engleski

Homeric theme in the Chapel of the Sorrowful Mother of God in Celje

In the Cilli family chapel in Celje, amongst the rich architectonic plastic, figural consoles that were once used to bear the statues of saints stand out. Out of the original twenty consoles, there are thirteen preserved consoles to date. Without a detailed iconographic analysis, the dominance of well known motives of gothic bestiary, specifically motives from the classical Physiologus catches your eyes immediately. At the same time, we are noticing some peculiarities of the iconographic programme: Alongside the three consoles, there are plaques carved with inscriptions which describe the contents of the consoles and their theological significance. We believe that the other consoles had such support “legends”. Furthermore, we can anticipate one eschatological theme in the appearance of a Siren, the Onocentaur and of John the Evangelist. In the following consideration we will center our attention to the presence of one possible Homeric theme, specifically the themes from the Homer's Odyssey. At least two consoles belong to the Homeric cycle: the Siren and the Scylla. The Siren console is located almost near to the console of the Onocentaur while on the contrary wall, several fields further towards the altar, the Scylla. The appearance of the Siren is found in Christian iconography, given that it is a pagan motif, relatively often, it is not usually related to the Homeric content. It is different for the Scylla, which appears less often as an exclusive Homeric theme. The Scylla is not brought by various translations of the Physiologus, and it almost does not appear in other contemporary bestiaries. Nevertheless, before a detailed examination, let’s have a closer look at these two consoles: The first (preserved) console from the left side of the entrance represents a figure of a young winged woman with dispersed hair, with a naked body that takes the form of a fish from the waist bellow. The tail is bended to (her) left side and her hips are gently pushed to the opposite side, which gives elegance to the figure. With the head and the wings, it supports a multi-angle panel on which a statue once stood. This representation of the Siren we can later recognize as a type of a half-fish – half-girl, unlike the classical and early medieval representations of the Siren as a half-bird. On the right wall (also observed from the entrance), in line between the representations of Saint John the Evangelist and the Ostrich, there is a representation of the Scylla. The Scylla is a woman with feathered crown with the right arm raised as if it was threatening, as if she was holding a spear in her fist. The left hand is damaged. The upper part of the body as well as the hands are protected with a shield, bellow the waist it has a shape of a bird of prey. Her wings are turned down. With regards to the rare appearance of the Scylla in the medieval visual arts, we would have difficulties recognizing her in this representation if there was no plate under her that describes her. The Scylla and the Siren are characters that are shown in classic literature and in illustrations, such as in Ancient Greece and later. They became famous through Homer’s Odyssey where they appear in the twelve canto, as obstacles on Odysseus’ epic travel. The Sirens seduce with their singing the sailor so that he would smash on the rocks while the Scylla, together with Charybdis, destroy ships in the furious maelstrom. So, as much as they have things in common, they are mutually different as well. In classical representations, the Siren is regularly shown as a half-girl – half-bird, a creature that lurks off from high rocks and flies around the boat. Such conception of the Siren will be kept in the medieval art as well as the various descriptions of sea monsters. There are various translations of the late Antic Physiologus as well as early natural history discussions. Not until after the ninth century (Physiologus of Bern), illustrations of the Siren as a sea creature, half-fish, appear. In the late Middle Ages, alongside the artistic transformation into a fish-virgin, in the Germanic and Anglo-Saxon language areas it will come to the same transformation: Instead of the term “Siren” various versions of the term “Mermaid” will be used. Just as in the late Middle Ages natural history discussions, from the beginning, theology texts also begin to take an interest in Sirens: We encounter the Siren in early translations of biblical texts, Septuaginta and Vulgata. Together with the Onocentaurs, the Sirens devastate Babylon in the visions of the prophet Isaiah. Since these Isaiah’s verses are taken for the prefiguration of the judgment day, the Sirens and the Onocentaurs appear in a special Romanic art as part of the eschatological cycle. The appearance of the Siren and the Onocentaur in the chapel in Celje, as well as the appearance of John the Evangelist on the opposite wall, opens a special