More miniatures

The novellas of the Decameron have been part of the literary canon of Italy and have therefore inspired many artists. You can find different versions and translations of the Decameron with images that illustrate the novella. There are different creators of these illustrations: Maestro della Cité de Dames (1414-1419), Miniatore fiorentino (1427-1430), Miniatore francese (1425-1450), Maestro di Guilleberts de Mets (1430-1450) and Scuola del Maestro di Duca di Bedfort (around 1430).

Besides illustrations, with the rise of cinema in the 20th century different films have been made based on Boccaccio’s work. The filmmakers and brothers Vittorio and Paolo Taviani adapted the story of Federigo and his falcon in their movie Maraviglioso Boccaccio (2015).

The marriage of Federigo and Giovanna represents an important message of the Author. From the novella you can deduce that the Author wants you to appreciate the noble value, and also wants to bring to light the sense of reality with mercantile values. In this way Boccaccio indicates subtly that both worlds can adapt to one another. To clarify, the novella can be interpreted the following way: the mercantile people need to maintain the noble manners they always learned , but on the other hand, the aristocratic people in their turn need to open up to the new mercantile values. The novella about Federigo might be an example of this. Because of all that has happened to Federigo, he has to adjust to the new reality where he learns to spend his fortune wisely and can still hold on to his aristocratic values.Anonymous, “La realtà rappresentata nel Decameron: il mondo mercantile cittadino e la cortesia”, Mitopoetica, last edited 7 December 2013 Here Fortuna also played an important role, which according to Boccaccio means the free game of events. Boccaccio, Giovanni and Aldo Busi, “Federigo degli Alberighi da Decameron, V, 9”, Istituto Italiano Edizioni Atlas: 1-5. Vol. 1. Cap. 9. On one hand Boccaccio means to tell us that we can influence our own faith by making certain decisions, on the other hand though we also have to have Fortuna on our side, meaning that not everything is in our control. In this novella, Fortuna finally appears after all the sacrifices Federigo has made, and particularly when he sacrifices the thing, or animal, he loves most; it is the ultimate sacrifice. This makes us reflect upon the question if we truly are the masters of our own faith?