[Sca-cooks] Katerina's Windows
Sandra Kisner
sjk3 at cornell.edu
Mon Oct 4 06:40:20 PDT 2010
From the TMR review list:
Schleif, Corine, and Volker Schier. "Katerina's Windows: Donation and
Devotion, Art and Music, As Heard and Seen Through the Writings of a
Brigittine Nun." University Park, PA: The Pennsylvania State University
Press, 2009. Pp. xliv, 579. $110.00. ISBN: 978-0-271-03369- 3.
It is a rare, but joyous, event when a scholar stumbles upon a rich, but
virtually unknown cache of documents that opens a window onto the life
and times of the now long forgotten. Such is the case with "Katerina's
Windows," which offers the reader a glimpse into the fascinating life of
Katerina Lemmel (1466-1533), a Nuremberg patrician wife, widow, and
Brigittine nun, who played a pivotal role in raising funds for the
construction and decoration of Maria Mai, a recently founded convent at
Maihingen, and her eventual home. ... Those interested in the economics
of life within a late medieval convent will find this study equally
rewarding. Although there is no record that Katerina Lemmel ever held
any official position as financial officer for the convent, her economic
resources and mercantile background were highly valued and utilized. Her
letters consistently show a vast knowledge of spice market values, as
well as a constant accounting of her own diversely-vast investments, and
the expected income that each would reap. ... Even though the current
study stands on its own, the authors have provided additional resources
for both scholars and students alike. Published concurrently with the
book is a website (http://katerinaswindows.asu.edu/index.html) designed
to stimulate further discussion within the classroom context.
The website doesn't have anything that I can see about spice prices;
you'll have to go to the book for that.
Sandra
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