Maximian cathedra
The Maximianskathedra is a bishop's chair ( cathedra ) from the 6th century, which is in the Museo arcivescovile in Ravenna . It is assigned to the Ravennian bishop Maximian and is completely decorated with ivory panels showing Old Testament and New Testament representations.
history
The cathedra | cathedra is mentioned for the first time in the Venetian historical work Chronicon Venetum of the 10th century. According to this, the bishop's chair was once a gift from the Doge of Venice Pietro II Orseolo to the then Emperor Otto III . After Otto III. Having been crowned emperor by Pope Gregory V in 996 , he undertook several Italian campaigns. Otto maintained relationships with the Doge of Venice, Pietro II Orseolo. In 1001 the emperor traveled to Italy again, where there were some armed conflicts. Finally he went to Ravenna and sent the Doge two precious pieces of gold. In return, Pietro Orseolo commissioned the deacon Johannes to present the emperor with an ivory cathedra . However, he died a short time later. In all likelihood the cathedra remained in Ravenna, but this is by no means certain.
Further sources can only be found in 1664 from the art-interested Bishop Gerolamo Fabri. This tells of an old ivory bishop's chair with biblical carvings. The Roman archaeologist Giovanni Giustino Ciampini († 1689) also writes about a neglected bishopric. Ciampini even speaks of a restoration. But it was not until 1919 that the cathedra was taken out of oblivion in the course of further processing and placed in the archbishop's palace. A large number of missing representations were noticed. In the following decades it was possible to reintegrate some of the ivory panels, which were believed to be lost, into the work of art, so that a second restoration could take place in 1956. During the revision and reconstruction, the original wooden surrounds of many of the panels were replaced by plexiglass. Only 27 of the former 39 tablets have survived. Today the Maximianskathedra can be seen in the Ravenna Museo arcivescovile.
The lack of mention of this chair in the writings of the late ancient clergyman Agnellus of Ravenna (487-570) is striking in the historical records . At no point in his Liber Pontificalis does he mention a work of art of this kind. There can be various reasons for this. B. in the Venetian sources have dealt with a different cathedra. The possibility that he never saw today's one because it was kept in a different location cannot be ruled out.
construction
The cathedra is a chair-like seat in a box shape that rests on seven square feet. The seated person leaned against a slightly rounded backrest that reached shoulder height. This is followed by two arm rests. A post protrudes from the corner of the seat. Those on the front are crowned by a flattened pommel.
Inside, the basic structure of the cathedra is made of ebony , which is covered throughout with illustrated ivory panels. The outer and inner surfaces of the backrest are decorated with New Testament representations. In contrast, ten (five on each side) scenes from the Old Testament adorn the cheeks of the armrests in the vertical direction. The four evangelists and John the Baptist are depicted on the front . For the sake of the overall impression, some of the missing representations were replaced by unadorned wooden panels that were previously covered with parchment. The seat rises 0.58 m in height, the backrest rises 0.64 m above it. The armrests connect to the sides with 0.18 m, the seat in between is 0.62 m wide.
iconography
monogram
After Gerolamo Fabri brought the cathedra out of oblivion in the 17th century, the question of belonging arose. The monogram on the front side provided an important indication of this . A man named Mario Fiorentini was the first to decipher it. He came to the conclusion that the cathedra was assigned to the Ravennatic bishop Maximian. Fiorentini deciphered the monogram as Maximianus Episcopus . On the other hand, there is the opinion of Francois Martroye and that of the Croatian archaeologist Frane Bulić . Martroye sees the place of origin of the cathedra in Dalmatia . He attributes this to the conquest of Dalmatia by the Venetian doge Pietro II Orseolo. It represented a welcome booty from the ruins of Salona and served as a gift to Emperor Otto III. Since Bishop Maximus I held his office in Salona in the 4th century, Martroye could only use the translation Maximus Salonae Eps . Don Fane Bulič largely agrees with this, but assigns the cathedra not to Maximus I, but to Maximus II, who is also resident there. He lived about a century later and died in 615. However, both decipherments are the result of an analytical error. Martroye and Bulič mistakenly see a bar at the bottom of the "X" in the monogram. This resulted in the assumption of an "L". However, the length of this bar is too short. In addition, both classifications are untenable due to stylistic tests.
Consequently, an attempt was made in Ravenna itself to find an indication of the affiliation of the monogram. After a few comparisons, it was found that only Bishop Maximian was the only person left. In one of the main sources for the history of Ravenna, the Liber Pontificalis ecclesiae Ravennatis , Agnellus describes the life of Maximian. Maximian's strong activity as a patron suggests that the monogram is his. A comparison with similar monograms, which were ascribed to him and could be verified on the basis of Agnellus, brought final proof of his affiliation.
