Relics and Reliquaries

I am very fascinated by Christian art. The stories of the bible and its characters were the source of inspiration to many artists, and so many forms of art were used such as stained glass, sculpture, painting, and architecture. Christianity made art take a different direction, and it continues to influence art today.

I had never heard of relics and reliquaries until last spring. The concept of it was kind of odd to me, but I love how these relics were stored in sculptural containers, making the whole concept of a relic more spiritual.

These are some examples:

Chasse of Champagnat, ca. 1150
French; Made in Limoges
Gilded copper and champlevé enamel

4 7/8 x 7 1/16 x 3 3/8 in. (12.4 x 18.9 x 8.5 cm)

Arm Reliquary, 13th century, with 15th-century additions
French
Silver, silver-gilt, glass and rock-crystal cabochons over wood core

20 5/16 x 6 1/4 x 2 15/16 in. (51.6 x 15.8 x 7.4 cm)

Reliquary of Mary Magdalene, 14th and 15th century
Made in Tuscany, Italy
Gilded copper, gilded silver, rock crystal, verre églomisé

Overall 22 x 9 3/8 x 7 15/16 in. (55.9 x 23.8 x 20.2 cm), roundel 3 3/8 in. (8.6 cm)

Relics are pieces of bone or garment of a saint. A reliquary is the container that holds the relic. Reliquaries took different forms. Some would be pendants, elegant shrines, body forms or specific body parts. The earlier ones were made in the form of caskets with decoration of the saint's story.

 

During the time of Charlemagne, it was obligatory that every altar contained a relic.The purpose of relics was to sit on the altar and be of spiritual prescence during a mass. Those reliquaries in the shape of an arm were also used to bless people or heal the sick. 

http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/47.101.33

http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/17.190.685

http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/17.190.504

http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/17.190.353

Vezelay Church

When was it built? how long did it take?

This building has a great aesthetic from both the outside and the inside, instead of just being plain on the outside.

Plaque with the Crucifixion and the Defeat of Hades

Byzantine; Probably made in Constantinople
Ivory

5 x 3 1/2 in. (12.7 x 8.9 cm)

When I took Introduction to Catholicism last year, we talked about how images of Christ changed throughout the years and in different cultures. Images of Jesus started being depicted as a divine being, wearing purple attire and showing no sign of suffering. With time, these images became to take on a more human form, such as weight on the body, a simple robe for attire, and an appearance of suffering. And with time, the crown of thorns was added to the images.

So when I look at this piece, I can take some of what I learned in my theology courses and apply it into the piece. For example, Jesus' cross stabs the torso of Hades, the God of the underworld. Being a Byzantine piece, it would make sense why Hades is depicted here, so as to appeal to the Greek-influenced society of the time. This piece shows us a very human Jesus, with Mary and the Apostle John standing by his sides.

It would make sense why John is standing by him, since the scene depicted is John's version of the crucifixion of Jesus (the soldiers gambling to see who would keep Jesus' purple garment)

http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/17.190.44

Hagia Sophia

I had seen pictures of this building before, but I had never had a chance to read what this place is all about. I am amazed at the architecture and the traces of history it carries with it.

I just wonder if the muslims actually plastered all of the mosaics or if they left some unplastered? while watching the video, there were some mosaics that looked intact to me.

Pompeii's history through masonry

The city of Pompeii has been an archeological site in excavation since 1784. The volcanic disaster dated on August 24, A.D. 79, covered the entire city in ash and killed all those who could not escape. The ashes preserved the structures though, allowing archeologists to make several findings of this place. 

While the transpired events of that day are of much interest to many, some choose to go further back in time. A group of archeologists in 1977 decided to dig down even further to reveal Pompeii's past through its masonry works. 

Pompeii was settled by different cultures, and each brought a different mason influence. For example, when the Samnites occupied the town, they built buildings with larger rooms built with limestone in an Opus Quadratum style. This is a very basic style, with squared stones placed going across the wall.

ca 425 BC-290BC

In 290 B.C, the Samnites were deafeated by the romans, and a new style of masonry came along called Opus Africanum. It consists of of squared stone blocks filled with rubble in between, and they're placed in a loom work manner with stones moving across and down the wall.

