| Paper 801-a | Likeness and Legends of Cephalophore Saints
(Language: English)
Lindsey Johnson, Department of History, Political Science & Humanities / Department of Behavioral & Social Sciences, College of Arts & Sciences, Lee University, Tennessee
Index terms: Art History - General, Hagiography |
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| Abstract | Paper -a:
After miraculously and momentarily surviving martyrdom by decapitation, the holy cephalophore, or 'head-carrying' saint, would travel from the site of attempted execution, head in hand and proclaiming the power of God to overcome death, before, at last, succumbing to his or her appointed end. By comparing the lives, passions, and legends from the 9th through 13th centuries of five cephalophore saints to their analogous representations on altar pieces, reliquaries, tombs, and illuminated manuscripts created between the 12th and 16th centuries, this paper will propose a typology of the cephalophore topos that draws on evidence from both the hagiographic and iconographic traditions.
Paper -b:
This paper examines the unusual Tree of Jesse tomb slab in Lincoln Cathedral. In it, I will suggest that the tomb was made as the centrepiece of an abortive saint's cult, prematurely surpassed by the popular cult of St Hugh. This will be accomplished by studying this tomb slab within the context of the rebuilds of Lincoln cathedral and its links to Canterbury Cathedral, investigating the other Tournai tomb slabs of the period to assess their usage and meanings, and delving into the 12th century developments in the Tree's iconography.
Paper -c:
The late-medieval manuscript K.21 (262) from St. Augustine's Abbey, Canterbury features a unique depiction of the preparation of the Virgin Mary's body for burial. This striking image purposefully highlights the Virgin's bare abdomen and exposed breasts. This paper will explore the ways in which this image, located just two folios before a rare depiction of the Virgin's resurrection by Christ, was specifically designed to act as a visual exposition of the patron's stance upon a debated topic in medieval Marian theology; the final fate of the Virgin and her body.
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