in situ at the Hagia Sophia, Istanbul partially destroyed upon the conquest of Constantinople by the Ottoman Turks in 1453.
Christ in Majesty or Christ in Glory, Lat., Majestas Domini, always seats Christ on a throne, from which He rules the world. The iconographical representation of the seated Christ and supplicating figures in Majestas Domini is called Deisis, Gr., δέησις, meaning "prayer" and/or "supplication." Christ Himself is humbly depicted blesseing with the Word in His hand. The Virgin, John the Baptizer, other saints, and angels surround Christ, supplicating for the sins of mankind. One device aptly used to date the icon is identification of the other saints and/or angels surrounding Christ.
Title
"Christ in Majesty"
Date
12th century (Romanesque)
Current location
Originally in situ at Sant Climent de Taull presently at the National Museum of Catalonian Art, Barcelona
A mandorla, also commonly referred to as an aureole or a vesica pisces, is the oval or almond shape surrounding or encasing the holy figure(s), i.e. most commonly Christ, the Virgin, or saints. The earliest Christian use of the mandorla is dated to around from the 5th century. In this particular "Christ in Majesty", or Majestas Domini, Iesous makes a gesture of blessing and declares "ego sum lux mundi", or "I am the light of the world" (Iohannes VIII: XII). Jesus is portrayed in both realms of humanity and divinity, exhibited by his feet, gesturing hand, and halo that are extending out of the mandorla. He is both physically represented and figuratively represented, as shown on the book in Jesus' hand signifying that He is The Word.
Title
Annunciation scene detail, “The Word” entering Mary through rays of light emanating from dove
Date
c. 15th century
Current location
National Gallery, London
The Hebrew word for dove is Yonah, which means "I moan like a dove" (Is 38: 14). Traditionally, in Judaic culture, the dove identifies with the love that God has for the Israelites, His Chosen people. White doves were offered by the Jewish poor because they were signs of purity. In Song of Solomon, the dove is used frequently as a device of endearment. In Psalm 55:6, the dove is used as a device of rest and peace:"Oh that I had wings of a dove to fly away and be at rest ..."
In Genesis 8:8-11 Noah sends a dove to see if the flood had subsided: “Then he sent out a dove to see if the water had receded from the surface of the ground. But the dove could find no place to set its feet because there was water over all the surface of the earth; so it returned to Noah in the ark. He reached out his hand and took the dove and brought it back to himself in the ark. He waited seven more days and again sent out the dove from the ark. When the dove returned to him in the evening, there in its beak was a freshly plucked olive leaf! Then Noah knew that the water had receded from the earth.” Through the flood, all the evil had been destroyed then and God wanted Noah to go forth with his family and multiply on the earth. The messenger, the dove, brought back an offering of peace between mankind and God to Noah: the olive branch.
Traditionally in Christian culture, the dove is the messenger of Peace and the sign of Peace. It is the symbol of the Holy Spirit ("At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." Matthew 3:16-17), gentleness, and innocence ("I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves." Matthew 10:16). Additionally, any Christian Church may also be associated with the symbol as messengers of Peace.
Iconographically, it is common for 7 doves to encircle the head of Christ, symbolizing the 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit (wisdom, understanding, right judgment, courage, knowledge, reverence, fear of the Lord).
Title
Page from The Capuchin Bible, Tree of Jesse, detail of Christ encircled with 7 doves
Date
c. 1180
Current location
Bibliotheque Nationale France, Paris
A dove is also commonly placed over the Virgin's head, symbolizing Mary's gentle, peaceable, and innocent nature. Some saints were characterized by their gentle, peaceable, and innocent natures and also had the dove placed above their heads, particularly St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Fabian, St. Gregory the Great, St. Louis, and St. Dustan. Columba, the Latin term for dove, was a common name among saints used to recognize their peaceable natures.
