who was “Gaudentius Carnerius”?
• A Latinized form of the actual name, which was probably
Gaudenzio Carneri
• Father’s name was Simon, as indicated on the diploma
• Birth records for a Simon Carneri exist for 1613 in Cles,
Trento, which a 2 hr drive northwest of Padua (via Verona)
• Gaudentius is the name of saints from Brescia and Rimini,
both in close proximity to Padua
• Early 17th century sculptor Mattia Carneri created the high
altar of the Cathedral in Padua, as well as other ecclesiastical
sculptures in Venice & Innsbruck
• Gaudenzio was probably a local boy, but more genealogical
research on him is needed
Cles
http://www.sacred-destinations.com/italy/italy-northern-interactive-map.htm
What kind of diploma is it?
• a Doctor of Canon Law degree = church law.
• Padua was founded in 1222, one of the oldest European universities &
was a centre for both law and medicine; continues today
• Was governed under the Venetian Republic, i.e. free of Papal control
• Pioneered clinical medicine and the use of autopsies as diagnostic tools,
• Had one of the first university botanical gardens in Europe, which exists to
this day
• Students came from all over Europe – diplomas exist for Italian, German
& English students
• Famous students included Nicholas Copernicus, Francesco della
Rovere/Pope Sixtus IV, Giovanni Pico della Mirandola & Sir William
Harvey, whose diploma is at the Royal College of Physicians in London
• Padua claims the first woman university graduate in the world in “1678,
when Elena Lucrezia Piscopia gained her degree in Philosophy“ She died
in 1684.
http://www.unipd.it/en/university/history.htm; http://www.answers.com/topic/1684
What Gaudenzio’s diploma says
• Text is church Latin and is a “boilerplate” like
today’s diplomas, i.e. they all say more or less
the same thing.
• “In the name of Christ, Amen. To each and every
person seeing, reading and hearing this public
granting of the privilege of Doctor, we, Alexander
Mantuanus of Serravalle, Doctor of Law and in the
Episcopate of Padua….”etc.etc. etc.
• Thanks to Carol Steer for doing the translation
Is his diploma typical?
• The Carneri diploma’s text is
common, but its appearance is
extraordinary to us.
• Were all 17th-century diplomas
like this, or is this exceptional?
The investigation
• Used Worldcat, Google & Google Scholar to
locate references to/images of 127 diplomas from
Padua, Bologna, Venice and other northern Italian
cities
• Used all the resources of the UM libraries to
gather information on the
historical/artistic/botanical context of the diplomas
• Diploma holdings are scattered around the world –
largest collections are in archives in London, Italy,
New York & New Jersey (Princeton)
• Some are recorded on auction sites, or are in
private hands
• Private collector
Avvocato
Gianfranco Nucci of
Rimini has a
personal collection
of over 100
European diplomas
ranging from the late
1400s to Fascist-era
Italy…27 of these
are of the 17thcentury “Carneri”
type
What do we know about these
diplomas?
• Few English studies have been done – the only diploma
extensively studied is Willam Harvey’s, and then only for
the text
• Academics at the universities of Padua and Urbino have
been studying the Italian diplomas for the last few years,
mainly for textual/historical information
• Little analysis done of the artistic content – diploma
imagery is a new field
• Consensus is that the format & style of these diplomas
were unique to the universities of Northern Italy and the
Veneto region in particular
• Why? Unknown at this point, but may be related to
medieval tradition of miniature painting in Padua
How were they made?
• Scribal studios in Padua and Bologna turned out
the diplomas
• Work was done by calligraphers, illuminators and
miniaturists, preserving medieval methods
• Some diplomas have excellent calligraphy & poor
art or vice versa
• Some have empty frames where portraits were
supposed to go
• Possible evidence of a master/apprentice system,
or an assembly line type of production, going back
to the Middle Ages
• Diplomas were commissioned and paid for
by the graduate and/or his family
• The more elaborate the design, the more
expensive the diploma
• Similar themes for law & medicine; i.e. can’t
tell what type of diploma it is by the
illustrations
• Sig. Nucci estimates that it would have taken
a year or two to produce one diploma
Who were the artists?
• Some artists/miniaturists/scribes are known,
through historical records or signatures on the
diplomas
• Most are *not* signed
• 2 prominent artists around the time of the
Carneri diploma were Joseph Aloysius Foppa &
Rocco Maria Castelli, who succeeded Foppa as
the premier painter of miniatures for the
University of Padua
• Castelli in particular turned out masterpieces
Evolution of a style
• The oldest diplomas looked like
diplomas we are used to: one large
sheet of vellum with maybe some
decorations in the margins
• looked very much like other
medieval documents such as
charters, decrees, etc
1480s University of Bologna
1500, University of Bologna
When & why the shift to a different
style?
• The transitional period was between 15811593. Before this time, large sheets of vellum
were used; after this time diplomas were
almost exclusively in book form
• Sig. Nucci thinks that the trend to the booklet
type of diploma started in Bologna & then
spread to Padua
• Time context:
– 1581: Galileo enters U of Pisa
– 1591: Shakespeare’s first plays performed
http://www.pbs.org/empires/medici/timeline/nonflash/ferdinando.html
• Sig. Nucci believes that the booklet form
evolved as a way to allow graduates to carry
their diplomas with them to more easily
present their credentials & impress
prospective employers, patrons, etc.
• Why didn’t they get the diplomas printed
instead of done by hand?
– Expense
– Technology
– Prestige
– Tradition
• Carneri diploma has all the elements of a
very expensive document, paid for by a
very wealthy family – a possible connection
to the sculptor?
• The diploma is a rich source of classical
and religious iconography, but most
particularly of floral imagery
• This type of symbolism is more typical of
medieval books of hours than postRenaissance illustration
http://libwww.library.phila.gov/medievalman/Detail.cfm?imagetoZoom=mca1020160
Book of Hours, Flanders, 1485-1499
“The border decoration, with illusionistic flowers, insects, and
small animals on a gold ground, is typical of Flemish illumination at this time”.
Why Flowers???
• It may strike us as strange that the
predominant images on a man’s diploma are
those of flowers, but nearly all of the existing
diplomas feature floral designs
• Majority are abstract flower-like patterns,
most likely a continuation of the marginal
decorations of medieval manuscripts
• The Carneri diploma is
among only a handful that
feature recognizable
botanical illustrations,
instead of abstract florals
• Pears appear in a 1617
diploma
• The first one with a pattern
of flowers & fruit similar to
the Carneri diploma
appeared in 1669
• Foppa may have
established the use of this
particular template
A Rare Jewel
• The Carneri diploma is only 1 of 3 that
show evidence of an artist with botanical
training
• The other 2 are:
• in Jerusalem, a physician’s diploma issued
to Giacomo Levi in September 1684
• At Princeton, a law diploma issued to
Girolamo Maschi, November 1685 (?)
• Are they done by the same person?
Botany, Art & History
• Why such exact renderings of plants?
• The 17th century was the beginning of a shift in
scientific thinking and innovation
• Botany was of particular interest, due to the new
discoveries of North & South America
• New plants & animals challenged existing world
views and people tried to find some meaning for all
of these “alien” items
• Botany was so popular that gentlemen took home
“herbaria” or scrapbooks of pressed plants – these
were sold in Padua as souvenirs
“A book of plants gathered at Padua”
1631-1694
Natural History Museum, London
• Systems of botanical classification were
developing quickly at this time, influenced by
several scientists associated with the
University of Padua
• Botanical art was also evolving at this time
from classical/medieval herbals, which
reproduced images without observation, to
plants that were faithfully depicted, inspired
by observation in botanical gardens
• Flower books or “florilegia” were popular used to plan gardens and inspire décor &
needlework
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biological_classification
Padua’s Orto Botanico
• Botanical gardens were
created as a kind of “zoo” to
understand & classify the
plants
• Most were associated with
universities
• Padua’s was founded in 1545
and ”is the original of all
botanical gardens throughout
the world, and represents the
birth of science, of scientific
exchanges, and understanding
of the relationship between
nature and culture.”
