The Many Lives of a Book: Transformations of Comenius’ Orbis pictus, 1658-1758


Project Summary

This project is hosted by: Warburg Institute

Research interests:
Classics, Digital resources, Early Modern, Education, History, History of art, History of the book, Language and Literature (French), Language and Literature (German), Language and Literature (Italian), Literatures in a modern language, Philosophy
Regions:
England, England, Europe, Europe
Project period:
18-Jan-2027 - 17-Jan-2029
Project categories:
Digital grant, Events grant, Network grant, Research project
Project summary:

THE MANY LIVES OF A BOOK: MULTILINGUAL AND VISUAL TRANSFORMATIONS OF COMENIUS' ORBIS SENSUALIUM PICTUS, 1658-1758

This project is funded by a BA/Leverhulme Small Research Grant (SRG26\260709).

Jan Amos Comenius’ Orbis sensualium pictus (1658) is a pioneering multilingual illustrated children’s book which systematically combined vernacular and Latin text with images to teach language and knowledge through sensory experience. Through hundreds of editions, translations, and adaptations, the Orbis pictus quickly became a foundational text in early-modern education, influencing thinkers such as John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Its pathways of transmission, however, remain surprisingly understudied. Focusing on the first century of its reception (1658–1758), this project examines how the Orbis pictus was reshaped through both visual and multilingual reconfiguration, and what these changes reveal about the impact and adaptation of Comenius’ pedagogical, philosophical, and theological ideas in diverse contexts. Resulting in a digital bibliography, collaborative workshops, and a co-authored
publication, the project will also serve as the springboard for further research on multilingualism, visual education, and the circulation of knowledge in early-modern Europe.


Management Details

Lead researcher & project contact:

Name Position Institute Organisation Contact
Dr Sara Miglietti Sara.Miglietti@sas.ac.uk