MDPI - Publisher of Open Access Journals

10 pages, 11524 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Lombard Sculptures from Saint Sophia of Kijv at the Russian National Museum in Moscow

by Spiriti Andrea

Arts 2025, 14(1), 1; https://doi.org/10.3390/arts14010001 - 31 Dec 2024

Viewed by 930

A group of Romanesque sculptures today at the Gosudarstvennyj Istoričeskij Muzej in Moscow, coming from the restoration of the Cathedral of Saint Sophia in Kijv, can be related to the commission of Vladimir II Monomak, Grand Prince of Kijv, cultural heir of both his great-grandfather, the grand prince Vladimir I (who had founded the church between 1011 and 1037), and of his grandfather, the Eastern Roman Emperor Constantine IX: It is argued here that, alongside the Byzantine mosaicists certainly present, the sculptures are the work of a group of artists from the Lombardy lakes (also known as Comacine masters), attested in central and eastern Europe through Bavaria, Bohemia, Poland and then arriving in Sweden, active in Kijv between 1113 and 1125. It is probable that their specific origin is from Valchiavenna. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Russia: Histories of Mobility)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

12 pages, 10889 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Sacrifice of Isaac Capitals at Sainte-Foy at Conques and Saint-Seurin at Bordeaux

by Kristine Tanton

Religions 2024, 15(4), 465; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15040465 - 9 Apr 2024

Viewed by 1603

Abstract

The period between 1080 and 1160 saw an explosion in monastic construction throughout Western Europe. The textual sources from this period document this building boom and explicitly tie construction and refurbishment to monastic reform and the creation of spaces for spiritual renewal. Newly built or remodeled monasteries and churches were richly decorated with wall paintings and monumental sculpture and inscriptions. A new form of sculpture emerged during this period of increased construction—the historiated capital. Despite their small size, capitals in the eleventh and twelfth centuries were frequently decorated with figures of humans or animals, and these images usually referred to a narrative, with lapidary inscriptions serving as commentary to the images. This article will compare two capitals depicting the Sacrifice of Isaac to consider how location and movement around the capitals direct the interpretation and understanding of the narrative scenes and accompanying epigraphy. One capital is in the narthex of Saint-Seurin at Bordeaux, while the other is in the choir of Sainte-Foy at Conques. My analysis involves making connections between the location of the capital within the architectural space and its relationship to other sculpted imagery, monastic interpretations of their spaces, and the liturgical events that took place within those spaces. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sacred Space and Religious Art)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

49 pages, 44552 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Polysemic Interpretation of the West Façade of Saint-Martin-de-Besse: Time, Space, and Chiasmus Carved in Stone

by Anna-Maria Moubayed

Religions 2022, 13(2), 152; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13020152 - 10 Feb 2022

Viewed by 4729

Abstract

This article explores the sculptural programme of the west portal of Saint-Martin-de-Besse, which places Penance and the Eucharist sacraments at the centre of its polysemic narratives, forming chiastic sequences. Concerned with the fall of humankind and the history of redemption, the portal of Besse presents a series of enigmatic figures from the Old and New Testaments, along with an early Christian figure, Saint Eustace. In this article, I first present a brief historical overview of the church and its surroundings and then proceed with an iconographical survey of its portal. I argue that the series of sculpted narrative vignettes forming the west façade of Besse are polysemic as they carry multiple meanings. Focusing on salvation through (re)conversion, where the liturgical sacraments of Penance and the Eucharist are fundamental, these polysemic narratives form and perform four distinct chiasmus interchanges involving the Garden of Eden, where time and space are in constant dialogue. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Liturgy in the Middle Ages)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

13 pages, 78131 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Artistic Interchange between Al-Andalus and the Iberian Christian Kingdoms: The Role of the Ivory Casket from Santo Domingo de Silos

by Inés Monteira

Histories 2022, 2(1), 33-45; https://doi.org/10.3390/histories2010003 - 2 Feb 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 4817

Abstract

The ivory casket made in Cuenca in A.D. 1026 and signed by Mohammad ibn Zayyan constitutes invaluable evidence for the study of artistic transfers between Al-Andalus and the Iberian Christian kingdoms. In the 12th century this piece was transformed in the monastery of Santo Domingo de Silos (Burgos) with the addition of Christian-themed enamels and reused as a reliquary. The appropriation of this object within the ideological context of the Christian expansion in the Iberian Peninsula allows us to reflect on the meaning given to it by the Silos monks. Moreover, a comparative study of the casket with Romanesque sculpture shows the existence of important iconographic influences of this piece in Christian art that have not been sufficiently studied until now. Its analysis offers clues about the way in which figurative motifs could be transmitted from Andalusi to Christian art and about the symbolic purposes with which they were used. This work highlights the need to study conjointly the transfer of artistic pieces and the transmission of figurative motifs from one context to another in addition to proposing a methodology for their study. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Revisiting the Legacy of Al-Andalus)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

18 pages, 4759 KiB

Open AccessArticle

From Canterbury to the Duero—An Early Example of Becket’s Martyrdom Iconography in the Kingdom of Castile

by Marta Poza Yagüe

Arts 2021, 10(4), 72; https://doi.org/10.3390/arts10040072 - 26 Oct 2021

Viewed by 3546

Abstract

The church of San Miguel of Almazán (Soria, Spain) houses a twelfth-century antependium ornamented with scenes of Thomas Becket’s martyrdom. Discovered during restoration works in 1936, its origin and its original location are unknown. The aim of this article is twofold—to frame its manufacture chronologically in light of recent research on late-Romanesque sculpture in Castile, and to use this information to discover who commissioned this work: The bishops of Sigüenza, whose diocese included Almazán? The canons of the monastery of Allende Duero built at the foot of Almazán’s town wall? Or, as has always been claimed, the Castilian Monarchs Alfonso VIII and Eleanor of England, who were the chief promoters of the Becket cult in their dominions? Whatever the answer, this relief is one of the earliest examples of Canterbury saint iconography in the Crown of Castile. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue St. Thomas Becket in Art: Image, Patronage and Propaganda)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Search Results (5)

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI

Saved Queries

Search Filter Reset All

Years

Feature Papers

Subjects

Journals

Article Types

Countries / Regions

Search Results (5)

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI