Catalan Sigillography and Beyond: Iconic Behaviors in Medieval Breaking Seals

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Catalan Sigillography and Beyond - Iconic Behaviours in Medieval Breaking Seals

 

In general, the research is good! 

1 Form: 

Positive aspects:

The structure is good: introduction, the covert symbolism, the iconic conflict, the act of sealing neutrality, the iconic conflict, the motivations for the rupture, the eye contact, the photographic dimension of the seal, and conclusion. 

The method has been indicated “this text will take into account three complementary methodologies…”

In the long introduction

Possible aspects to be improved:

The introduction is too long! It might be the longest of all the 9 chapters. If it is possible, it can be shortened. However, if the author is busy, can still leave it as it is. A professor form Oxford used to say, “In the introduction, you say what you are going to do, you do it in the main body, and in conclusion, you say, ‘I have done it’.” 

To ensure that the quotations and the bibliography are according to the MDPI style

2 Contents: 

In general, the contents discuss well the Catalan sigillography in the Middle Ages. 

The usage of the seal (during the life of a king or Church leader) and the breaking of the seal (after the death of a king or a Church leader) have been well discussed and documented. 

It has been well justified that the seal is not a “thing” (Lt res) but rather an “act” of recognition of power, sovereignty, authority, and royalty to the temporal (royal) and religious (Christian) leaders. The breaking of the seal will mean the opposite that is after the death of a king or a Church leader there is no longer the power, sovereignty, authority and royalty.

3 There are very few minor corrections! 

 

 

Suggestions for some corrections!

Line Number	Suggestion for correction
11	of a history and philosophy
24	Prix Duseigneur de l'Académie des Inscriptions et Belles Lettres de Paris (To put in italics, French or non-English words)
37	sigillography was cataloged catalogued (Replace cataloged by catalogued)
45	of cataloging cataloguing the most (Replace cataloging by cataloguing)
87	the potential potentiality of contemporary thought (Replace potential by potentiality)
213-214	(a golden ring with an inset cameo) (ACAb, fol. 43; De Dalmases 1992, p. I 32; Oliver Vert–Parada López 2022, p. 13). (Remove the full stop and put it at the end)
226-227	SIGILLVM WULFRICI, (which means in Latin Wulfric’s seal), an expression indicating that "Beyond this seal, Wulfric leaves no trace" (Hastings 1977) (Fig. 3). (To put the Latin words in italics; to translate them; to remove a full stop at the end of quotation and put it at the end)
338	an event that will become a memory. The seal has made its fragile appearance in the time (to add “that” and to remove “has”)
353	history of Western culture teaches that every imago has an evocative (Either to put the Latin word “imago” in italics or to change it into an English word “image.”)
355	based on pathos (to put the Greek word “pathos” in italics)
356	beyond logos and ethos) (Braet 1992) (To put the Greek words “logos” and “ethos” in italics)
464	quibus utebatur dum idem dominus principatus gerundensis 464 fungebatur honoris (which means “which he used while the same lord held the honour of the Principality of Girona) (It is good to translate the above Latin expression before explaining it)
477	Martenne’s Amplissima collectio (It is good to put it in italics)
561-562	SIGILLVM : MAGISTRI : ORDINIS : DE : SEMPINGHAM (Seal: of the Masters: of Order: of Sempingham) (It is good good to put the Latin words in italics and to translate them into English, not all readers know Latin)
564	CAPVT . NOSTRVVM . EST . CRISTVS (It is good to put the Latin words in italics)
603	O knights and gentlemen, (It is good to replace gentle men by gentlemen)
608	hand" (Carbonell 1864, XXVII fol. 217; Sagarra 1915, pp. I 94-95). (It is good to remove the full stop after the word hand)
664	Ordinació de la sepultura de la senyora Reyna doña Yolanda (Arrangement of the burial of Mrs Rayna Mrs Yoranda) (It is good to put the Spanish words in English and if possible to translate them)
681-682	acoustic expressionism (AMB, I fol. 30; Sagarra 1915, p. 681 94). (To remove the full stop before the quoted source and put it after the quoted source)
790	Interregnum (The Latin word is to be put in italics)
800	so the chapter that was, and the chapter that now exists, are is the same chapter, and not different (To replace are by is)
809	alone" (Kantorowicz 1957, pp. 316-317). (To move the full stop the end of the quoted source)
815	memory” (Didi–Huberman 2012, p. 296). (To move the full stop the end of the quoted source)
820	above." (AMB as supra)
940-941	Ordinació de la sepultura de la senyora Reyna doña Yolanda (Arrangement of the burial of Mrs Rayna Mrs Yoranda) (It is good to put the Spanish words in English and if possible to translate them)
1005	French sovereigns were buried with their seal dies seals. (It is good to replace seal dies by seals)
1012	The testators knows know that their bodies (To replace knows by know)
1014	they have temselves themselves buried with his sigillary matrices. (To replace temselves by themselves)
1056	through printed sources, inventories, and catalogs catalogues but (To replace catalogs by catalogues)

