Izvorni znanstveni članak
»The Living Cross at Lindar« – An Iconographic and Iconological Study
Zdenko Balog
; Pučko učilište, Križevci
Sažetak
The iconographic motif of the Living Cross is a complex and rare composition which
makes its appearance at the end of the 14th ct., and was most popular around the middle of
the 15th ct. It appears in wall paintings, less frequently on altar paintings, or in the illuminated
manuscripts and prints. There are fewer than 40 examples of the scene on record
in the Christian Europe.
The earliest examples of the Living Cross appeared around the Northern Adriatic
(Lindar, Bologna, Venice), and in Central Europe (Koprzywnica, Poniky, Žehra). They
date from the end of the 14th and to the first quarter of the 15th ct. An important group is
represented by Lindar, Poniky and Bologna, all firmly dated to the first quarter of the 15th
ct. They are icongraphically close, and they help us to establish the early development of
this motif through comparative analysis.
The Living Cross developed through a gradual assertion of the allegorical figures of the
Ecclesia and Synagoga in the scene of the Crucifixion. Sporadically present since the Early
Christian times, they appear more often in the Romanesque and the Gothic. In the course
of the 14th ct. they imposed themselves as a separate theme, transforming the scene from a
narrative into a symbolic one.
As opposed to the earlier authors who variously explained the genesis of the iconography
of the Living Cross, we believe that here we have a visual and educational interpretation of
the Christian doctrine about Christ’s redeeming sacrifice, dominated by the omnipresent
Ecclesia (Extra Ecclesia nulla salus) on the way to salvation. The fresco at Lindar, and the
similar works at Poniky and Bologna, are special for their iconographic clarity, free from
any episodes and digressions. Therefore, they are key to the understanding of the iconography
of this rare motif of Christian art.
Ključne riječi
Living Cross; Lindar; Istria; frescoes; Christian Iconography; Ecclesia; Synagoga
Hrčak ID:
105255
URI
Datum izdavanja:
15.12.2008.
Posjeta: 740 *