DOI issue:
Nr. 2
DOI article:Vančo, Martin: Rim alebo Judea?: Príspekov k ikonografii a provenecii slonovinovej pyxidy z Čiernych Kl'ačian
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.52804#0112
Judea or Rome?
Contribution to the Iconography and Provenance of ivory pyxis from Cierne Kl’acany
(Summarf)
Several fragments of an ivory pyxis were found
during building works near Cierne Kl’acany in the
Zlaté Moravce’s neighbourhood in 1974. The discove-
ry of the ivory pyxis is very important for the Slovák
history of art because such a kind of late Ancient or
Byzantine art is rare in our area. That is why, ivory
pyxis was reconstructed by experts from the Archae-
ological Institute of Nitra. Pyxis has probably high
8,5 cm and diameter 14,5 cm. The mantel of pyxis
was carved in a low relief consists of cutting linear
lineš of fïgure’s details. Any architectonie frames did
not separate the particular figurai scenes from each
other. Therefore it can be assumed that on the relief
there is a narrative scene depicted. Under the dam-
aged arcade there is situated only a figure of an orans,
consisting of his right raised hand. On the right side
of the destructed part of pyxis with orans is depicted
a ploughman putting two oxes to work. In front of
oxes, there is a walking woman holding a basket with
food in her left hand. Her right raised arm is depict-
ed as greeting to a ploughman. Next composition
consists of a shepherd with sheep and a goat. The
shepherd is sitting and his right hand is Stretching
out towards an unrecognizable figure. Below him lies
a sheep with its head turned towards a woman. Oth-
er sheep are lying by the right side of a damaged figu-
re. Last animal, probably a goat, is situated above
them by a lock of the pyxis. Ail of the depicted figu-
res are dressed in tunica, except a shepherd dressed
in goaťs skin.
This unique relie has been interpreted till today
solely by Slovák archaeologists Ladislav Veliačik and
Titus Kolník. They interpreted pyxis like late antique
product from the lst third of the 4th Century made in
Rome. They also identified iconography of the pyxis
as the Legend about the Founding of Rome proceed-
ing from the assumption that the pyxis had been créât -
ed for a special occasion of the founding of New Rome
— Constantinople by Constantine the Great. This
hypothesis cornes from the interprétation of scene with
a ploughman working with two oxes, which might
be seen as a symbolic act of the founding Rome by
Romulus. Ail things considered, the pyxis cannot to
be dated to the lst half of 4th Century because major-
ity of the well known pyxides corne from 5th to 6th
Century and the oldest examples is “The Great Ber-
lin pyxis“ made around 400 AC with the fries depict-
ing Christ and the Âpostles and Abraham’s Sacrifice of
Issac. The Berlin pyxis reflects realism and plasticity
of Roman sculpture of the 4th Century; on the con-
trary, the relief of Cierne Kl’acany’s pyxis is low with
schematic draperies of figures and stiff gestures. These
signifîcant features are typical for the Early Byzan-
tine period of the 5th and 6th Century. Such a process
of schematization and minimalisation from monu-
mental sculpture into small works is better document-
ed on the examples of ivory carvings.
The figurai scene on the pyxis could hâve been
interpreted also as the Old Testament’s legend Jacob
Obtains Isaac’s Blessing (Gn. 27, 15-23). On the man-
tel of pyxis there might hâve been depicted: Esau -
a ploughman with two oxes in the field, Rebecca —
a woman holding a basket with food, Jacob —
a shepherd dressed into goatskin with sheep and
a goat, Isaac - a damaged figure in front of Jacob.
Rebecca dressed Jacob goatskin so that Isaac would
not distinguish his hand from the more hairy one of
Esau. This motif is probably depicted in a bucolic
scene where we can see a shepherd Jacob Stretching
his hand towards bending figure of Isaac. From
Christian iconography point of view a shepherd —
Jacob can be considered to be the Christ’s préfigura-
tion of the Good Shepherd. All in ail, it might hâve
been Jesus Christ who was depicted as an orans stand-
ing under the arcade, what may be confirmed by the
fragment of a figure with its right raised arm.
