CAMPINI, Ruben. ‛Secondary’ Figurative Elements as Hints for Function? The case of the St Menas ivory pyxis. In Peripheral Vision. Marginal Themes, Motifs, Locations in Byzantine Literature and Art. 2023.
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Basic information
Original name ‛Secondary’ Figurative Elements as Hints for Function? The case of the St Menas ivory pyxis
Authors CAMPINI, Ruben.
Edition Peripheral Vision. Marginal Themes, Motifs, Locations in Byzantine Literature and Art, 2023.
Other information
Original language English
Type of outcome Presentations at conferences
Field of Study 60401 Arts, Art history
Country of publisher Czech Republic
Confidentiality degree is not subject to a state or trade secret
Organization unit Faculty of Arts
Keywords in English St Menas, Ivory Pyxis, Abu Mena, Rome, St Paul Outside the Walls, Relics, Late Antiquity
Tags International impact
Changed by Changed by: Alžběta Filipová, M.A., Ph.D., učo 203468. Changed: 27/5/2024 11:33.
Abstract
The present paper focuses on the ivory pyxis depicting the martyrdom and sanctuary of Saint Menas displayed at the British Museum in London. Specifically, it aims to tackle the question of its original function and context of the use, which, as in the case of those of the almost fifty other exemplars surviving from Late Antiquity (fourth–seventh centuries CE), are still shrouded in mystery. Remarkably, the object is the only example whose decorations are devoted to a saint and thus constitutes an interesting exception in the frame of the study of these precious containers. Therefore, my contribution will suggest – albeit without irrefutable evidence – three different lines of interpretation that will re-locate the object into three different functional contexts on the bases of iconographical, archaeological, and textual evidence. Ultimately, the contribution wishes to make a further step towards de-marginalizing these mysterious vessels.
Links
MUNI/A/1321/2022, interní kód MUName: Moc, rituály a smrt ve středověku
Investor: Masaryk University, Power, Ritual and Death in the Middle Ages
PrintDisplayed: 5/8/2024 07:13