Original scientific paper
The Rendić-Miočević Thesis Concerning the Contents of the Destroyed Central Motif of the Frieze in Diocletian’s Mausoleum
Joško Belamarić
; Institut za povijest umjetnosti, Centar Cvito Fisković, Split, Hrvatska
Abstract
In a series of articles about the iconography and style of the frieze in Diocletian’s Mausoleum, the study of Duje Rendić-Miočević – although amazingly he is hardly ever quoted directly – is still fundamental to the understanding of the sepulchral themes and carefully considered symbols of the composition. Wherein lies the innovativeness of the Rendić-Miočević interpretation? In a number of arguments, he proved that indeed this is an »in essence unique funeral cortège dedicated to an emperor and his family«. The mandatory Erotes that run and play hide and seek, the garlands with theatrical masks, the laurel medallions
with busts constitute the contents of the frieze, according to which, without any doubt, it is consistent with sepulchral themes, and in a discussion about the original purpose of the building, was always the most important proof that it was the imperial mausoleum. But Rendić-Miočević paid attention to a problem that nobody before had even raised, or if they did, had never attempted to come to the end of. He assumed then, that in the missing part of the frieze (destroyed by a new window being knocked through above the chancel of the cathedral), flanked by the portraits of Diocletian and Prisca, originally there should have been some supreme symbol of the divine emperor’s rule. He assumed that a depiction of eagle, symbol of Jupiter, might have been carved here, the deity being identified with the emperor himself – Jupiter’s son (Jovius). Consistently with this attractive hypothesis, the
author produced a theoretical reconstruction of the original appearance of this part of the frieze in the shape of a triptych (with eagle as Jupiter between the imperial couple) that was supposed to represent the »announcement of the presumed, if not actually executed, apotheosis of the emperor who even during his lifetime was considered the son of Jupiter (Jovius)«.
The question of whether this sepulchral frieze, like the Mausoleum itself, was created during Diocletian’s reign or after his abdication is still open to discussion; in addition, another dilemma appears, first raised by Rendić-Miočević. Was at least a part of this sculptural decoration produced and finished after his death? The coarseness of the sculptural
working of these faces and, in general, the lack of details in the making of all the effigies, led S. McNally to assume that originally it had been intended to confide the finishing touch to plaster and colour, but during the recent cleaning, with a close look from the scaffolding, no trace of anything to confirm this hypothesis was found. It is still possible, however, that the whole unit of the frieze was unfinished in sculptural terms: various degrees of finish of the individual parts of the relief can be observed.
Keywords
frieze in Diocletian’s Mausoleum; Jupiter; Diocletian; apotheosis; Duje Rendić-Miočević
Hrčak ID:
186049
URI
Publication date:
8.9.2017.
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