Cennino Cenninis gyllene diadem : En studie kring vad ordet diadema kan beteckna i Il libro dell'arte

Sammanfattning: In the early-15th-century book Il libro dell’arte by Cennino Cennini, the author uses the word diadema about a dozen times. The most recent Swedish edition from 2011 interprets this not as an object but as a halo, a divine light. The earlier edition from 1947/2000 keeps the closest meaning, a diadem, and by that the physical item. Both a material diadem and an immaterial halo would be represented in gold in the paintings described, consequently the symbolism of this material is closely linked to the interpretation of the motives Cennini could be describing.        The time around 1400, in Florence, is an important period of transition, where a fashion that differs for men and women has just been born, the boundaries of the sumptuary laws concerning headdress and jewellery are constantly challenged by women, and the rise of a more secular world where an individual dignity developed may instead be an argument that the word diadema is an essential sign of a more materialistic lifestyle emerging. Several factors come together arguing that the golden headdress of the early renaissance played just as important a role in paintings as the divine light and therefore showing that not every item gilded is a symbol of divinity, it can also be earthly belongings such as insignia, jewellery and dress decoration.