Laboratory of Images: Emerging iconographies in eighth- and ninth-century Rome

Eighth- and ninth-century sacred painting in Rome was characterized by inventiveness, experimentation, and innovation. Iconographies were being tested, used, and in some cases abandoned. Unfortunately traditional scholarship did not promote Rome as a creative center but as a receptacle for what would later become prominent Byzantine iconographies. The approach of these early scholars was limited not because their methodological toolbox was flawed, but because they made an a priori assumption of difference between East and West, an assumption for which they were seeking proof. By combining formal and stylistic analysis with the writings of the patristics and early medieval religious thinkers, and with the consideration of the geopolitical controversies in which the papacy was a major participant, it is possible to see early medieval Rome as it was---a vibrant center of artistic production.;The study of four different iconographies with very different evolutionary lives shows the particular "fitness" each had in early medieval Rome. Chapter One focuses on the surviving Roman examples of the Anastasis, discussing the lifespan of the iconography from its first appearance during the papacy of John VII to its last in the nave of Pope Formosus in the mid-ninth century. The Anastasis expressed Christ's duality and redemptive power with a disorienting sense of liminality. After being absorbed into the framework of the chronological biblical narrative, the Anastasis was abandoned in favor of other iconographies such as the Crucifixion, the Last Judgment, and the Resurrection showing Christ emerging from his tomb. Chapter Two addresses the Transfiguration scene, which at times follows the "traditional" format originating at at St. Catherine's in Sinai, but in other cases is seen as variants that do not look like canonical Transfigurations at all. This iconography responded to anxieties regarding to the ability to represent Christ as simultaneously man and god, while emphasizing the capacity of the viewer to perceive and comprehend that mystery. Chapter Three explores the widespread Maria Regina type, the Virgin Mary who appears as Queen of Heaven. By focusing on the intrinsic qualities of the image, rather than its disputed origins or its geopolitical inspiration, it is possible to make sense of the value and meaning of the Maria Regina image in Rome. It was a supreme form of Marian devotion, commanding veneration in both public spaces and intimate personal devotionals. This iconography called forth important practices of medieval veneration which highlighted her multiple roles as queen, intercessor, and mother. Chapter Four discusses the Sickness of Hezekiah scene that appears on the transenna in Santa Maria Antigua. This scene, which shows Hezekiah dramatically covering his face, never reappears in Roman monumental art, and as such represents an evolutionary dead end. However, its message was a timely response to concerns about painting the face of Christ. In conjunction with neighboring episodes which also illustrate strangely obscured heads, the Hezekiah scene alerted the Roman viewer that the focus should not be on the painted faces but on the true face, that of Christ.;Eighth- and ninth-century Rome should not be studied as a battleground of East and West. Instead, Rome was a fertile design landscape for Christian iconographies, a landscape that allowed varied and vital evolutionary experimentation.