Symbol of St. Mark the Evangelist, Cologne Cathedral, modern stained glass window, south nave aisle. The lion is a symbol of power and dominion and may be called the "king of beasts". It is connoted with the sun because of its ray-like mantle and golden coat. The lion's front legs are associated with divine power and the hind legs with human weakness. The duality of the icon made it popular in royal medieval heraldry, exhibiting human nature's ability to do good and evil.Since the lion is a beast of power and dominion, it is associated with secular and non-secular governing bodies. The tribe of Israel is represented the Lion of Judah, the name of the tribe of Israel's patriarch, Jacob: "You are a lion's cub, O Judah; you return from the prey, my son. Like a lion he crouches and lies down, like a lioness—who dares to rouse him?" Genesis 49:9 The prophet Isaiah tells of a descendant of stately and divine power, with Absolute dominion and wisdom: "A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD." Isaiah 11:1-2
Thereby, the Lion of Judah became iconographically associated with Jesus: "Then one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals." Revelation 5:5 Jesus is from the royal line of David through the flesh of his earthly Mother: "Regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of Godb]"> by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 1:3-4 The Tree of Jesse is a common iconography used to depict Christ's royal lineage and physical claim to the divine throne. In the unusual example of the Hours of Catherine of Cleves, Tree of Jesse folio, the Lion of Judah is represented at the foot of Jesse, father of David, as a dog. Artist Illuminated by the Master of Catherine of Cleves
Title Hours of Catherine of Cleves, St. Anne with the Virgin and Child (fol. 292v); service (prayer) of the Virgin
Origin The Netherlands, Utrecht
Date ca. 1440 Dimensions 7 1/2" x 5 1/8"
Current location On loan to the Metropolitan Museum, NY Purchased by The Morgan Library on the Belle da Costa Greene Fund with the assistance of the Fellows in 1963
MS 917
Description of work according The Morgan Library and Museum Online Exhibition: "Wearing an old-fashioned wimple, the elderly Anne is enthroned with her daughter, Mary, who is seated at her feet holding baby Jesus. The page as a whole emphasizes genealogy: the three figures of the miniature are the ultimate flower of the vinelike Tree of Jesse that grows from that ancestor of the Savior sleeping in the bottom border. King David is shown at the left of Jesse and, at the right, what may be the lion of Judah. Twelve crowned heads represent Christ's subsequent royal ancestors." Other significant iconographical associations with the lion include St. Mark the evangelist, emphasizing Christ's Resurrected Form, andthe cross of St. John that depicts the uncontrolled strength of the lion, symbolic of the Anti-Christ. Cross of the Venerable Order of St. John
The eagle alludes to Christ's Ascension as a creature associated with regal power and renewal. Through Christ's Death and Resurrection, He became the regal and powerful force of saving Grace behind a baptism of redemption. The allusion of the eagle as a force of renewal refers to an individual's baptism into Christ, who is submerged three times in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The eagle is connected to baptism, a symbolic renewal of Spirit, because the eagle also plunges to not only receive its sustenance from the water, but also to renew and restore. The food taken from the water provides his sustenance. Similarly, spiritual sustenance is taken by the followers of Christ who receive their New Life from the water in which they were baptized through the Father , the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, when an eagle is old, its eyesight dims and its feathers and wings become heavy. To rejuvenate itself, the eagle flies up to the sun to burn away the mist over its eyes and its old feathers. The eagle then plunges three times into water, restoring himself to a youthful state. It is known for its ability to look directly into the sun and for facing its young into the sun; those that cannot stare into the sun are cast out of the nest. Though the weary man cannot look directly into the sun, if God is the source of light, he is no longer weary. Additionally, St. John the Evangelist is also identified with the eagle symbol. In his Gospel, he focuses on the redeeming qualities of Christ. Christ's Redemption of mankind is acknowledged by the believer through his/her baptism in the name of the Father, Son, Holy Spirit. Acknowledgment of the Word and these Highest of Truths is parallel to the unflinching eye of an eagle. John is identified with the eagle, as Matthew is identified with the symbol of the man, Mark is identified with the lion, and Luke is identified with the ox. All four symbols of the Evangelist denote the various natures of Christ: a man (He is both human and divine), a lion (He was Resurrected), an ox (He was sacrificed), and an eagle (He ascended to Heaven). In Rubens' "Christ on the Straw", 3 stages of Christ's life are depicted: His youth (left), His Death (center), and his Resurrection (right). Mary and Child are depicted on the left in a naturalistic style. The Christ Child is supported by his Mother as He looks knowingly towards His broken and dead body (center). St. John is depicted on the right as recipient of the Word ("In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God." Jn 1:1-2). An eagle, or the Christ who Ascended to Heaven to be with the Father, embodies the Truth (The Word) and Life given to John. The overall mood of the piece reflects the somber lamentation of Christ, reflecting Counter-Reformation interests associated with Baroque Art.
