DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.47598#0199
Paul P. van Moorsel
“Bilder ohne Worte”
Problems in Nubian Christian
iconography
It is to be expected that a paper such as this should begin with a short description of the
characteristics of Nubian Christian iconography, not only of its themes but also of the origins
of these themes and their evolution. And yet there would seem to be no task more difficult than
this. The themes can, indeed, be characterized : they are devotional. And this explains straight
away why it is so difficult to come to grips with this material. This does not apply, it is true, to
the obligatory two-zoned apse composition, Coptic in origin, such as was painted, for example,
under Kyros, in the cathedral of Faras1, and it probably does not hold good, either, for the
Nativity2, one of the rare scenic themes in Nubia; these two are probably the only themes in
Nubian churches which are primarily concerned with portraying holy mysteries. On the other hand,
by far the greatest number of Nubian church paintings are of a devotional nature, and thus little
coloured by dogma. They show us (if I may limit myself to a choice) from the very beginning
representations of the Mother of God3, of angels4 often with protégés, pictures of the young men
with St. Michael in the Fiery Furnace5 and, since the “white style” (to keep Weitzmann’s
division6), especially an increasing numbers of paintings of the holy Cross7, of saints on horseback,
and even of the Trinity, and in particular icon-like frescoes depicting Christ, bishop saints or
hermits8. Again, this is no more than a selection. It may well be, as Weitzmann remarked in Essen
in 1969, that this is “the result of a liturgical development in which the walls are covered with
images which take the place of and are actually meant to be icons, to be worshipped on certain
days of the year, and to be integrated into the celebration of the liturgy9, but the fact remains that
in this supposition more interest was shown in the “Proprium Sanctorum” than in the “Proprium
de Tempore”. What we should make of this may be seen from the numerous protection groups
which are to be found here, and which, in my opinion, make it clear that the role of the founders
was considered to be at least as important as that of the “Proprium Sanctorum”10, This is also the
reason why various saints were depicted several times in the same church.
Today, however, I would like to look into various particular problems which habitually crop up in
research in this field. The first is the lack of any strict iconographical scheme such as developed,
for example, in Middle Byzantine church decoration. It cannot be denied that the Nubians had
a certain amount of feeling for hierarchy, however far removed from Dionysios Areopagita,
although it is somewhat surprising that this did not prevent them, from the end of the ninth
1 Cf. K. Michalowski, Faras, die Kathedrale aus dem Wüstensand, Einsiedeln-Zürich-Köln 1967, pp. 119-123 andfig
40-42.
2 Cf. Ibidem, pp. 143-177 and fig. 63-69 (the great Nativity scene in the cathedral of Faras). I shall not go into the
Easter cycle in Faras, as that is, so far, unique.
3 Cf. T. Golgowski, On the Iconography of the Holy Virgin represented on Faras Murals. Études et Travaux, II (1968),
pp. 295-312.
4 A. study on this subject by Miss Μ. Μ. Rassart is soon to appear in Études et Travaux.
5 Miss Μ. Μ. Rassart is preparing a dissertation on this subject.
6 K. Weitzmann, Some Remarks on the Sources of the Fresco Paintings of the Cathedral of Faras, in: E. Dinkier, Ed.,
Kunst und Geschichte Nubiens in Christlicher Zeit, Recklinghausen 1970, pp. 325-346.
7 See my study: Die Nubier und das glorreiche Kreuz, which is to appear in 1972 in the Bulletin Antieke Beschaving.
8 No separate studies have yet been published devoted to the last five subjects mentioned here.
9 Weitzmann, op. cit., p. 338.
10 Cf. Μ. de Grooth, Mögliche Einflüsse auf die nubische Protektionsgebärde, Nederlands Kunsthistorisch Jaarboek,
XXII (1971), pp. 9-19.
126
“Bilder ohne Worte”
Problems in Nubian Christian
iconography
It is to be expected that a paper such as this should begin with a short description of the
characteristics of Nubian Christian iconography, not only of its themes but also of the origins
of these themes and their evolution. And yet there would seem to be no task more difficult than
this. The themes can, indeed, be characterized : they are devotional. And this explains straight
away why it is so difficult to come to grips with this material. This does not apply, it is true, to
the obligatory two-zoned apse composition, Coptic in origin, such as was painted, for example,
under Kyros, in the cathedral of Faras1, and it probably does not hold good, either, for the
Nativity2, one of the rare scenic themes in Nubia; these two are probably the only themes in
Nubian churches which are primarily concerned with portraying holy mysteries. On the other hand,
by far the greatest number of Nubian church paintings are of a devotional nature, and thus little
coloured by dogma. They show us (if I may limit myself to a choice) from the very beginning
representations of the Mother of God3, of angels4 often with protégés, pictures of the young men
with St. Michael in the Fiery Furnace5 and, since the “white style” (to keep Weitzmann’s
division6), especially an increasing numbers of paintings of the holy Cross7, of saints on horseback,
and even of the Trinity, and in particular icon-like frescoes depicting Christ, bishop saints or
hermits8. Again, this is no more than a selection. It may well be, as Weitzmann remarked in Essen
in 1969, that this is “the result of a liturgical development in which the walls are covered with
images which take the place of and are actually meant to be icons, to be worshipped on certain
days of the year, and to be integrated into the celebration of the liturgy9, but the fact remains that
in this supposition more interest was shown in the “Proprium Sanctorum” than in the “Proprium
de Tempore”. What we should make of this may be seen from the numerous protection groups
which are to be found here, and which, in my opinion, make it clear that the role of the founders
was considered to be at least as important as that of the “Proprium Sanctorum”10, This is also the
reason why various saints were depicted several times in the same church.
Today, however, I would like to look into various particular problems which habitually crop up in
research in this field. The first is the lack of any strict iconographical scheme such as developed,
for example, in Middle Byzantine church decoration. It cannot be denied that the Nubians had
a certain amount of feeling for hierarchy, however far removed from Dionysios Areopagita,
although it is somewhat surprising that this did not prevent them, from the end of the ninth
1 Cf. K. Michalowski, Faras, die Kathedrale aus dem Wüstensand, Einsiedeln-Zürich-Köln 1967, pp. 119-123 andfig
40-42.
2 Cf. Ibidem, pp. 143-177 and fig. 63-69 (the great Nativity scene in the cathedral of Faras). I shall not go into the
Easter cycle in Faras, as that is, so far, unique.
3 Cf. T. Golgowski, On the Iconography of the Holy Virgin represented on Faras Murals. Études et Travaux, II (1968),
pp. 295-312.
4 A. study on this subject by Miss Μ. Μ. Rassart is soon to appear in Études et Travaux.
5 Miss Μ. Μ. Rassart is preparing a dissertation on this subject.
6 K. Weitzmann, Some Remarks on the Sources of the Fresco Paintings of the Cathedral of Faras, in: E. Dinkier, Ed.,
Kunst und Geschichte Nubiens in Christlicher Zeit, Recklinghausen 1970, pp. 325-346.
7 See my study: Die Nubier und das glorreiche Kreuz, which is to appear in 1972 in the Bulletin Antieke Beschaving.
8 No separate studies have yet been published devoted to the last five subjects mentioned here.
9 Weitzmann, op. cit., p. 338.
10 Cf. Μ. de Grooth, Mögliche Einflüsse auf die nubische Protektionsgebärde, Nederlands Kunsthistorisch Jaarboek,
XXII (1971), pp. 9-19.
126