Whittemore, Thomas [Hrsg.]; Byzantine Institute of America [Mitarb.]: The mosaics of Haghia Sophia at Istanbul: preliminary report (4): The Deesis Panel of the South Gallery: work done in 1934-1938 (Oxford: printed by Charles Batey at the University Press, 1952)

TECHNICAL PARTICULARS OF PANEL

4i

F

Position
Detail
Particulars
10
II
12
13
14
15
Christ
Face
high lights are alternating with rows of light grey tessellae. There is a
high light passing down from the right wing of the nose and another,
shorter, downwards from the nostril.
Ears: remains of the right ear, near the hair, are a row of light olive tessellae
and two rows of ochre and several rose cubes. The left ear has an exterior
row of light olive-green tessellae and an inner row of light ochre; in the
upper part a row of five rose tessellae is preserved and, near it, separated
by one row of dark olive, is a vertical row of dark red-violet glass tessellae
with dull surface. Mere fragments of the ears remain.
Mouth: the lips are in three shades of warm rose, the outer corners of the
mouth on the left side are of three dark red tessellae and one below lighter;
and, on the right, of two dark red tessellae and one green-olive cube
below. The shaded corners of the lips blend on both sides with the warm
green-olive shades under the moustache.
The mouth is small in relation to the other features.
Moustache: olive-brown and, for the lighted parts, olive and grey-ohve.
The right side of the moustache is lighter than the left.
Beard: the beard is worked in very small glass tessellae. The locks are out-
lined with dark green-olive rows; the space between these rows is filled
with tessellae of the same colour but lighter in tone. The shadows are
short, blade-like lines of dark violet translucent glass.
Chin: the chin is in green-olive and ohve tones deepened by two rows of
dark brown-olive tessellae. The upper part of the chin is of cold light grey
and warm light ochre tessellae. There is here a white-grey and an almost
white high light extending downwards from a horizontal crescent of the
same colour in three strokes. On the lower part of the chin are ochre
tessellae of a slightly darker tone than those on the upper part and also
mid-rose cubes. The sharp ends of these rows of warm tones play and
interchange with the rows of cold tones of the beard.
The face and beard are drawn in sharp, closely placed hnes, interweaving
colours and tones very much as the tempera painters worked with fine
pointed brush-strokes. It is interesting to note that three tones of each
colour are usual.
Neck: the shade cast by the beard is in olive tessellae of three tones and green-
blue of a cold tone. The left shaded side of the neck is drawn with slanting
rows of olive-green tessellae which in one row are in alternation with dark
rose, whereas two rows lower there is one row of dark rose of two tones
set between the olive-green rows. The shade is separated in two parts by
a row of dark olive-green representing the strong muscle of the neck.
Below this line the shade is made of slanting rows of warm light olive
tessellae, alternating with cold green-blue; rows of dark rose are set
between the outer olive rows.
The rose tessellae convey the reflected light into the shadows.
A row of large black-blue tessellae separates the neck from the vestment.
Above it are set two rows of ohve-green tessellae alternating with rose,
lighter in the lower row and darker in the upper. The shade below the
pit of the neck is of the same olive tones as under the beard. Along the
opening of the collar of the chiton the lower, lighted part of the neck is
of three ohve rows of which the lowest is also the darkest. The half-
shades on the right side of the neck are made of light olive tessellae in two
tones; in the second row the olive tessellae of middle tone alternate with
rose. The half-shades on the right shoulder, below the neck-line of the
chiton, are of olive of the same tone.
The lighted part of the neck is of semicircular rows of pale green and light
ochre tessellae of two tones also of palest rose. In this area are two white