Front side and ornamentation
The front of the cathedra shows, like the cheeks and the backrest, ivory panels with depictions of Christian themes. It shows the four evangelists with John the Baptist in their midst. Each of the five saints wears a long pallium , has raised his right arm and hand in a gesture of blessing or speech and holds a book of Gospels in his veiled left . Except here is Johannes. He has a special place in this scene. He is holding up a flat disk. She bears the image of a lamb. It symbolically represents the Son of God Jesus Christ .
origin
One of the most discussed questions is that of origin. The fact that an answer seems incessant here is justified in several areas. On the one hand, this would make it possible to assign further ivory works. On the other hand, the decryption forms an important reference point in the development of iconographic art. It can also play an important role in representing the cultural context. Is it the result of East or West Roman craftsmanship? To clarify this question, researchers analyzed both the iconography and the panels themselves.
If you look at the plates of the holy figures, you will notice that they were made in different sizes. Both the outer and the middle panels are larger in proportion than the other, narrower panels. The alternation of width and narrow is subject to a scheme that can also be found on columnar sarcophagi in Asia Minor . So this corresponds to an eastern tendency. Furthermore, in the segmental arches behind the heads of the sacred shells are visible. The fact that the lock cannot be seen, but the shell exit is clearly visible, points to the use of Eastern, especially Byzantine, art. In addition to the front side, the representations of the biblical cycles provide stylistic indications of their origin. The panels are very three-dimensional. Compared with the consular diptychs of the 6th century, the more pronounced drapery and the individual characteristics of the faces catch the eye. This level of detail is characteristic of the work of Byzantine and Eastern art.
In addition to analyzing what was depicted, the individual panels were examined during the restoration work. Greek counting marks were found on the back of the cheek plates. This results in two things. Firstly, it was found that several artists were involved in the production, and secondly, the use of counters was common in the Byzantine Empire well into late antiquity. Just Konstantin Opel made it one of the centers. Overall, the opinion has prevailed in research that the Maximian cathedra was made in an ivory workshop in late ancient Constantinople.
Chronological classification
Only the mention of an ivory cathedra is documented. These traditions, which the work of art shared with the Venetian Doge Pietro II. Orseolo and Emperor Otto III. connect, point to the time around 1001. However, there is no evidence that the chair was also created in that phase. The possibility of a previous production remains open. Since the research did not progress in writing, she turned to the artistic representations of the cathedra. The focus here was particularly on the monogram and the biblical cycles. The Old Testament picture series is iconographically dated to the 5th century. According to Morath, the 6th century was a time in which the east of the late ancient world (especially Constantinople) had to cope with a spiritual unrest in Christological disputes. To counteract this, one visualized the people u. a. the life of Jesus and Mary.
An examination of the front side also provided some evidence. So it is the four books of the Gospels that make a stylistic classification possible. The fonts marked with a gem have been produced in their form and presentation since the 5th century. The most important element for dating the cathedra, however, is Maximian's monogram. Assuming the correctness of the translation as Maximianus Episcopus , and that the chair was commissioned in its time, the period can be narrowed down considerably. Maximian held the office of bishop in the years 546–556. The monogram thus provides a reference to this period. If one now takes into account the translation into Episcopus , one could (with the greatest reservation) place the period in his first four years of office as bishop (546-550). Based on the above arguments and investigations, research dates the Maximian cathedra to the early 50s of the 6th century.
literature
- Günther Wolfgang Morath: The Maximianskathedra of Ravenna. A masterpiece of Christian-ancient relief art. Freiburg i. Br. 1940.
- Leonard von Matt, Giuseppe Bovini : Ravenna. Cologne 1971.
- Claudia Nauerth : Agnellus of Ravenna. Liber Pontificalis. Bishop's Book I. Latin-German. Freiburg i. Br. 1996.
- Friedrich Wilhelm Deichmann : Ravenna. Capital of the late antique western world. Stuttgart 1989.
Individual evidence
- ^ GW Morath: p. 8 f.
- ^ GW Morath: p. 9
- ↑ L. von Matt: p. 199
- ^ C. Nauerth: LP.
- ↑ L. von Matt: p. 199
- ^ GW Morath: p. 10f
- ^ GW Morath: p. 11
- ^ GW Morath: p. 105
- ^ FW Deichmann: p. 348
- ^ GW Morath: p. 108
- ^ GW Morath: p. 109
- ↑ L. von Matt: p. 199