 

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Comments on the Quality of English Language

Catalan Sigillography and Beyond - Iconic Behaviours in Medieval Breaking Seals

 

In general, the research is good! 

1 Form: 

Positive aspects:

The structure is good: introduction, the covert symbolism, the iconic conflict, the act of sealing neutrality, the iconic conflict, the motivations for the rupture, the eye contact, the photographic dimension of the seal, and conclusion. 

The method has been indicated “this text will take into account three complementary methodologies…”

In the long introduction

Possible aspects to be improved:

The introduction is too long! It might be the longest of all the 9 chapters. If it is possible, it can be shortened. However, if the author is busy, can still leave it as it is. A professor form Oxford used to say, “In the introduction, you say what you are going to do, you do it in the main body, and in conclusion, you say, ‘I have done it’.” 

To ensure that the quotations and the bibliography are according to the MDPI style

2 Contents: 

In general, the contents discuss well the Catalan sigillography in the Middle Ages. 

The usage of the seal (during the life of a king or Church leader) and the breaking of the seal (after the death of a king or a Church leader) have been well discussed and documented. 

It has been well justified that the seal is not a “thing” (Lt res) but rather an “act” of recognition of power, sovereignty, authority, and royalty to the temporal (royal) and religious (Christian) leaders. The breaking of the seal will mean the opposite that is after the death of a king or a Church leader there is no longer the power, sovereignty, authority and royalty.

3 There are very few minor corrections! 

 

 

Suggestions for some corrections!

Line Number	Suggestion for correction
11	of a history and philosophy
24	Prix Duseigneur de l'Académie des Inscriptions et Belles Lettres de Paris (To put in italics, French or non-English words)
37	sigillography was cataloged catalogued (Replace cataloged by catalogued)
45	of cataloging cataloguing the most (Replace cataloging by cataloguing)
87	the potential potentiality of contemporary thought (Replace potential by potentiality)
213-214	(a golden ring with an inset cameo) (ACAb, fol. 43; De Dalmases 1992, p. I 32; Oliver Vert–Parada López 2022, p. 13). (Remove the full stop and put it at the end)
226-227	SIGILLVM WULFRICI, (which means in Latin Wulfric’s seal), an expression indicating that "Beyond this seal, Wulfric leaves no trace" (Hastings 1977) (Fig. 3). (To put the Latin words in italics; to translate them; to remove a full stop at the end of quotation and put it at the end)
338	an event that will become a memory. The seal has made its fragile appearance in the time (to add “that” and to remove “has”)
353	history of Western culture teaches that every imago has an evocative (Either to put the Latin word “imago” in italics or to change it into an English word “image.”)
355	based on pathos (to put the Greek word “pathos” in italics)
356	beyond logos and ethos) (Braet 1992) (To put the Greek words “logos” and “ethos” in italics)
464	quibus utebatur dum idem dominus principatus gerundensis 464 fungebatur honoris (which means “which he used while the same lord held the honour of the Principality of Girona) (It is good to translate the above Latin expression before explaining it)
477	Martenne’s Amplissima collectio (It is good to put it in italics)
561-562	SIGILLVM : MAGISTRI : ORDINIS : DE : SEMPINGHAM (Seal: of the Masters: of Order: of Sempingham) (It is good good to put the Latin words in italics and to translate them into English, not all readers know Latin)
564	CAPVT . NOSTRVVM . EST . CRISTVS (It is good to put the Latin words in italics)
603	O knights and gentlemen, (It is good to replace gentle men by gentlemen)
608	hand" (Carbonell 1864, XXVII fol. 217; Sagarra 1915, pp. I 94-95). (It is good to remove the full stop after the word hand)
664	Ordinació de la sepultura de la senyora Reyna doña Yolanda (Arrangement of the burial of Mrs Rayna Mrs Yoranda) (It is good to put the Spanish words in English and if possible to translate them)
681-682	acoustic expressionism (AMB, I fol. 30; Sagarra 1915, p. 681 94). (To remove the full stop before the quoted source and put it after the quoted source)
790	Interregnum (The Latin word is to be put in italics)
800	so the chapter that was, and the chapter that now exists, are is the same chapter, and not different (To replace are by is)
809	alone" (Kantorowicz 1957, pp. 316-317). (To move the full stop the end of the quoted source)
815	memory” (Didi–Huberman 2012, p. 296). (To move the full stop the end of the quoted source)
820	above." (AMB as supra)
940-941	Ordinació de la sepultura de la senyora Reyna doña Yolanda (Arrangement of the burial of Mrs Rayna Mrs Yoranda) (It is good to put the Spanish words in English and if possible to translate them)
1005	French sovereigns were buried with their seal dies seals. (It is good to replace seal dies by seals)
1012	The testators knows know that their bodies (To replace knows by know)
1014	they have temselves themselves buried with his sigillary matrices. (To replace temselves by themselves)
1056	through printed sources, inventories, and catalogs catalogues but (To replace catalogs by catalogues)

