Description
Book SynopsisIn The Cross in the Visual Culture of Late Antique Egypt Gillian Spalding-Stracey brings the design of crosses in monastic and ecclesiastical settings to the fore. Visual representations of the Holy Cross are often so ubiquitous in Christian art that they are often overlooked as artistic devices themselves. This volume offers an exploration of the variety of designs and associated imagery by which the Cross was expressed across the Egyptian landscape in late antiquity. A survey of locations and images leads to an analysis of artistic influences, possible symbolism, variance across time and place and the contextual use of the motif. Gillian Spalding-Stracey provides the reader with an art-historical perspective of the socio-cultural situation in Egypt at the time.
Table of ContentsPreface Acknowledgements List of Illustrations 1 The Cross in Early Christian Egypt 2 Survey of Significant Egyptian Crosses 1 The Survey 3 Material, Techniques and the Issue of Authenticity 1 Paint/Pigment 2 Carving – Stone, Wood, Ivory 3 Textiles 4 Metalwork 5 Ceramics 6 The Issue of Authenticity 4 The Design and Symbolism of Egypt’s Crosses 1 The Four Basic Types of Late Antique Egyptian Crosses 2 Design and Symbolism 5 Design, Dating and Location 1 Date and Location of the Basic Types 2 Dating and Location of the Design Elements 6 Design in Context 1 Secular Objects and Settings 2 Sacred and Sacralised Objects and Spaces 3 Summary 7 The Standing of the Cross in Late Antique Egypt Maps Figures Appendix: Selected Anaphoras Bibliography Index
