An Orpheus Among the Animals at Dumbarton Oaks , Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies (original) (raw)
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An Orpheus among the Animals at Dumbarton Oaks
Greek Roman and Byzantine Studies, 1992
F ROM TRANSITIONS between given historical periods come some of the more problematic cases of meaning in the visual arts, where the precise significance of a subject can shift with changes in iconographic detail, the audience, or the specific context within which the subject is understood. A textile from Egypt in the collection of Dumbarton Oaks (PLATE 1) offers such a case, though it has received scant attention. 1 The traditional periodic designations of 'Early Christian', 'Byzantine', or 'Coptic', which might be applied to this textile, lose something of their convenience here because they indicate a more precise and certain religious intention on the part of the creator and the consumer of the object than the complex conditions of surviving pagan and developing Christian traditions and our imperfect modern understanding of them would seem to warrant. The subject here is not an uncommon one in works of visual art from Late Antiquity: Orpheus charming a gathering of animals with his song. A possible Christian interpretation of Orpheus generally, and by extension this old pagan subject in particular has been much discussed. 2 But the Christian interpretations
Lozanova-Stancheva, Vanya. The Scene of Orpheus Taming Wild Animals: Orpheus and the Centaur Chiron.
After Constantine. Stories from the Late Antique and Early Byzantine Era, 2021
A series of remarkable images on mosaics from sepulchral buildings or ritual halls, textile works of art within a Christian context, as well as pyxides, introduce strange and unusual mythological figures into the widespread theme of Orpheus taming wild animals. A special place in the pictorial composition is occupied by the figure of a centaur, who seems to have had complex functions indicating the space of the events. This paper aims to systematise the source base, to analyse “the narrative,” and to offer new details to the interpretation of the remarkable and enigmatic scene, which – in combination with the fragmented poetic evidence – allows the reconstruction of a possible mythological precedent for the journey of Orpheus to the World Beyond, where he attained the mystic theological knowledge and that allowed him to lay the foundations of the mysterial initiations. Those eschatological notions were projected in some early Christian or Christian gnostic communities in the period between the 2nd and the mid-6th century, as indicated by sacral and funerary monuments. Keywords: Orpheus, Chiron, centaurus, the World Beyond, the scene of Orpheus Taming Wild Animals
To exhort the Pagans to convert to Christianity, Clement of Alexandria praises Christ as a new and better Orpheus. For this purpose, he resorts to the figure of Orpheus as the singer whose miraculous song charms even wild animals. In the Roman catacombs of the third and fourth centuries, the Christians represent also Orpheus as a singer sur- rounded by animals. After an overview of Clement’s method to depict Christ as a new Orpheus in order to describe the Word as a new and powerful song and an examination of the possible meanings of the pictural representation of Orpheus in early Christian art, the question of the possible link between the literary and the iconographic representa- tion is dealt with. Even though no actual influence can definitely be traced between the two, it appears that a common method of addressing a well-educated audience is used in both cases and that the motif of the Golden Age which seems to permeate the pictural representations find an echo in Clement’s ‘apocalyptic’ manner of praising the Christian Mystery.
Χαῖρε Ὀρφεῦ! PERCEPTION OF A MYSTERY: THE IMAGES OF THE MYTH OF ORPHEUS ON ANCIENT COINS
Acta Antiqua Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae, 58, 1-4, 2018
The myth of Orpheus experienced a great popularity in ancient world, covering the path from a mythical legend to a complex and sophisticated mystic cult. There were many various features of Orpheus that characterized the Thracian singer, being the result of his different adventures: from the quest of the Argonauts and the pathetic story of love of Eurydice, to his journey to the underworld. The myth of Orpheus was highly represented in iconography. The most frequent representations are those showing Orpheus as a singer surrounded by the beasts and, in smaller amount, in the scene representing the story of descent to the underworld in search of Eurydice. Numerous images connected with the legend of Orpheus, dating from the Classical times to Christian era, are the proof of a wide influence of the mystery cult of Orpheus on ancient and late antique culture. This paper aims to present an overview of ancient coinage iconography representing Orpheus. Various motives considering the story of Orpheus appear on one of the most powerful means of propaganda-the coins, particularly from the Roman provinces, that were easily able to reach a wide audience. In the limited space of coins, the engravers could highlight effectively the most important and popular events from the story of Orpheus.
The Orpheus Funerary Mosaic from Jerusalem in the Archaeological Museum at Istanbul
The late Antique mosaic of Orpheus decorated a small room, approximately 18 m2 in area, connected with two even smaller ones, in 4 m2 and the other 2 m2 in area, belonging most likely to a small funerary chapel (or tomb) discovered in the ancient necropolis by the Damascene Gate in Jerusalem; it was discovered in 1901 by H. Vincent. The author proposes a new interpretation of the iconographic program of the Orpheus myth used by wealthy Christians in a sepulchral context (see Olszewski M.T. «Orphée endeuillé de la mosaïque funéraire de Jérusalem», in Rey Mimoso-Ruiz, B. ed., Actes du colloque «Orphée entre Soleil et ombre», à l’Institut Catholique de Toulouse du 16 au 17 novembre 2007, Inter Lignes, numéros spécial – mars 2008, pp. 205-214, 226). He also proposes a new interpretation of the role Orpheus played in Roman funerary art, concentrating on the importance of the play on words and the visual and textual punning that was popular in ancient art and especially in funerary art. He rejects the popular interpretation of Orpheus as Christ in the Roman catacombs and proposes to interpret the image as that of Orpheus, bard of the departed souls, without any ahistorical connection with Christ. The program of the mosaic from Jerusalem is thus explained as a play on the words Orpheus-orphanos and Chiron (Chi-Rho) and Pan [Παν(τοκράτωρ)].The frequently used Christian funerary formula of resting in peace, Christ or the Lord corresponds perfectly with the mood created around the mythical bard. Orpheus’ universal role as singer and musician moving even the most stony of hearts, extolling the beloved departed, is absolutely justified in the context of a 6th-century Christian tomb. Orpheus is a popular and neutral figure, meaning that in effect it does not constitute a threat to Christian theology and can be tolerated by the educated Christians of Jerusalem.
The Life of Orpheus - Contributions to European Culture
Open Journal for Studies in History, 2022, 5(2), 41-50, 2022
Orpheus is one of the greatest historical contributions of the Thracians in European culture. He is much more than a talented poet and singer. He is a religious reformer, a priest and a Teacher, who transmits valuable knowledge to humanity. This study presents his life and influence on philosophers such as Pythagoras and Plato, the development of this influence during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, and analyzes some Orphic tablets of eschatological nature. The roots of Orphic teachings are so deep, that some missionaries of the new Christian faith had to use the image of Orpheus in their desire to baptize pagans. Orpheus comes to walk the most difficult path-spreading the doctrine of salvation of the human soul, which remains one of the highest achievements of European culture and a hope for its humane future.