Peacock as a Sign in the Late Antique and Early Christian Art
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In the art of late antiquity and early Christianity, during the Christian Middle Ages to the present, peacock holds a prominent place, not only as a decorative motif, but also as a distinctive emblematic and symbolic sign. Veneration and breeding of this bird is dating back to distant past. Owing to the beauty of his plumage and splendid tail, peacock has early got a lot of symbolic functions, causing he to become a very frequent artistic motif. Because of his protective functions, he is a characteristic sign in funerary art. On this example, the transposition of the same motif from pagan to Christian
iconography is most noticeable. He is usually combined with a kantharos or a tree of life. These scenes are common in the late antique and early Christian fresco painted tombs from the territory of modern Serbia. Individually or in pair, he is usually represented on places which are the ones closest to the holiest part of churches (altar’s parapet wall panels). His ornamentation is visib...le on floor mosaics, which are often a sole testimony of the decoration of public buildings from the early Christian period, and whose remains can be found on the territory of the Roman provinces on the Central Balkans.
Keywords:
peacock / sign / art / painting / late antiquity / early Chriistianity / tombs / frescoes / mosaicSource:
Archaeology and Science / Arheologija i prirodne nauke, 2011, 6/2010, 231-248Publisher:
- Belgrade: Center for New Technology; Archaeological Institute Belgrade
Funding / projects:
- IRS - Viminacium, roman city and military legion camp - research of material and non-material of inhabitants by using the modern technologies of remote detection, geophysics, GIS, digitalisation and 3D visualisation (RS-MESTD-Integrated and Interdisciplinary Research (IIR or III)-47018)
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Археолошки институт / Institute of ArchaeologyTY - JOUR AU - Anđelković, Jelena AU - Rogić, Dragana AU - Nikolić, Emilija PY - 2011 UR - http://rai.ai.ac.rs/handle/123456789/583 AB - In the art of late antiquity and early Christianity, during the Christian Middle Ages to the present, peacock holds a prominent place, not only as a decorative motif, but also as a distinctive emblematic and symbolic sign. Veneration and breeding of this bird is dating back to distant past. Owing to the beauty of his plumage and splendid tail, peacock has early got a lot of symbolic functions, causing he to become a very frequent artistic motif. Because of his protective functions, he is a characteristic sign in funerary art. On this example, the transposition of the same motif from pagan to Christian iconography is most noticeable. He is usually combined with a kantharos or a tree of life. These scenes are common in the late antique and early Christian fresco painted tombs from the territory of modern Serbia. Individually or in pair, he is usually represented on places which are the ones closest to the holiest part of churches (altar’s parapet wall panels). His ornamentation is visible on floor mosaics, which are often a sole testimony of the decoration of public buildings from the early Christian period, and whose remains can be found on the territory of the Roman provinces on the Central Balkans. PB - Belgrade: Center for New Technology; Archaeological Institute Belgrade T2 - Archaeology and Science / Arheologija i prirodne nauke T1 - Peacock as a Sign in the Late Antique and Early Christian Art EP - 248 SP - 231 VL - 6/2010 DO - 10.18485/arhe_apn.2010.6.13 ER -
@article{ author = "Anđelković, Jelena and Rogić, Dragana and Nikolić, Emilija", year = "2011", abstract = "In the art of late antiquity and early Christianity, during the Christian Middle Ages to the present, peacock holds a prominent place, not only as a decorative motif, but also as a distinctive emblematic and symbolic sign. Veneration and breeding of this bird is dating back to distant past. Owing to the beauty of his plumage and splendid tail, peacock has early got a lot of symbolic functions, causing he to become a very frequent artistic motif. Because of his protective functions, he is a characteristic sign in funerary art. On this example, the transposition of the same motif from pagan to Christian iconography is most noticeable. He is usually combined with a kantharos or a tree of life. These scenes are common in the late antique and early Christian fresco painted tombs from the territory of modern Serbia. Individually or in pair, he is usually represented on places which are the ones closest to the holiest part of churches (altar’s parapet wall panels). His ornamentation is visible on floor mosaics, which are often a sole testimony of the decoration of public buildings from the early Christian period, and whose remains can be found on the territory of the Roman provinces on the Central Balkans.", publisher = "Belgrade: Center for New Technology; Archaeological Institute Belgrade", journal = "Archaeology and Science / Arheologija i prirodne nauke", title = "Peacock as a Sign in the Late Antique and Early Christian Art", pages = "248-231", volume = "6/2010", doi = "10.18485/arhe_apn.2010.6.13" }
Anđelković, J., Rogić, D.,& Nikolić, E.. (2011). Peacock as a Sign in the Late Antique and Early Christian Art. in Archaeology and Science / Arheologija i prirodne nauke Belgrade: Center for New Technology; Archaeological Institute Belgrade., 6/2010, 231-248. https://doi.org/10.18485/arhe_apn.2010.6.13
Anđelković J, Rogić D, Nikolić E. Peacock as a Sign in the Late Antique and Early Christian Art. in Archaeology and Science / Arheologija i prirodne nauke. 2011;6/2010:231-248. doi:10.18485/arhe_apn.2010.6.13 .
Anđelković, Jelena, Rogić, Dragana, Nikolić, Emilija, "Peacock as a Sign in the Late Antique and Early Christian Art" in Archaeology and Science / Arheologija i prirodne nauke, 6/2010 (2011):231-248, https://doi.org/10.18485/arhe_apn.2010.6.13 . .