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The Ophidian Iconography Quest (Mundus Vetus & Mundus Novus, 2004 - present) |
| ● COMPENDIUM'S DATABASE ● |
| ◀ Figure 081 of 090 | ITALY: LOCATIONS | SET 001 | SET 002 | SET 003 | SET 004 | Figure 083 of 090 ▶ |
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| Figure EUR-ita-082. (A) John the Baptist pointing upward with his right hand and holding a cross-staff, entwined in a serpentine fashion by an inscribed ribbon, in his left, possibly the iconographic reference to the words of Jesus Christ to Nicodemus, quoted in the Bible (New Testament), NRSV as follows:
✠ "And just as Moses lifted up the serpent [ὄφις, ophis = "snake/serpent" in Greek] in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life." (John 3: 14-15).
(B) John the Evangelist (John the Apostle?) holding a chalice with a snake emerging from it in his right hand and a codex in his left, the iconographic reference to the legendary tradition, according to which, John was brought from Ephesos to Rome before the Roman Emperor Domitian (r. 81-96 AD) and challenged to drink a cup of poison to demonstrate the power of his faith (what he did successfully), the subject, referred to in the apocryphal Acts of John by Leucius Charinus (fl. late 100s AD?), as follows: [Exact quote and source reference needed (possibly, lost chapters 1-17, known from much later Latin renditions)];
the chalice can also be interpreted as a reference to the Last Supper, or to the words of Jesus Christ to John and James:
✠ "He said to them, “You will indeed drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left, this is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.”" (Matthew 20: 23);
the eagle, John's symbol standing beside and representing the tradition of tetramorphic "living creatures", the subject referred to in the Bible (Old Testament), NRSV as follows:
◆ "As I looked, a stormy wind came out of the north: a great cloud with brightness around it and fire flashing forth continually, and in the middle of the fire, something like gleaming amber. In the middle of it was something like four living creatures. This was their appearance: they were of human form. Each had four faces, and each of them had four wings. Their legs were straight, and the soles of their feet were like the sole of a calf’s foot; and they sparkled like burnished bronze. Under their wings on their four sides they had human hands. And the four had their faces and their wings thus: their wings touched one another; each of them moved straight ahead, without turning as they moved. As for the appearance of their faces: the four had the face of a human being, the face of a lion on the right side, the face of an ox on the left side, and the face of an eagle; such were their faces. Their wings were spread out above; each creature had two wings, each of which touched the wing of another, while two covered their bodies. Each moved straight ahead; wherever the spirit would go, they went, without turning as they went. In the middle of the living creatures there was something that looked like burning coals of fire, like torches moving to and fro among the living creatures; the fire was bright, and lightning issued from the fire. The living creatures darted to and fro, like a flash of lightning." (Ezekiel 1: 4-14)
and the Bible (New Testament), NRSV as follows:
✠ "⟨...⟩ Around the throne, and on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with a face like a human face, and the fourth living creature like a flying eagle." (Revelation 4: 6-7).
Irenaeus (130-202 AD) was the first to make the association with the evangelists, but the interpretation laid out by Victorinus of Pettau (fl. 270 AD) and adopted by Jerome (347-420 AD), Gregory the Great (540-604 AD), and the illuminator(s) of the Book of Kells (early 800s AD) became dominant. |
| Item: | Medium: | Category (Object): |
Artist/Workshop: | Historical/Art Period, Date: |
Location: | Monument: |
| A. | Polychrome paint, plaster | Fresco wall painting (Ambulatory, south-east wall, left panel, painted decoration, detail, in situ) |
TBD | Early Italian Baroque, Pope Urban VIII (p. 1623-1644 AD), 1620s-1640s (?) |
Near the Arcibasilica Papale Romana Mag-giore di San Giovanni in Laterano, Caelian Hill, Rome, Lazio, Central Italy | Battistero Latera- nense (Lateran Baptistery) |
| B. | Polychrome paint, plaster | Fresco wall painting (Ambulatory, south-east wall, right panel, painted decoration, detail, in situ) | TBD | Early Italian Baroque, Pope Urban VIII (p. 1623-1644 AD), 1620s-1640s (?) |
Near the Arcibasilica Papale Romana Mag-giore di San Giovanni in Laterano, Caelian Hill, Rome, Lazio, Central Italy | Battistero Latera- nense (Lateran Baptistery) |
| Source-Image(s): The image(s) is/are from Alexei Alexeev's personal photo archive (The First Italian Expedition, 29 March - 25 April 2015). All artefacts will be available for viewing in the Compendium's respective volumes after the completion of the fully integrated iconographic database. Some of the artefacts will be represented by several figures (offering a general view and details). |
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