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Reviews 131 lovers and the exchange of gifts. The chapter closes with a range of objects given as love gifts, such as the heart fuU of tears, or the brooch inscribed with a pertinent warning: T am a brooch to guard the breast/so that no rascal may put his hand thereon' (p. 69). Louise Marshall Department of Fine Arts University of Sydney Dolan, Claire, ed., Travail et travailleurs en Europe au moyen-dge et au debut des temps modernes, Toronto, Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies, 1991; paper; pp. xiii, 357; R.R.P. CAN$39.50 Like most collections of papers from conferences, this one from a trilingual (Italian, French, English) colloquium held somewhere at some time, the editor doesn't say where or when, is very much a mixed bag. The papers vary gready in quality and in subject matter. This is rather a pity because the focus of attention, the trades and the world of manual labour in the Middle Ages and Renaissance, is in sore need of reallyfirst-classattention. Steven Epstein's Wage labor and guilds in medieval Europe (Chapel Hill, 1991) stands as a shining light in thefieldinrecentyears. Some of the Italian contributions are particularly disappointing. Contemporary Italian medieval history, except for the edition of texts, frequendy seems to be indulging itself in a surfeit of verbosity, devoid of research and lacking real substance. Paolo Brezzi ('Una categoria di lavoratori poco considerata: gli artigiani medievali in Italia') would have us believe that the artisans of medieval Italy have been 'little considered'. Would that it were so! In fact there is is a multitude of studies on the topic. But for the most part they lack the specific research that Brezzi's paper also lacks. He becomes most interesting when considering the place of wage labour in jurisprudence and its legal categorization. Here he has some new and interesting things to say. Giuliano Pinto on 7 lavoratori salariati nell'ltalia bassomedievale: mercato del lavoro e livelli di vita' also provides some insights. Not surprisingly, statutory conttols on the price of labour and working hours corresponded to traditional ideological valuesratherthan to immediate economic objectives. Yet this study is also devoid of real reference to sources and concrete evidence. Maria Serena Mazzi ('Ai margini 132 Reviews del lavoro: i mestieriper "compare la vita'") is somewhat better. Although again somewhat verbose and to a significant degree limited by lack of sources for her subject she provides some interesting insights into the world of transient day labourers without trades. Ivana Ait ('Due equipaggi pontificiper la crociata contro il Turco: dai registri di arruolamento (aprile-agosto 1457)') is much better. This is an interesting analysis of an original source, which confirms evidence from other sources concerning the mobility and heterogeneity of maritime labour during the Renaissance. Rosa Maria Dentici Buccellato (7 mestieri della cittd. Palermo tra due e trecento') also provides a valuable study of the artisanat at Palermo based on primary sources. Sicily is often overlooked in medieval historiography and it is especially valuable to have the island represented here. Generally speaking, the French are more impressive than the Italians. Noel Coulet on 'Les confriries de metier en Provence au moyen-age' has one of the best pieces in the collection. This is not surprising when one considers his past work. His paper confirms for Provence the evidence from elsewhere relating to the origins of guilds in religious and charitable organizations and their late transition to trade guilds, a theme also reiterated by Carmen Batlle for Barcelona. Pierre Hurtubise on 'Les "metiers" de cour a Rome & Tipoque de la Renaissance', profiling the households of Cardinals in Rome, is also a systematically researched piece of work on an important subject. One has to make an exception for Denise Angers ("Le role de lafamille et la place de lafemme dans Vorganisation du travail en Allemagne a la fin du moyen-age: bilan historiographique"). Like most bibliographical overviews, this one adds nothing to the state of research. It does, however, highlight the careers of some w o m e n w h o achieved a high profile in business. Carmen Batile has the only contribution which deals with Iberia: 'Le travail a Barcelone...

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