Aurelija RUSTEIKIEN ART of the CARMELITE MONKHOOD
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VYTAUTAS MAGNUS UNIVERSITY Aurelija RUSTEIKIEN ART OF THE CARMELITE MONKHOOD: ICONOGRAPHY OF OUR LADY OF THE SCAPULAR WITHIN HISTORICAL BOUNDARIES OF THE GRAND DUCHY OF LITHUANIA Summary of Doctoral Dissertation Humanities, Art Studies (03 H) Kaunas, 2013 The scientific doctoral dissertation was prepared at Vytautas Magnus University in 2009-2013. The right of the doctoral studies was granted to Vytautas Magnus University jointly with the Architecture and Construction Institute at the Decision No. 926 of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania on July 15, 2003. Scientific supervisor: Prof. Dr. Laima Šinknait (Vytautas Magnus University, Humanities, Art Studies 03 H) The scientific doctoral dissertation is defended at the Council of Art Studies Scientific Field of Vytautas Magnus University: Chairman: Prof. Habil. Dr. Vytautas Levandauskas (Vytautas Magnus University, Humanities, Art Studies 03 H) Members: Prof. Dr. Rta Janonien (Vilnius Academy of Arts, Humanities, Art Studies 03 H) Dr. Aist Paliušyt (Lithuanian Culture Research Institute, Humanities, Art Studies 03 H) Prof. Dr. Kstutis Žemaitis (Vytautas Magnus University, Humanities, Theology 02 H) Prof. Habil. Dr. Alfonsas Motuzas (Vytautas Magnus University, Humanities, Art Studies 03 H) Opponents: Prof. Habil. Dr. Aleksandra Aleksandraviit (Vilnius Academy of Arts, Humanities, Art Studies 03 H) Dr. Liudas Jovaiša (Vilnius University, Humanities, History 05 H) The doctoral dissertation will be defended at the public meeting of the Council of Art Studies Scientific Field at the art gallery 101 of Vytautas Magnus University, address: Laisvs Al. 53 – 101, LT – 44309, Kaunas, Lithuania, on December 10, 2013 at 2 pm. The summary of the doctoral dissertation was distributed on November, 2013. The dissertation is available for review at the library of Vytautas Magnus University and Martynas Mažvydas National library of Lithuania. VYTAUTO DIDŽIOJO UNIVERSITETAS Aurelija RUSTEIKIEN KARMELIT VIENUOLIJOS DAIL: ŠV. MERGELS MARIJOS ŠKAPLIERINS IKONOGRAFIJA ISTORINSE LDK RIBOSE Daktaro disertacijos santrauka Humanitariniai mokslai, menotyra (03 H) Kaunas, 2013 Mokslo daktaro disertacija rengta 2009 – 2013 metais Vytauto Didžiojo universitete. Doktorantros teis Vytauto Didžiojo universitetui suteikta kartu su Architektros ir statybos institutu Lietuvos Respublikos Vyriausybs 2003 m. liepos mn. 15 d. nutarimu Nr. 926. Mokslinis vadovas: Prof. dr. Laima Šinknait (Vytauto Didžiojo universitetas, humanitariniai mokslai, menotyra 03 H) Mokslo daktaro disertacija ginama Vytauto Didžiojo universiteto Menotyros krypties taryboje: Pirmininkas Prof. habil. dr. Vytautas Levandauskas (Vytauto Didžiojo universitetas, humanitariniai mokslai, menotyra 03 H) Nariai: Prof. dr. Rta Janonien (Vilniaus dails akademija, humanitariniai mokslai, menotyra 03 H) Dr. Aist Paliušyt (Lietuvos kultros tyrim institutas, humanitariniai mokslai, menotyra 03 H) Prof. dr. Kstutis Žemaitis (Vytauto Didžiojo universitetas, humanitariniai mokslai, teologija 02 H) Prof. habil. dr. Alfonsas Motuzas (Vytauto Didžiojo universitetas, humanitariniai mokslai, menotyra 03 H) Oponentai: Prof. habil. dr. Aleksandra Aleksandraviit (Vilniaus dails akademija, humanitariniai mokslai, menotyra 03 H) Dr. Liudas Jovaiša (Vilniaus universitetas, humanitariniai mokslai, istorija 05 H) Daktaro disertacja bus ginama viešame menotyros mokslo krypties tarybos posdyje 2013 m. gruodžio 10 d. 14 val. Vytauto Didžiojo universiteto Men galerijoje ,,101”, Adresas: Laisvs al. 53 – 101, LT – 44309, Kaunas, Lietuva. Daktaro disertacijos santrauka išsista 2013 m. lapkriio d. Disertacij galima peržirti Lietuvos nacionalinje Martyno Mažvydo ir Vytauto Didžiojo universiteto bibliotekose. INTRODUCTION Novelty of the theme, topic, actuality. The research of fine arts of monkhoods that flourished in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (GDL) in the 17th-18th century is important as evaluation of artistic, cultural and spiritual heritage of the past. Even though the monastic tradition is rather short in GDL, the valuable and original heritage encourages to analyse the culture of monasteries as a separate layer of cultural tradition. The solid contribution of one of the largest monkhoods of GDL, the Carmelite Order, to the nurturance of religious art should be evaluated by a wider and deeper aspect of art criticism. Also, religious fraternities, which became the only nurseries for Catholicism after the closure of monasteries, played an important role in continuing the tradition of piety and church art in our country. The chosen Marian aspect of research – Our Lady of the Scapular – reflects one of the main piety cults of the Carmelite monkhood. The purpose of this work is to draw attention