The Symbolic Value of the Image as an Educational Tool in the Middle Ages

In this contribution we aim to analyze the symbolic dimension of the image in the social and cultural context of the Middle Ages, to find out whether it can be deemed as a pedagogical tool for explicit educational purposes. Images and symbols are central in the medieval period. From the conception of the Greek symbállō, which literally meant “that which is thrown or cast together”, the word symbol has gradually assumed a more representative meaning, in particular thanks to the reworkings of Neoplatonism and Christianity, which led the symbol – and the image – to mean “something which stands for something else”. If studies up to now have mainly focused on the shift from symbol to allegory, we will argue that symbols had an educational value in themselves because of their visual immediacy and without needing the filter of language. From miniatures and bestiaries to paintings and symbols, the medieval man lived in a world richly populated with art, whose meaning went way beyond appearances. This allowed not only the educated elites, but also the common and the ignorant, to grasp a deeper layer of reality that led to multiple semantic interpretations. Certainly, in the medieval world images and symbols were to be found outside formal educational institutions, as the medieval curriculum privileged the liberal arts and tended to leave the use of images, illustrations and symbols outside the purely educational sphere. By analyzing medieval iconographic sources, the purpose of this contribution is therefore to provide insight into the role of symbols and the visual arts in the daily education of the illiterate. Exploring the educational value of symbols can open up a new line of interpretation of its social and cultural dimensions. Our analysis will expand the scope of research on the history of education within the visual turn of the most recent years.