Abstract Nersēs Šnorhali (1101–1173), a pivotal ecclesiastical leader, significantly transformed the Armenian Breviary by introducing hundreds of musical compositions. Some are included in codices called the manrusmunk’ – melismatic hymn collections that include an essential part of the Breviary. This study focuses on the visual decoration of manrusmunk’ manuscripts, with a particular emphasis on their relationship to Nersēs Šnorhali and the illuminations accompanying his melismatic songs. While Astġik Gevorgyan has analyzed Šnorhali’s portraits primarily within the Matenadaran collection, research presented here broadens the scope by examining manrusmunk’ manuscripts from various collections, with particular focus on previously unstudied miniatures. The findings reveal that the iconography of Šnorhali in manrusmunk’ manuscripts exhibit distinctive features compared to his depictions in manuscripts of other genres, indicating a unique visual tradition.
Abstract The Lost Apse Mosaic in Lyon Cathedral in Light of its Titulus . Proposed Iconography and Argument for a Carolingian Attribution The now-lost apse mosaic of the ancient cathedral of Lyon is attested exclusively through the ten hexametric verses of its titulus , transcribed in the ninth century by Mannon, a disciple of the deacon Florus. In accordance with the ekphrastic tradition, the text poetically evokes the theophanic vision once displayed above in the conch, providing crucial evidence for reconstructing its iconographic program. The composition likely comprised a Maiestas Domini , the Apostolic College, the Heavenly Jerusalem, the four rivers of Paradise, the Agnus Dei , and possibly John the Baptist (perhaps represented symbolically through the allusion to the River Jordan). This study proposes a hypothetical visual reconstruction of these elements and their spatial configuration within the apse, highlighting the dialectic between figural representation and liturgical implications. Furthermore, several arguments are presented in support of assigning the titulus (and the mosaic work of which it was part) to Florus’s initiative. This is not an obvious attribution, considering the numerous references to early Christian culture present both in the verses of the inscription and in the iconographic subjects mentioned therein.
The article advances a novel proposal for the early medieval origins of a painting, now privately held, from Rome’s Santa Maria in Trastevere that shows a bust of Saint Agatha. During the nineteenth-century restorations of the basilica, commissioned by Pope Pius ix and carried out by architect Virginio Vespignani, “ una imagine di s. Agata a fresco ” came to light under the medieval level of the building dated to the reign of Pope Innocent ii (r. 1130–1143): this image of Saint Agatha would be precisely the painting. Analysis of a series of unpublished documents indicative of certain moments in the life of the painting supports this identification and leads to an art historical reinterpretation of St Maria in Trastevere in the early Middle Ages.
Abstract Entombed Images and Monumental Icons. The Intentional Conservation of the Santa Susanna Paintings in Rome The paintings discovered in the 1990s beneath the sacristy of the Church of Santa Susanna in Rome are exceptional, among early medieval works, for their excellent state of preservation. This paper reexamines evidence concerning the dating of the paintings and suggests that their deliberate concealment within a sarcophagus was most likely carried out during works promoted by Pope Leo iii (795–816). It considers potential rationales for this seemingly unprecedented act of preservation, taking into account the perception and status of the images when they were still on their original support. The Santa Susanna paintings thus provide a valuable perspective from which to rethink the status of sacred images in eighth- and ninth-century Rome.
