Original scientific paper
Two Astronomical-Astrological Motifs on the Portal of Trogir Cathedral
Ivo Babić
; Filozofski fakultet Sveučilišta u Splitu
Abstract
Two colonettes at the entrance of the portal of Trogir Cathedral, work by Master Radovan, are covered by reliefs which have been rightly explained as illustration of the state of sin and the disorder before the arrival of culture. As noticed before, the scenes include some mythological creatures. Among astronomic teams one should count, for example, a representation of a man killing a snake (constellations Hercules and Dragon), of a big and small bear (Big and Little Dipper). In this study we reinterpret two such fi gures at the top of the left, northern colonette, a centaur (centauress?), and a maid on a sea bull. The relief of a half-man (or woman) and half horse (or mare) is probably linked to astronomical or astrological matter, not excluding some other connotations. The motif was probably taken over from some model, an illustration of a bucolic theme, but on the colenette it is tied to astronomical-astrological context. At the top of the colenette, next to the centaur (centauress?) there is a maid sitting on a bull, holding his horn by her right hand, while laying her left on the bull’s back. The hind portion of the bull transforms itself into a curving fish tail. That portion of the bull’s body is diffi cult to see as the colonette nears the wall surface. We suggest that the scene is linked to astronomical-astrological context in connection with the myth of the rape of Europe, and the Bull constellation.
Keywords
Radovan; astrology; astronomy; bull; centaur
Hrčak ID:
147939
URI
Publication date:
15.12.2007.
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