Masarykova Univerzita Filozofická Fakulta Seminář Dějin Umění Filip
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Masarykova univerzita Filozofická fakulta Seminář dějin umění Filip Kyrc Local Saints, Global Roads, and Images Magisterská diplomová práce Vedoucí práce: doc. Ivan Foletti, MA 2017 Čestne prehlasujem, že som magisterskú diplomovú prácu vypracoval samostatne s využitím uvedených prameňov a literatúry. ……………………………… Podpis autora práce I am using this opportunity to express how much indebted I am to my colleagues, friends, and beloved family for their help. Foremost, I am very grateful to Ivan Foletti, my advisor, for his continuous support, knowledge, infinite patience, and inspiring enthusiasm. I am indebted to Ondrěj Jakubec, head of the Departmend of Art History, for his goodwill and gift of time. My sincere thanks also go to staffs of libraries in Rome and Poitiers, who kindly opened doors for me. I am thankful to my friends Agnese, Alžběta, Jana, Martin, Pavla, Sabina, Sandrina, and Zuzana from Via Giorgio Vasari 6, you were a pleasure to live with; to Amália for keeping my sanity; and to Katarína for her readiness and photographies. Particular I owe the great debt of gratitude to my parents for their generous and endless support. Last but not the least, my greatest debt is to Janka Gazdagová for everything and more. Thank you. Contents Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 9 1. State of Research ........................................................................................................ 11 From the Nineteenth Century to Constitution of Field .......................................... 11 New Ways: Reviving Figural Reliquaries, Braun’s Followers, and X-rays ......... 14 Changing Status ..................................................................................................... 16 Recent Studies ....................................................................................................... 19 2. Figural Reliquaries ...................................................................................................... 23 First Examples ....................................................................................................... 25 Question of Terms ................................................................................................. 29 3. Case Studies: Six Heralds of the Past ......................................................................... 32 Bust Reliquary of St. Caesarius ............................................................................. 34 Bust Reliquary of St. Baudime .............................................................................. 38 Reliquary of St. Peter ............................................................................................ 43 Bust Reliquary of St. Theofrid .............................................................................. 46 Bust Reliquary from Saint-Flour ........................................................................... 50 Majesty of St. Foy ................................................................................................. 53 4. Close Encounter of the Saint I: Placement and Use ................................................... 61 Placement .............................................................................................................. 61 Accessibility of the Reliquaries ............................................................................. 65 Processions ............................................................................................................ 68 Oaths ...................................................................................................................... 73 Humiliation of Relics ............................................................................................ 74 Conclusion ............................................................................................................. 75 5. Close Encounter of the Saint II: Perception ................................................................ 77 Appearance of the Saint ........................................................................................ 78 Gesturing Saint ...................................................................................................... 81 Changing Saint ...................................................................................................... 84 Conclusion ............................................................................................................. 85 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 87 Bibliography ................................................................................................................... 90 Exhibitions ........................................................................................................... 109 List of Illustrations ........................................................................................................ 110 Introduction Mediaeval pilgrims in order to find salvation travelled incredible distances to be in the presence of holy remains of saints. Relics, materializing their lives or martyrdom and filled with virtus, became one of the key aspects of the society in the Middle Ages. Such extraordinary residual material evidence deserved special treatment and protection. The reliquary was invented. No expense was spared on these objects, which were supposed to reflect power and rarity of their content. From the many types and shapes of these containers of sacredness, figural reliquaries stood out as probably most striking mediaeval images and objects. Their visual appearance, emphasized by precious metals and gems, was exceptional not only for the period faithful but for the contemporary visitor of museum expositions. In France, in two regions of Auvergne and Rouergue, six such effigies of saints are almost miraculously preserved. Saved from menaces of ravages of time, religious wars and other calamities, they show the incredible splendour of the mediaeval Church. Thesis stars with an attempt to summarise the bibliography related to figural reliquaries. State of research is not trying to cover every written work; it is rather presenting the changing perspectives and approaches in the field from the nineteenth century onwards. The chapter is taking into account several exhibitions as well, which were reflecting period opinions and research. Following part aims reliquaries as containers mediating saints’ powers, especially regarding figural ones. The text is using Heideggerian terminology to explain reciprocal relationship between relic and reliquary. The following section tries to map numerous examples from the first recorded cases, the last section deals with the terminology used to in the field. The third chapter represents a necessary interruption of the narrative chapters, following chapters are based on material evidence – six preserved reliquaries in the form of bust and sitting figure in French regions of Rouergue and Auvergne. Every short case study is accompanied by bibliography related to each one. Placement and various uses of figural reliquaries were crucial for veneration and their perception, the third chapter deals with these questions. Accessibility of reliquaries and shrines is closely connected with the issue of placement and deserves a separate section. Processions, as one of the key aspects and performances of the mediaeval Church, are presented in the following section. Together with other uses of reliquaries, the chapter tries to connect these practices with mediaeval society putting 9 emphasis on local communities, both ecclesiastic and profane. With the notion from this chapter, the last fifth is devoted to the perception of the figural reliquaries, which is seen through a prism of their materiality and body features. The last section of this chapter deals with their changing appearance and offers paradigmatically different understanding compared to other mediaeval objects or works of art. For the sake of more fluent readability of the main text, quotations are using English translations, accompanied by the original text either in Latin, French, or German for further reading. For the names of the saints and other persons, English variations are utilized, with one exception – generally accepted appellation of St. Foy is too nice to not use. 10 1. State of Research The uniqueness of the bust reliquaries has been always an attractive theme for many scholars tempted by their obscurity and emanating visual power. They represent a subject for a number of scientific articles, monographs, and lectures written over the last two centuries. The following chapter aims to survey the state of research on bust reliquaries, taking account of changing point of view and different motivation of scholars, as well as gradational shaping the autonomous status of works of art rather than initial auxiliary position in the history of art. The chapter is also considering several important exhibitions characterising perspective of research or perception of that time, and indicating the subsequent development of the field as well. From the Nineteenth Century to Constitution of Field During the entire nineteenth and first half of the twentieth century, the whole study of reliquaries was almost reserved for historians incited by two factors. A significant part of works proceeded from their vocation in the Catholic Church, other proportion was arising