 

Author Response

Please, see my attachment with the answers to your kind review.

With thanks

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The article as a whole lacks sustained, careful, systematic inquiry, relying instead on vague terminology ("iconic behavior" is never defined carefully, to cite only the most glaring example) to offer random observations about the use of medieval seals and matrices. Despite the title, examples seem chosen at random and lack grounding in time (12th-17th century with no sense of change over time) or space (Catalan, English, etc. with no attempt to account for differences between regions). Such assertions as exist in semi-coherent form are unjustified and unconvincing. In the opinion of this reviewer, the author needs to rebuild the study from the ground up, beginning (not ending) with the assertions set forth in the conclusion (though these need significant sharpening).

Comments on the Quality of English Language

The article requires a systematic overhaul of its English prose, at the paragraph and even sentence level. Here are a set of specific comments (numbers refer to lines of the review copy):

20-41: These paragraphs should be combined. Dividing them makes little sense and creates choppy prose.

41: “validating elements” could use more explanation

51-52: “laws of history from the legal point of view” is a confusing phrase

72: Rework “Two of his works helped to consider his work as an incipient ‘semiotic’”

76: Remove “After all”—this phrase is not set up logically

94-95: The word “use” is highly redundant here

91-125: All of these paragraphs could be combined into a single one—paragraph breaks here seem illogical

143-145: The “as well as” clause is a non-sequitur

151-152: Sentence fragment

152: unclear antecedent for “which”

161-165: Rework unclear sentence—tell us what of the medieval history of Latin Europe and the Crown of Aragon?

173: What “insecurity” does “the usual European historian . . . suffer”? This seems overly pretentious.

1-198: The entire introduction could use significant tightening and sharpening. The author’s main assertions are not clear to this reader, even after lengthy discussion of previous scholarship and promises of the power of analyzing seals and matrices.

217-219: This sentence seems a non-sequitur. At the very least, the point of this paragraph requires more explanation.

290: I reach the end of this section with little notion of its point and unconvinced of the little that was intelligible.

295: Give context for terms like “phantasmata”

300-304: The author may be too reliant on the work of others. I don’t see much of an original contribution at this point.

323: The example here is of a Jewish court official, but the author makes nothing of this important identity.

339-340: “apparition” and “fascination” need to be explained. I don’t see how these terms instruct at all.

351: I again reach the end of a section by turns unconvinced and confused. In what ways is the act of sealing “neutral”? 

353-57: What is the point of this paragraph? How does it forward any kind of contention. It seems to have nothing to do with the paragraph that follows.