Classification Originally used on war victory banners
Current location Original icon was destroyed in the Fall of Constantinople
The Hodegetria image is particularly commonplace among the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Catholic Churches. Hodegetria (Gr., Οδηγήτρια) means "She who shows the Way". Mary, the Mother of Christ, is called Theotokos (Gr. Θεοτόκος), literally meaning "God-bearer" or "the one who gives birth to God". It was decreed by the Counsel of Ephesus in 431 that Theotokos should be identified with Mary, mother of the Christ. Traditionally, the Hodegetria refers to the icon at Hodegon Monastery in Constanople, but thereafter all images of Mother and Child with the characteristics addressed in the following are referred to as Hodegetria. The original Hodegetria icon was installed by the Empress Pulcheria in the mid-fifth century in Hodegon Monastery, eastern Constantinople. The icon itself was used long before it acquired its title as Hodegetria. Tradition accredits the icon to St. Luke, the evangelist. Any image of Hodegetria will engage Mary with the viewer in a frontal gaze. Mary points to the Christ Child held on the viewer's left side, but on her right side (the side of Christ may vary according to origin). This is significant to the duality of Mary, who immaculately delivered the Saviour of humanity unto the world and served as the human bride of God. The Christ Child is identified as the path to Salvation by Mary, who points to Him with her manneristically elongated fingers. The receptive demeanor of the Christ Child expresses His acknowledgment of His fate as the Saviour of all of humanity. He holds His right hand up in blessing, holding the index and middle fingers together, which also refers to Christ's dual nature as divine and human. Furthermore, the thumb locked over the other fingers signify the Trinity. A starburst is on one or both shoulders and on the part of the mantle that covers the forehead. Logograms on the left and right, level with the top of the Virgin's head, appear to be "Θς", the first and last initials of the Greek word Θεοτόκος, or "God-bearer". The fringe on the mantle indicates Mary's imperial status, as does the throne that is occasionally included in the image. The image below exhibits how wide-spread the image was before the Great Schism of the 15th century. Additionally, it shows Hodegetria iconography variability, featuring Madonna and Child enthroned. In Hodegetria images with angels, the four archangels are iconographically represented: Gabriel, Michael, Raphael, and Uriel. Title "Madonna and Child with Angels", Book of Kells (fol. 7v)
Medium Wool warp, wool, silk, silver, and gilt wefts
Dimensions 145" x 99" (368 x 251.5 cm)
Classification Textiles-Tapestries
Current Location The Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY Acquired in 1937
Accession Number 37.80.6
According to Gertrude Schiller in "Iconography of Christian Art", any icon with connection to the unicorn hunt, such as "The Unicorn in Captivity", is associated with the popular, albeit profane, imagery of the Annunciation. The "profane" in the medieval sense of the word is far disconnected from our understanding of the "profane", so we will identify the image as "secular". The requirements of art from the Church and the requirements of art from the pious art patrons clashed often, and this image was among the many to be forbidden by the Church.This particular technicality in regards to the Unicorn Hunt motif was judged in the Counsel of Trent (1563). Although the Church regarded the icon forever more as secular in nature, there are remains of this icon motif in medieval Churches, such as the altarpiece at Erfurt Cathedral altarpiece. The catch-22 is applicable here in that what the Church is capable of saying is quite different from what the Church is capable of effectually doing. Nevertheless, what is iconographically significant in "The Unicorn in Captivity", the principal figure is shown in a closed garden. The closed garden, Lat. hortus conclusus, is directly referenced inSong of Solomon 4:12-13: "You are a garden locked up, my sister, my bride; you