Original scientific paper
THE BYZANTINE CASKET OF THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM OF ISTRIA IN PULA
Dino Milinović
orcid.org/0000-0003-4942-6937
; Odsjek za povijest umjetnosti Filozofski fakultet Sveučilišta u Zagrebu I. Lučića 3, 10000 Zagreb, HR
Abstract
SUMMARY
THE BYZANTINE CASKET OF THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL
MUSEUM OF ISTRIA IN PULA
Dino MILINOVIĆ
Among the holdings of the Archaeological Museum of Istria in Pula is a casket in bone,
which remains fairly unknown to the Croatian scholars despite the fact that, on several
occasions, it was the subject of studies of leading international experts on ivory (Graeven,
Goldschmidt, Weitzmann, Cutler). The casket, which was first mentioned in a church in
Piran, Slovenia, is a unique item in the Croatian collections. However, a large number of
preserved exemplars kept in church treasuries, as well as those belonging to collections of
various countries (some 40 known exemplars) indicate that they are items that were serially
produced for rich clients. The finest exemplars are made of ivory, though in almost all the
cases some parts in bone were added. This indicates a particular construction technique
as well as occasional shortages of precious materials in the Middle Ages. A more detailed
analysis showed that the Pula casket was made of bone, which accounts for a somewhat
lesser quality of reliefs and ornaments when compared to the finest works from the same
group of caskets (for example the Veroli casket, which is kept in London). What attracted
the attention of experts to these objects was mostly the classicizing style, which was in
fashion in Constantinople in the 10th century AD, and which is indicated by figural reliefs
that ornament the caskets. The represented subjects span from singular representation
of mythological figures (gods or heroes) to more elaborate, narrative episodes which are
reminiscent of friezes adorning late antique sarcophaguses. One of the characteristics of
the Pula casket is that it belongs to the group of caskets decorated by elaborate, narrative
reliefs, which is a distinctive feature of the finer exemplars in the group.
In addition to the question of purpose of the items of this kind (the lock inserted in the Pula
casket indicates its possible use), the question addressing the iconographic interpretation,
that is, the meaning of the antique models used by the carvers of the Byzantine period,
is of particular interest. The answer to this particular question is especially important in
assessing the “Renaissance” movement, that is, programmatic reaching out for the classical
heritage of Antiquity, which is an important characteristic of the restoration movement
in art and culture, which took place in Byzantium during the Macedonian dynasty in
the 10th century. “Parody” of antique models has often been mentioned due to the fact
that emphasis was placed on motifs such as spirited putti depicted in various poses and actions, or due to the frequent intertwining of individual iconographic types that indicate
ignorance or superficiality with regard to the models. The Pula casket bears several such
examples, the comparisons of which can be found on other works, even the finest quality
ones. However, a more thorough iconographic analysis suggests that the repertory of these
reliefs does not seem to be so unusual when seen under the light of continual presence of
antique impulses. These impulses, pinned as perennial Hellenism by Ernst Kitzinger, are
like an ever-present stream of antique experience sinking under ground and resurfacing
at almost regular cycles in Byzantium and in the West (“the Carolingian Renaissance”
and “the Ottonian Renaissance”). It is important to emphasize that the repertory of the
Byzantine caskets, including the Pula one, shows a logical line in the metamorphosis of
the antique shapes which had been “filtered” by the late antique and early Christian art,
losing a part of their original significance in the process. Nevertheless, they witness the
need for the antique heritage to be emphasized as a constituent part of the cultural ideal
of the enlightened elite. In this context, the Pula casket is a valuable piece of evidence of
the presence of the above mentioned ideal in the north Adriatic area.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
40946
URI
Publication date:
15.11.2007.
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