358-66: This paragraph is incoherent. None of the sentences connect with each other.

373-74: Okay, I get the point about the difference between violence against the image and destruction for political purposes, but the setup of this point was problematic.

384-87: Distinction between “iconic clash” and “iconic shock” is unclear. Are these the same thing?

390: “Mentally”? The distinction here is unclear. Are the signatures not physical? Same problem with “mental elements” later in the paragraph.

436: Needs a better transition sentence here. The point of this example is unclear.

442-54: The translation of the document reads awkwardly and needs work. Since the author doesn’t supply the original text, it is impossible to give suggestions for improvement.

455: “On the one hand”—the author hasn’t set up a contrast to justify this phrase.

456: “potentially juridical”—what does this mean? The following sentence is a fragment.

458: “It” lacks a clear antecedent.

464: The Latin here is taken out of context. The author needs to supply the entire quote in order for the reader to understand. The antecedent of quibus (at the beginning of the quote) is unclear.

472-75: This sentence is unclear, thus making the conclusion of the section unclear.

477-82: Another incoherent paragraph. The first paragraph of the section ought to set up the analysis that follows. This paragraph fails to do that.

496: “a problem of competencies” is an unclear label

496-98: Verb tenses are inconsistent here. And the term “rights” is problematic for the thirteenth century; it needs qualification and explanation at the very least.

506-07: “We are in the year 1276 . . .” This sentence is both awkward and unclear.

511: The point of this paragraph is never made clear. Again, the author fails to frame the example enough to signal its point to the reader.

518: Another confusing verb tense shift.

530: Still confused as to the point of this section, or at least to differentiate its analysis from what has already been said. The author needs to frame each section with greater care and intention.

532: Why the move to the 17th century? Again, more intentional framing is necessary.

538: “conceptism” needs explanation—this is not self-evident but rather a product applicable to a specific time and place

548ff: Interesting connection to Kantorowicz’s terminology, but the application of these ideas remains unclear due to inadequate framing.

565-69: The author rushes through what looks to be interesting analysis. Take time to unpack and explain this more carefully.

570: Which “case already cited”?

570-80: The point of this paragraph gets entirely lost in convoluted prose.

585: Unclear antecedent to “It” at the beginning of the sentence.

586: “Called to Chapter the canons, presided by the bishop”—prose is awkward in the extreme. Honestly, this sounds like a bad google translation.

594-608: Interesting example, but lack of framing makes it relevance to the analysis unclear.

614-17: What does this example have to do with the point of the paragraph?

618-32: The author needs to do more to connect this discussion with the examples summarized earlier in the section. The reader is left with little to take away from the section otherwise.

634: “photographic understanding” needs explanation

634-43: What is the reader supposed to take away from this paragraph? The connection between medieval seals and modern images of the Holocaust is not at all clear, and the author makes no attempt to explain the connection that exists in his or her mind. This failure to set up the analysis is a chronic problem in this article.

671: What “situation”? Where is “there”?

683-93: This is the most intelligible bit of analysis thus far in the article, but it remains buried in the middle of a section with inadequate framing.

694: “new iconic behavior” needs explanation

726-37: Another paragraph that lacks coherence. The author undercuts the earlier point about seals being like photographs. Why make the comparison only to undercut and reject it almost immediately thereafter?

738-747: Another concluding paragraph that completely muddies the section’s takeaway. The reader comes through this none the wiser.

752: “The category of ‘relationship’”—this phrase is hopelessly vague. The following sentences do not shed light on its meaning.

765: Since the author has laid out multiple contrasts, the meaning of “duplicity” here is unclear.

769: “duplicity from its origin” is vague.

767-76: This paragraph lacks coherence.

783-85: The takeaway here seems unoriginal. The relevance of the duplicity of seals to the political theology is insufficiently explained.

802: Final sentence of the paragraph provides insufficient analysis of the quote provided.

803: If the solution is found in Kantorowicz, why the need to write a new article about this? This paragraph consists entirely of a quote from Kantorowicz, with no commentary from the author.

822-23: Interesting point about memory, but follow-up is required to make this observation relevant to this study.