Henry VIII in 1545
http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Padua-Botanical-Garden
Then
Now
Art meets Science in Padua?
• Could the Orto Botanico have influenced the illustrators of the
university’s diplomas?
• Carneri, Levi and Maschi diplomas all show a remarkable skill at
rendering plants
• Carneri’s is equivalent to works of the great botanical painters of the
17th & 18th centuries
• Was there a botanical artist in Padua in 1684?
• Was botany a particular interest of Gaudenzio Carneri?
Four Tulips, ca. 1635
Jakob Marrel
Truth or Illusion?
• Could the diploma’s plants be a literal
record of the botanical garden’s
collections?
• A plant inventory of the Orto Botanico was
done in 1591 and exists today
• The Natural History Museum’s plant books
also have lists
• Many, but not all, of the diploma’s flowers
& fruit are found in these 2 sources
…and then there’s the “Carnerius
Code”
• The same flowers & fruits can be found in nearly all
of the “botanical” diplomas
• Flowers & fruits appear simultaneously, although
they bloom/fruit at different times – a medieval
convention
• Although the flowers, fruits & even the insects are
rendered with scientific accuracy, the choice of
flowers is governed by ancient symbolism
• The flowers convey a hidden message that goes
beyond the text or documentation of actual plants
of the Orto Botanico
The Language of Flowers
• Flowers have had symbolic significance
since classical times
• Since the same flowers in various
combinations appear in most of the
botanical-themed Padua diplomas, thei
value must be symbolic rather than purely
decorative.
• Carnerius flowers:
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Roses
Tulips
Peonies
Daffodils
Thistle
Carnation
Borage or nightshade
Unknown 4-petalled flower
Tulip
•
There are 5 tulips in the diploma, different
varieties and in different stages of bloom
•
Since the tulip was supposed to “wilt or die
without the sun”, it symbolized:
– the sanctifying grace of the Holy Ghost
– Divine Love
– The Virgin Mary or the sorrow of the
Virgin Mary.*
•
Tulips were also a fairly new flower to
Europe, with the famous “Tulipmania” crash
happening in 1637
•
Tulips were not recorded in the Padua
scrapbooks, and not yet well known in
1591, so not in that inventory
*p.390 The
Garden of the Renaissance:Botanical Symbolism in Italian Painting.
Mirella Levi D’Ancona.
Carnation
• One carnation or “pink” in
the diploma
• Carnations were also
associated with the Virgin,
having similar significance
to roses and lilies
• Red carnations were
symbolic of divine love or
earthly love.
• Carnations not recorded in
Padua scrapbooks, or list of
plants in 1591
P. 80 D’Ancona
Daffodil/Narcissus
• 2 white & pink
daffodils/narcissus with
buds
• “daffodils were sacred to
Proserpine, queen of the
dead”
• Daffodils/”daffydown dilly”
recorded in Padua
scrapbooks; also in 1591
inventory as narcissus
P124 D’Ancona
Peony
• Possibly 3 peonies
• One of the earliest
medicinal plants
• Symbol of salvation, but
also a symbol of
healing, anti-witchcraft,
death, & chastity
• Peonies are not in the
scrapbooks, but are in
the 1591 inventory
Borage or Nightshade or Pimpernel
or Periwinkle?
• Blue pimpernel variety grows in
southern Europe
• Had medicinal uses; also a symbol of
salvation
• Borage symbolizes “greatness of
spirit,strength & audacity”
• Nightshade is a poison, but also =
belladonna, used as a cosmetic
• Other diplomas show nightshade-like
flower more clearly
• Pimpernels & periwinkle are recorded
in the scrapbooks & 1591 inventory;
belladonna is not
http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/p/pimper33.html
http://www.emmeti.it/Cucina/Liguria/Prodotti/Liguria.PRO.25.en.html
Thistle
• Thistle can represent
original sin, or the
passion of Christ, or the
Virgin Mary
• Many thistles in the
Padua scrapbook,
• the 1591 inventory lists
“Cardo Maria” cardo =
thistle in Italian.
