Written 1340 in Avignon and widely distributed Ovidius moralizatus by Petrus Berchorius undertakes a systematic allegorical examination of the Metamorphoses that explores the current situation in the church and society. For the first time an illustrated edition of the text created 1348 in Bologna is presented in full. The exceptional miniature cycle develops a highly imaginative iconography of metamorphoses. Simultaneously, the reader can appreciate a new, emotional and human view of Ovid.
The analysis of the images but also the critical edition, translation and commentaries on the text are placed into context through literary and art history comparative studies. The result is a comprehensive image of the prominent role played by the ancient myth in the intellectual debates of the 14th century.