Q 13.11.2002

Re: Q: Student Questions on Byzantine Art

Jeanne Nuechterlein

I forwarded this question to a colleague (Jane Hawkes) who seems to know
some answers.

Jeanne Nuechterlein

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Dr J Hawkes wrote:

Both these mosaics suffer from the TLC of 19th-century restorers. The
'clubs' on the virgin's cushion in the apse of Hagia Sophia MAY originally
have depicted pomegranates (symbols of eternal life), but REALLY don't know
for sure. The Z on the stole of Christ in San Vitale is a 'classic'
19th-century boo-boo. Originally, togas had little logos on them denoting
social status - particularly those of gentlemen who were illustrious enough
to hang out in the senate. This idea got transmitted into early Christian
art so there would originally have been 'something' on Christ's frock, but
when the 19th-century 'restorers' got their hands on this, a. they didn't
understand what they were, and put all sorts of letters of the alphabet in
the place of the 'logo', and b. don't seem to have had any logic or
rationale behind their choice of letter. If you want a really great insight
into this incomprehensibility, check out the letters on the togas of the
string of male martyrs in Sant'Apollinare in Classe in Ravenna.

Quellennachweis:
Q: Re: Q: Student Questions on Byzantine Art. In: ArtHist.net, 13.11.2002. Letzter Zugriff 28.03.2024. <https://arthist.net/archive/25329>.

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