are a spring enclosed, a sealed fountain. Your plants are an orchard of pomegranates with choice fruits, with henna and nard" Mary is connoted as bride of God and thereby the "closed garden". She was held captive by the purity of Holy Spirit and delivered unto the world its fruits, embodied as the Son of God who would atone for the sin of humankind, as announced by Archangel Gabriel (Luke 1:28-38). She bore Jesus with unscathed Virginity; this is allegorically comparable to Exodus 3:3-4, in which the fire did not consume the burning bush before Moses. This particular verse in Song of Solomon also addresses Mary's state of immunity from Satan, i.e. the bride as a "spring enclosed" or "sealed fountain". Such miraculous things exhibit the power of the Holy Spirit to dwell within anything. Those from medieval times believed unicorns existed and actually hunted them; this tapestry shows the unicorn as a thing of captive purity. Greek legend deemed the unicorn as having supernatural powers. These ideas were Christianized into the unicorn having powers of the Holy Spirit that would provide all who touched its horn with the power of immunity from Satan. The excessive flora and fauna enveloping the principal figure associates with fertility and fecundity, among other blessings in and of the Spirit. Here is a list of the iconographically significant flora and fauna featured in "The Unicorn in Captivity": Bistort (Polygonum bistorta) was thought to help a woman conceive. The plant was also used to heal wounds, stop vomiting, and as a diuretic. Carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus) symbolized earthly and diving love, betrothal and marriage, and Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary. Columbine (Aquilegia vulgaris ) was often associated with the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. It also symbolized love, fertility, constancy, loyalty, and the Virgin Mary. It was used to treat jaundice, sore mouths and throats, and during childbirth. When carried on one's person, it supposedly stopped dogs from barking. Cuckoo-pint (Arum maculatum) was thought to drive away melancholy and reptiles as well as attack poison. It was used to relieve swellings when made into a plaster as well as help complexions when in powdered-form. It was also used to treat chest complaints. cuckoo-pint mixed with fresh ox dung was used to treat gout. Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) was one of the bitter herbs used by the Jews for Seder, and symbolized the Passion of Christ. Madonna lily (Lilium candidum) was symbolic of the Virgin Mary's purity. It also stood for faithfulness in love and marriage. It was used to treat ulcers and burns and to relieve breathing and ear problems. Madonna lily was also used to combat serpent venom and to test the virginity of a maiden. Pomegranate (Punica granatum) held several meanings. The seeds were viewed as a symbol of the chastity of the Virgin Mary as well as the medieval Church, the unity of faith, and concord of peace. It was also a symbol of plenitude and fertility. The red juice symbolized the blood of Jesus Christ. It was used to treat heart tremor, stiffness, wounds, and spasms, as well as for fertility, eye and stomach ailments. Saint Mary's thistle (Silybum marianum) was often identified with the Virgin Mary. It was thought that the root would help beget male children. It was used to treat serpent bites, ulcers, skin diesease, burns, bleeding, baldness, sciatica, and toothaches. Stock-gilliflower (Mathiola incana) symbolized purity, love, and were thought to make a woman fruitful. Wild orchid (Orchis mascula) was thought to be a powerful aphrodisiac. It was also believed that if a man ate the large part of the orchid's root he would beget male children. The lesser part would beget female children. It is significant to know that this tapestry was created during a period of strong allegiance to the Cult of Mary. The image of the unicorn hortus conclususexpanded to popular depictions of Mary actually represented in the enclosed garden beside a unicorn touching its horn in later annunciation scenes of this secular type.
Title