834-35: “the sphere of the government of institutions”—this phrase makes little sense

835: “it fragments it”—neither “it” has a clear antecedent

840-42: This embrace of anachronism needs more analytical support and justification

858-59: Not enough of a takeaway after the discussion of Panofsky and Benjamin.

868: “archaeology of the connoisseurs” requires more explanation, or at least a substantive footnote. The author is assuming too much knowledge of the reader.

871-73: Provocative statement with no justification or further explanation.

972-77: Interesting example of the afterlife of matrices, but not enough of a takeaway or connection with the other assertions in the article.

1004: What “questions” do these examples “raise”? This sentence needs more follow-up.

1017-29: More explanation needed to make this example relevant to the discussion about seals. Again, the author fails to make an adequate connection.

1040-43: This counter-example feels tacked on. The author could explain its relevance with more care.

1055: “to prove different ceremonies or juridical acts”—how can an “act” be “proven”? Again, the author fails to articulate the purposes of this article.

1052-1107: The conclusion does offer the clearest and most coherent explanation of the author’s purpose, but many of these assertions still seem vague and unjustified by the discussion in the body of the article.

Author Response

Please, see my attachment with the answers to your kind review.

With thanks

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

See reader's report

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Comments on the Quality of English Language

See reader's report

Author Response

Please, see my attachment with the answers to your kind review.

With thanks

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 4 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

This is an article on mediaeval sigillography in which the author proposes to analyse it using three different methodological approaches. In the introduction, he also emphasises the transdisciplinary nature of this type of analysis, which makes it possible to look beyond the political and cultural level. He takes the period between the 12th and 15th centuries as a temporal reference point and the Crown of Aragon in particular as a spatial reference point. The first part of the work offers a dense theoretical discussion, as the author proposes to analyse the seals by combining three theories of images.

“For the above reasons, this text will take into account three complementary methodologies: the Panofskyan method based on mimesis (the sigillary image reproduces, like a mirror, history; and, at the same time, it is capable of revealing its cultural context); the semiotic method derived from post-structuralism, which has its roots in the linguistics of Ferdinand de Saussure supported by the cultural anthropology of Lévy-Strauss, and is represented in the sigillographic analyses of Bedos-Rezak; and, finally and proposition ally, the anthropological-anachronistic art history of Aby Warburg. The latter, simultaneously with the work of Walter Benjamin, raises its voice again in the writings of Georges 133 Didi-Huberman and Giorgio Agamben. In this way, it is possible to land on the track of a dynamic analysis of the seal and the sigillary rupture understood as iconic behaviors that, in a novel way, help to go beyond the typical catalography of the work of Louis Douêt d’Arcq, Walter de Gray, Otto Posse and, ultimately, of Ferran de Sagarra himself”. (author, p. 3).

It is worth noting that the way in which the author presents his methodology is quite innovative and, as he shows throughout the article, when applied to the seals analysed it shows great potential for analysing other sets of seals. It should be noted that the division of the text into parts, as it has been done, makes the reading quite fluent and facilitates the demonstration of the author's arguments. Just as a suggestion: It would be important that in the final layout of the article the images are improved, especially those containing text. As this is a well-structured, original article with potential for innovation in the field of mediaeval sigillography studies, publication is recommended.

Comments on the Quality of English Language

This is an article on mediaeval sigillography in which the author proposes to analyse it using three different methodological approaches. In the introduction, he also emphasises the transdisciplinary nature of this type of analysis, which makes it possible to look beyond the political and cultural level. He takes the period between the 12th and 15th centuries as a temporal reference point and the Crown of Aragon in particular as a spatial reference point. The first part of the work offers a dense theoretical discussion, as the author proposes to analyse the seals by combining three theories of images.

“For the above reasons, this text will take into account three complementary methodologies: the Panofskyan method based on mimesis (the sigillary image reproduces, like a mirror, history; and, at the same time, it is capable of revealing its cultural context); the semiotic method derived from post-structuralism, which has its roots in the linguistics of Ferdinand de Saussure supported by the cultural anthropology of Lévy-Strauss, and is represented in the sigillographic analyses of Bedos-Rezak; and, finally and proposition ally, the anthropological-anachronistic art history of Aby Warburg. The latter, simultaneously with the work of Walter Benjamin, raises its voice again in the writings of Georges 133 Didi-Huberman and Giorgio Agamben. In this way, it is possible to land on the track of a dynamic analysis of the seal and the sigillary rupture understood as iconic behaviors that, in a novel way, help to go beyond the typical catalography of the work of Louis Douêt d’Arcq, Walter de Gray, Otto Posse and, ultimately, of Ferran de Sagarra himself”. (author, p. 3).

It is worth noting that the way in which the author presents his methodology is quite innovative and, as he shows throughout the article, when applied to the seals analysed it shows great potential for analysing other sets of seals. It should be noted that the division of the text into parts, as it has been done, makes the reading quite fluent and facilitates the demonstration of the author's arguments. Just as a suggestion: It would be important that in the final layout of the article the images are improved, especially those containing text. As this is a well-structured, original article with potential for innovation in the field of mediaeval sigillography studies, publication is recommended.

Author Response

Please, see my attachment with the answers to your kind review.

With thanks

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 5 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

In the absence of a clear statement of purpose and a good command of the English Language, it is difficult to grasp your essay's goals and arguments. I would suggest the following: 1) develop a stronger understanding of the theoretical framework in which you plan to carry your analysis and articulate your specific expectations of theory as you bring it to bear the medieval practice of breaking seals; 2) you seem unfamiliar with the diversity of sealing practices in medieval Europe and do not understand the difference between northern European sealing practices and the use of seals in Mediterranean Europe, where documents were primarily validated by notaries and their graphic signs.  In 2022, a conference was held at Barcelona's Catalan Institute to celebrate the anniversary of the publication  of Sagarra's catalogs of Catalan seals. The volume of proceedings should appear soon:  LA. SIGIL•LOGRAFIA MEDIEVAL A CATALUNYA I A L'EUROPA MEDITERRÀNIA.ESTUDIS COMPARATIS, edited by Xavier Barral I Altet and Vinni Lucherini and published by The Institut d'Estudis Catalans. Read it at your earliest convenience, since it will offer historiographical and updated material on Mediterranean seal usage. Similarly, and in connection with the anniversary, Barral i Altet has published a detailed analysis of Segarra's work on seals, Catalan history, and intellectual life, a must-read for you: Mediaeval sigillography in Catalonia and the territories of the Catalan-Aragonese Crown: An overview of scholarship and collecting (eighteenth to twenty-first centuries), Catalan Historical Review, 15 (2022): 25-52 and La sigil·lografia medieval a Catalunya i als territoris de la Corona catalano aragonesa: una primera aproximació a l’erudició i al col·leccionisme (segles XVIII-XXI), Catalan Historical Review 15 (2022): 141-166; 3) In general, you like to cite philosophers but you fail to reference the work you have used on seals and seem unaware of existing and recent work.s on sigillography. A case in point is the flawed paragraph on the seal of Todros Ha-Levy. Had you read Daniel Friedenberg on the Jewish Seals of Medieval Europe you would have learned that Jews typically use patronymics when stating their Hebrew names.  4) I understand that your focus seems to be on seal images, but the breaking of seal matrices cannot be considered without an understanding of the seal's role in extending personhood beyond the biological. Instead of relying heavily on Ernst Kantorowicz's brilliant but ultimately reconsidered theory of the King's two bodies, you should consider the indexical relationship between seals, bodies, and personhood (You missed the Agambden reflections on the subject). 5) You did not understand the semiotic turn in sigillographic studies. Far from relying on the semiology of  Ferdinand de Saussure, it is inspired by the semiotics and pragmatics of Charles Sanders Peirce (re-read Bedos-Rezak "Medieval Identity. A Sign and a Concept, in particular her When Ego was Imago. Signs of Identity in the Middle Ages, which is not cited in your essay. 6) I have shared with the editors of Religions the PDF of your essay with the comments I made directly in its margins. I suggest that you request this document from them.

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Comments on the Quality of English Language

The relatively poor command of English renders comprehension of the essay difficult. Several terms are misused (Chanceries and not chancelleries) or do not exist in the English language: sigillographic and no sigillary. It does not make sense to write of 'sigillary rupture' to discuss the breaking of seal matrices. 

Author Response

Please, see my attachment with the answers to your kind review.

With thanks

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf