Greek Devotional Images: Iconography and Interpretation in the Religious Arts DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Katherine A. Rask Graduate Program in History of Art The Ohio State University 2012 Dissertation Committee: Mark D. Fullerton, Adviser Timothy J. McNiven Sarah Iles Johnston Hugh B. Urban Copyright by Katherine A. Rask 2012 Abstract This dissertation concerns the uses of iconography, visual culture, and material culture in the study of Greek religion. I draw on methods and theoretical frameworks from outside the discipline in order contextualize the study of images and symbols in larger discourses and to introduce the most recent developments in scholarship. To better understand the religious aspects of Greek experience, this dissertation presents a mixture of intellectual history, historiography, and methodological critique. I provide an interdisciplinary overview of symbol theory and approaches to signs, the deep-seated interweaving of theological and artistic concerns in occultist traditions and 19th century scholarship, and iconographic methodologies employed by Classical studies and archaeology. Several themes repeatedly appear throughout the discussion, including the theoretical relationships between material culture and religion and the perceived dichotomy between phenomenological responses and interpretation. By exploring these topics, it becomes clear that approaches to religion in ancient Greece need to be adapted to better account for visual and material culture. Despite most emphasis on public, ritual-centered aspects, images and objects attest to private encounters with divinities. Based on comparative analysis, I argue that the religious experience of ancient Greeks exhibits many elements of devotionalism, a religious phenomenon developed by Robert Orsi. Two case studies explore Classical Greek iconography in the context of everyday life, personal biography, and emotional response. The first argues that Athenians interacted with the deceased in much the same way as ii with deities, especially in their use of material culture. Using white-ground lekythoi, I show that tainiai (fabric garlands) are evidence of everyday materials that were used in devotional activity and can be found in women’s domestic experience, shrine activities, and gravesides. In the second case study, I consider iconographic conservatism in the context of personal biographies. I explore childhood encounters with devotional media and the way that such media continued to exert emotional force throughout an individual’s life. I also discuss the emotional impact caused by the perceived uniformity of devotional media, as well as manifestations of the aesthetics of accumulation in the massed votives displayed in sanctuaries. iii Acknowledgements For their support during the completion of this project, I would like to thank my supervisory committee: Mark Fullerton, Tim McNiven, Sarah Johnston, and Hugh Urban. I also owe thanks to Carol Lawton for her assistance with votive reliefs and to Fritz Graf for being so willing to reminisce about his personal experiences in the interest of historiography. I would like to thank Beth Shively for the many conversations we shared over dinner and across book-laden tables, which have so inspired the direction of this dissertation. Carolina Lopez-Ruiz’s encouragement was also instrumental. My family’s support has been unyielding, and without them this dissertation would have never been completed. iv Vita 1997................................................................Chantilly High School 2002................................................................B.A. History, Virginia Polytechnic Institute 2002................................................................B.S. Business Management, Virginia Tech 2005................................................................M.A. Classical Archaeology, Florida State University 2008 to 2009 .................................................Regular Member, American School of Classical Studies in Athens 2005 to present .............................................Graduate Teaching Associate, Department of the History of Art, The Ohio State University Publications Forthcoming. “Etruscan animal bones and their implications for ancient sacrifice,” History of Religions. Forthcoming. Entries for ‘Delos,’ ‘Mt. Olympus,’ ‘Tinia,’ and ‘Tripod,’ in Cambridge Dictionary of Ancient Mediterranean Religions. 2011. “New Approaches to the Archaeology of Cult Images,” in N. de Grummond and I. Edlund-Berry (eds.), The archaeology of sanctuaries and ritual in Etruria. Journal of Roman Archaeology Supplement, 89-112. v 2009. “The new Acropolis Museum: where the visual feast trumps education,” Near Eastern Archaeology 79, 56-59. Fields of Study Major Field: History of Art vi Table of Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................ iv Vita ...................................................................................................................................... v List of Figures ..................................................................................................................... x Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 1: The symbol in 20th century theory ................................................................... 9 Art history’s great debate: “the infestation of art by interpretations” ........................... 10 Symbols, distance, and forms of thought: Aby Warburg .............................................. 11 Decoding the image: signs as bearers of meaning ........................................................ 28 “The absurd idea that symbols mean”: agency, psychology, and desire ....................... 40 “Phenomenology trumps iconography”: cognitive science and neuroarthistory .......... 43 Chapter 2: Iconography at the intersection of religion and art ......................................... 48 Aesthetic theories and the role of religion .................................................................... 49 Artistic approaches to the religious ............................................................................... 59 Occult Meanings and Mystic powers ............................................................................ 64 Response, embodiment, and material religion .............................................................. 78 vii Phenomenology ............................................................................................................. 84 Chapter 3: Classical studies and religious iconography ................................................... 91 German classics: religion, art, and archaeology ............................................................ 92 Jane Ellen Harrison: archaeologist and historian of religion ........................................ 96 Problems in iconographic analysis in classical archaeology ....................................... 108 Documentary images: art as historical evidence ......................................................... 114 Iconographic methods ................................................................................................. 119 The value and danger of interpretation ....................................................................... 125 Chapter 4: Locating religion: objects, devotionalism and Greek religious experience .. 128 Models of Greek religion ............................................................................................ 128 Popular piety and lived religion .................................................................................. 135 Votive-votum-devotio-devotionalism ......................................................................... 140 Chapter 5 Devotional elements in Greek encounters with divine powers ...................... 154 Relationships in Greek religion ................................................................................... 155 Offerings...................................................................................................................... 169 The problem of sacred space ....................................................................................... 177 Chapter 6: Women’s devotion, tainiai, and the places of everyday life in Classical Athens ......................................................................................................................................... 184 Widening the scope of devotionalism: adjusting Orsi’s model for Classical Athens . 186 viii Cemeteries, women’s devotion, and the role of tainiai .............................................. 191 Implications and conclusions: the female hand as apprehender and creator ............... 208 Chapter 7: Ubiquitous and repetitive images in Greek devotional practice ................... 214 Concepts of continuity and change in the religious arts .............................................. 214 Iconography and religious conservatism in ancient Athens ........................................ 221 Continuity and conservatism in Athenian votives....................................................... 227 Repetition, ubiquity, and