• Cardo Maria = Blessed
Milk Thistle
Rose
• There are 3 roses in the
diploma
• Scrapbooks list roses, as
does the 1591 inventory
• Diploma displays one bud,
one in perfect bloom, one
fully blown and about to
shed its petals
• In Christian symbolism, 3 is
the number of the Trinity
• The rose was closely
associated with the Virgin
Mary from the earliest times of
Chrisitanity,
• As an attribute of the Virgin
Mary, the 3 stages of the rose
could also symbolize the
Virgin’s own story: pregnancy,
motherhood, sorrow
• According to D’Ancona, the
red rose specifically
symbolizes “Mary’s sorrow at
the Passion of her Son”
D’Ancona p 337
Fruit, Flies & Fowl
• The diploma also has detailed renderings of fruits and
insects. Fruit appears in other diplomas, but not at this
level of accuracy
• Insects also appear in other diplomas
• Like the flowers, both realistic & symbolic
• Peacocks are a common symbol in many diplomas =
immortality & incorruptibility (decay)
What does it all mean?
The underlying message of the
diploma could be read 2
ways:
1. Many symbols of
death/decay/immortality - could
this be a posthumous diploma?
2. Many symbols of devotion –
could be a declaration of
Carneri’s faith, in particular a
great devotion to Mary.
A possible 3rd message???
• Carnerius diploma is unique in the use of
images of gods & goddesses
• Classical symbols have greater prominence than
religious ones – very unusual
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/82258/GiordanoBruno/883/Final-years#
• Was Carneri a classicist, or is there another meaning?
• Some symbols *could* be connected to Rosicrucians,
Masons & followers of the Hermetic traditions, popular from
the 16th-18th centuries
• In the 16th century, Giordano Bruno, one of the most famous
hermeticists of the Renaissance, taught at Padua – lost a
permanent position to Galileo & was later burned at the
stake.
One last mystery …
• The Carnerius diploma has the words Valerio (or
possibly Valeria) Vincent. F underneath the coat
of arms on the last page.
• The F could be an abbreviation for “fecit”,
meaning “I Made” in Latin.
• Artist’s name or a Latin motto?
• Another unique element, another mystery
Questions still needing answers
• Who was Carneri? What was his connection to
the sculptor Mattia Carneri? Was he connected
to the Orto Botanico? More genealogy needed
• Why did northern Italy produce these diplomas?
Are they connected to earlier miniatures?
• Who was the artist? More diplomas from 1684/5
needed
• What is the classical symbolism about?
• What can the Italian diploma studies tell me?
Translations needed!
What did I learn?
• The diploma is:
– an artifact of 17th century education, wealth & faith
– an original work of art, unique among other Italian
diplomas
– a snapshot of botanical science & botanical art in its
infancy
– a window into the development of the Orto Botanico and
other botanical gardens
– a bridge between the scribes of the past and the
information systems of today
– a rare treasure…estimated value of $10,000.00
Thanks to People & Places
• Mr. James Clough, Polytechnic University, Milan
• Mr. Lech Kosinski, Dept. of French, Spanish & Italian, University of
Manitoba
• Natural History Museum Sloane Herbarium, London
• Newberry Library Special Collections, Chicago
• Mr. Gianfranco Nucci, Lawyer, Rimini
• Ms. AnnaLee Pauls, Princeton University Library, Scheide Collection,
New Jersey
• Royal College of Physicians of London archives
• Ms. Carol Steer, UM Libraries
• Dr. Shelley Sweeney, UM Archives
• University of Manitoba Libraries
• Umberto Nahon Museum of Italian Jewish Art, Jerusalem
• Wellcome Library archives, London
Thank You