Ikonografické pramene k štúdiu slovenského poľnohospodárstva

Iconographic sources are an important source of information for the study of historical forms of the field management culture, particularly its material part. They are a testimony to the time of their creation, the period technology and techniques of the mediaeval peasant. We can find pictures and images of the people at work, in their homes and clothes, and aspects of the life and institutions of the family and social life of the peasants in various depictions, pictures both artistic and technical, and images and illuminations of old manuscripts. Together with the archival sources, they are a vivid and trustworthy source of information about the man and the period. Iconographic sources consist mostly of book, wall and table paintings, figural sculptures and reliefs, seals, graphic prints, illustrations, vedute, maps, but they can include artistic, sculptural and graphical handicraft products. For writing my study on iconographic sources, I used published works, especially the publication Člověk tvorca (Man Creator; 1987) by S. Kovačevičová and Homo faber (1967) by V. Husa et al. I also had at my disposal a study Ikonografia slovenského kalendára z r. 1432 (The Iconography of the Slovakian Calendar of 1432; 1976) by M. Kučera. I used other sources as well, one of which was the work Bäuerliche Fahrzeuge und Arbeitsgeräte (1988) by V. H. Pottler. In the interpretation of the iconographic sources I divided them into three groups: 1) Tools and instruments, 2) Buildings and field objects, and 3) Farm animals.