to the iconography of images of Our Lady of the Scapular. The place of this iconographic derivative has not yet been defined unambiguously in the system of Marian iconography: iconographic dictionaries grant a different status to portrayals of Our Lady of the Scapular. The historically tardy legitimation of the Carmelites’ piety determined a slower spread of devotion to St. Scapular as compared with the cult of St. Rosary spread by the Dominicans heartily in the Middle Ages; therefore, today we have a conditionally unequal positioning of two iconographies of analogical origin – Our Lady of the Rosary in particular is mentioned and predominates in the majority of art dictionaries or directories while Our Lady of the Scapular is not referred to. Due to the different perception of the conception of iconography of Our Lady of the Scapular or identification of this derivative on the basis of distinct criteria, inaccuracies and mistakes emerge while identifying and evaluating portrayals of the Carmelite Mother of God. Such a situation prevails not only in our country but also in art criticism of the entire Europe, and this causes confusion and complicates iconographic research of Marian portrayals. Images portraying Out Lady of the Scapular are named differently: by confining to the theme of the vision plot, by coupling the title of the image with the title granted by the church, by continuing to use the title of piety of people, by emphasising the prototype of the image or the place of origin. These variants do not correspond with the iconographic typologization of art research rather often. Therefore, the type of Our Lady of the Scapular should be defined indicating the essential attributes of representation. In the research the internal composition of objects is analysed structurally, and the multi-layered iconography is revealed in this way. It is of great importance to find the notional dominant in portrayals of Our Lady of the Scapular of combined iconography that determines the naming of the theme. The raising of this issue is actual for identification of heritage objects and their systemisation both in Lithuania and other European countries. The identification of objects is also aggravated by the broken iconography of these images altering with time: some images were created for evoking Carmelite spirituality right from the start, other images gained the iconography of Our Lady of the Scapular later while adorning the portrayals with casings, yet others – while repainting images or inducting the devotion to the scapular on the art work in another manner. Although the mobile sacramental of the scapular coming with an image reflects the piety context of the time period, it does not survive on the long run the most often, and iconographic changes may be recorded only according to entries in church inventories. It should be noted that the delivery of the scapular garment as a sacramental is portrayed not only in Carmelite art themes – the analogical plot is repeated in images of the Servite Order. Our Lady of the Scapular is also portrayed with the scapular sacramental of the fraternity form in Marian images of the Mercedarian Order. The aforementioned works of art are frequently attributed to the Carmelite artistic heritage erroneously due to the usual visual similarity. Such evident mistakes prove that art criticism lacks clear criteria on the basis of which the specifics of the iconographic type of Our Lady of the Scapular could be named and the legitimate status could be granted to this derivative. The lack of theological knowledge or theological education of specialists that carry out iconographic research could be referred to as a general problem in art criticism today. Usually connoisseurs of religious art gain knowledge about history of the Catholic church, its structure, institutions, Catholic piety and liturgy from lasting experience, individual studies of secrets of Christian faith and consultations with Church representatives. The aforementioned topic is explored in our art criticism for the first time; therefore, the research is of high value due to its novelty and actuality. This research is 6 unique on the European scale too as there are no works of art criticism that would analyse the iconography of Carmelite Marian images of GDL in such a wide European context. Meanwhile, the funds of Lithuanian old religious art will be enriched with the analysis of newly discovered objects and the classified iconographic material of images of the Mother of God that encompasses three centuries of existence of the Carmelite monkhood in our country. Object of the dissertation. The chosen object of the research, images of the iconographic type of Our Lady of the Scapular, coincides with the step highly needed in our art criticism, i.e., with the systematic attitude of iconographic