290 BC-200BC

Around 200BC, Volcanic tuff replaced limestone and the construction method changed  to Opus Incertum, a collection of irregular shaped rocks inserted into concrete walls.

200 BC-90 BC

In 90 BC, in an attempt to break away from the Romans, Pompeii joined the Italian League. In 80 BC however, Pompeii was once again invaded by the Romans. This new invasion led to new architecture and construction methods. Tuff was replaced with pyramidal block of Gray Lava; these were placed in a diagonal checkerboard pattern.

90 BC-79AD

And finally, the last evidence of masonry work was the Opus Vittatum, a combination of narrow rectangular stones along with larger blocks of rectangles. 

27 BC-79AD

The city of Pompeii was hit by an earthquake in AD 62, destroying most of its buildings. Pompeians put a lot of effort into rebuilding their homes, but seventeen years later the city was covered in the ashes of the Vesivius volcanic eruption.

Slayman, Andrew. "The New Pompeii." Archeology Magazine. November/December 1997: 26-36,  

              Print.

Pont du gard

It's amazing how long this aqueduct has remained intact, specially after all these wars and climate changes and such.

However, I wonder if experts are doing anything to keep it from collapsing?

Ancient Greek views on death

    
Having examined different ancient cultures, a lot of them seem to share something in common, elaborate funerary practices. For example, we talked about the ice maiden who was buried with luxuries such as horses and jewelry. The Egyptian pharaohs prepared for their death years in advance by building pyramids decorated with burial artifacts and hieroglyphics. However, I believe we did not have an opportunity to discuss Ancient Greek views and funerary practices.

Funerary plaque, ca. 520–510 b.c.; Archaic, black-figure
Greek, Attic
Terracotta

H. 10 1/4 in. (26.04 cm)

The plaque  above depicts a very expressive funeral scene. The arms of the subjects are stretched out in different directions, leading the eyes back and forth through the image. The decorative pattern at the top of the image along with the chariots illustrated at the bottom all run towards the right of the image, leading the eye out. Plaques like these were made to decorate the interior of tombs. What is interesting to me is that it reminds me of Egyptian imagery, with the profile view feet and faces, and the front view torsos, as well as the horses with multiple legs aligned either off the ground or on the ground in a group.The chariot race is a popular theme in Attic funerary art. It may be a reference to funerary games held in honor of the deceased who was a war hero.

 Upon death, the body is bathed, clothed and laid out on a bier. The feet face the door and two pillows are placed below the head in order to keep the person's mouth closed. This is called A prothesis, or laying out of the dead.

I find the expression of the figures to be a little exaggerated, but according to an article I read, in ancient Greek culture, mourning and wailing were (and still are today) an obligation to the dead.
Greek funeral traditions today are a blend of ancient Greek traditions and Christian Orthodox traditions.


"Funerary plaque [Greek, Attic] (54.11.5)". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/54.11.5 (October 2006)

Lambros Vlahos, et al. "A Greek Perspective On Concepts Of Death And Expression Of Grief, With Implications For Practice." International Journal Of Palliative Nursing 9.12 (2003): 534-537. Academic Search Premier. Web. 4 Nov. 2012.

Secrets of the Parthenon

The ending was very confusing...so is the parthenon being remodeled or not?

I enjoyed watching this video, it was very informational but at the same time confusing in some archeological terms.

At first I was hesitant to agree to have the parthenon reconstructed because it carries so much history with it such as humankind always striving for perfection as well as the wars it has experienced. However, the fact that a group of experts came together and are taking their work very seriously is comforting to me. They went back and fixed the mistakes and tried to fit each piece perfectly. The way they problem solve is genius too.

I just hate how these so called experts don't even know how to use the word "literally" correctly. 

Persepolis

I've always wondered how scholars figure out what is written on old tablets?

It's interesting to me how similar the work and artifacts are compared to the tombs of Ur, but still holds a uniqueness to it.