From the art historical point of view, a lot of fea-
tures of the pyxis from Cierne Kl’acany are compara-
ble with a pyxis with „Pastoral scenes from British
Museum“, made in Egypt during 6th Century. The
106
Contribution to the Iconography and Provenance of ivory pyxis from Cierne Kl’acany
(Summarf)
Several fragments of an ivory pyxis were found
during building works near Cierne Kl’acany in the
Zlaté Moravce’s neighbourhood in 1974. The discove-
ry of the ivory pyxis is very important for the Slovák
history of art because such a kind of late Ancient or
Byzantine art is rare in our area. That is why, ivory
pyxis was reconstructed by experts from the Archae-
ological Institute of Nitra. Pyxis has probably high
8,5 cm and diameter 14,5 cm. The mantel of pyxis
was carved in a low relief consists of cutting linear
lineš of fïgure’s details. Any architectonie frames did
not separate the particular figurai scenes from each
other. Therefore it can be assumed that on the relief
there is a narrative scene depicted. Under the dam-
aged arcade there is situated only a figure of an orans,
consisting of his right raised hand. On the right side
of the destructed part of pyxis with orans is depicted
a ploughman putting two oxes to work. In front of
oxes, there is a walking woman holding a basket with
food in her left hand. Her right raised arm is depict-
ed as greeting to a ploughman. Next composition
consists of a shepherd with sheep and a goat. The
shepherd is sitting and his right hand is Stretching
out towards an unrecognizable figure. Below him lies
a sheep with its head turned towards a woman. Oth-
er sheep are lying by the right side of a damaged figu-
re. Last animal, probably a goat, is situated above
them by a lock of the pyxis. Ail of the depicted figu-
res are dressed in tunica, except a shepherd dressed
in goaťs skin.
This unique relie has been interpreted till today
solely by Slovák archaeologists Ladislav Veliačik and
Titus Kolník. They interpreted pyxis like late antique
product from the lst third of the 4th Century made in
Rome. They also identified iconography of the pyxis
as the Legend about the Founding of Rome proceed-
ing from the assumption that the pyxis had been créât -
ed for a special occasion of the founding of New Rome
— Constantinople by Constantine the Great. This
hypothesis cornes from the interprétation of scene with
a ploughman working with two oxes, which might
be seen as a symbolic act of the founding Rome by
Romulus. Ail things considered, the pyxis cannot to
be dated to the lst half of 4th Century because major-
ity of the well known pyxides corne from 5th to 6th
Century and the oldest examples is “The Great Ber-
lin pyxis“ made around 400 AC with the fries depict-
ing Christ and the Âpostles and Abraham’s Sacrifice of
Issac. The Berlin pyxis reflects realism and plasticity
of Roman sculpture of the 4th Century; on the con-
trary, the relief of Cierne Kl’acany’s pyxis is low with
schematic draperies of figures and stiff gestures. These
signifîcant features are typical for the Early Byzan-
tine period of the 5th and 6th Century. Such a process
of schematization and minimalisation from monu-
mental sculpture into small works is better document-
ed on the examples of ivory carvings.
The figurai scene on the pyxis could hâve been
interpreted also as the Old Testament’s legend Jacob
Obtains Isaac’s Blessing (Gn. 27, 15-23). On the man-
tel of pyxis there might hâve been depicted: Esau -
a ploughman with two oxes in the field, Rebecca —
a woman holding a basket with food, Jacob —
a shepherd dressed into goatskin with sheep and
a goat, Isaac - a damaged figure in front of Jacob.
Rebecca dressed Jacob goatskin so that Isaac would
not distinguish his hand from the more hairy one of
Esau. This motif is probably depicted in a bucolic
scene where we can see a shepherd Jacob Stretching
his hand towards bending figure of Isaac. From
Christian iconography point of view a shepherd —
Jacob can be considered to be the Christ’s préfigura-
tion of the Good Shepherd. All in ail, it might hâve
been Jesus Christ who was depicted as an orans stand-
ing under the arcade, what may be confirmed by the
fragment of a figure with its right raised arm.
From the art historical point of view, a lot of fea-
tures of the pyxis from Cierne Kl’acany are compara-
ble with a pyxis with „Pastoral scenes from British
Museum“, made in Egypt during 6th Century. The
106