Italia, Roma and Florentia

With a crown on his head and the ruler’s insignia in his hands, Robert of Anjou sits enthroned in front of a blue background. This is decorated with golden irises, in which short texts praise the beauty, wisdom, justice and honour of his Franconian ruling family. The personifications of the country of Italy and the cities of Rome and Florence are the first in a series of further personifications to confront the Neapolitan ruler. By turning to the left, the figures are always facing the king, although they are separated from him by one or more pages (with the exception of Italia, who is directly opposite Robert). By turning the pages, the viewer enables the different personifications to pay their respects to the ruler as if in a procession. The figures – as in the case of the Roma – even approach the ruler’s throne directly, as the throne on the previous page can still be seen in the manuscript through the thin parchment. The painted figures are closely connected to the text that surrounds them. It names the personifications and gives them a voice with which they express their suffering in words of homage. As an image, the personifications are given a human, feeling body that enables non-verbal communication through gestures and facial expressions and can thus reinforce the demand for sovereign care.