problematic. It seems that the Apocalypse of John is certainly a sub-theme of the iconological concept of the consoles in Celje. Ecclesiastical writers are peculiar in the ratings of the Siren as a symbol of a seducing female nature, which leads the weak into perdition. The Siren is a carnal temptation which is used at the same time as a synonym for a prostitute. The most radical ecclesiastical author of the 6th century, Leander of Seville, laconically concludes that all women are nuns or Sirens, or in other words deleterious seducers, whose proximity necessarily leads to sin and peril of the soul. The Sirens, together with Onocentaurs, represent to the ecclesiastical writers the embodiment of man's dual, half-animal nature, Sirens as half-birds (or half-fishes), and the Onocentausr as half-ass. But in the strange twists and turns, Christian writers bring back the Sirens into their pagan classic literary context: Early Christian writer Ambrose reads off the classic pagan epopee, the Odyssey, as a Christian allegory in which Odysseus – a human soul wandering the seas of the world, encountering various temptations and dangers that interfere in his journey to salvation. It is easy to guess what is the role intended for the Sirens in such readings. For our subject of discussion, it is interesting to see that in their examination of Homer’s Odyssey, ecclesiastical writers relate another character to the Siren: the Scylla. Even though the Scylla in Homer’s Odyssey, as well as later when it grows into a paradigm, is regularly tied to the neighboring monster Charybdis, the situation is very different in the visual arts. The Scylla appears repeatedly in Greek and Roman antiquity, in the context of displays from the Odyssey and outside that context as well. It has its own elaborate iconography, represented as a girl, naked to the waist and from the waist bellow it has a body of a fish or sea snake. Important features for her are a spear in the hand and dog heads around her waist. Judging from the illustrations, these dogs are part of her body. Unlike the Scylla, the Charybdis never appears in visual representations. If we compare the Scylla from Celje with the classic iconography, it will be clear to us why we would not be able to recognize her, if not for the specific inscription that discloses her. Still, some of the details on the illustration strongly support the attribution to the inscription: Firstly, we have mentioned the elevated right hand in the characteristic position of an attack with a spear. The spear, or sometimes a sharpened paddle, is infallible attribute of the Scylla. Further, another attribute is the waist with dog heads, which is also emphasized by the ecclesiastical writers dealing with the Scylla and her symbolism. We are observing a decorated belt on the Scylla of Celje in which shape we can easily recognize the stylized dog heads. The Cistercian monastery in Neuberg is located in Upper Styria. The special attraction of this monastery is the east wing of the monastery’s courtyard with fifteen figuratively decorated consoles. Time and cultural proximity, and many matching motifs led the writers to speak in the same contexts on the consoles from Neuberg and Celje. In addition to other common motifs, specifically motifs from the Physiologus, than the Scylla and the Siren are represented in Neuberg as well as in Celje. Their illustrations from Neuberg are entirely different from those in Celje: Both sea monsters are shown in a literary context, alongside Odysseus' boat, how they both lurk Odysseus and his crewmen. The Siren is provided between waves with a strange hybrid of fish and bird type body, holding hands as if she was playing the flute. The flute is probably lost, as well as many small details of this consoles. Also, in the classic Greek illustrations, the Sirens regularly play flutes or harps. The Scylla is in details identical to the Scylla in Celje as it also holds the hand as if it were attacking with a spear, which is lost here as well. Neuberg's illustration of the Siren and the Scylla is important in order to understand the illustration in Celje. Since the middle ages often take both figures out of their classical, or Homeric contexts and it assigns to them different but appropriate meanings to Christian teachings, there would be much doubt about the interpretation that should be given to these consoles in Celje. We have already mentioned the motif of the Apocalypse, which gives the manifestation of the Siren, the Onocentaur and John the Evangelist together. This, however, does not include the Scylla. We cannot explain the Scylla with the motifs from the Physiologus either because the Scylla does not appear in the Physiologus. The Scylla appears in natural history texts of the middle ages exceptionally for example in the Book of Nature of Konrad von Megenberg. The writer describes the Scylla in his work as a “Meerjuncfrawen” or a sea virgin. The Scylla from Neuberg is the immediate precursor and model to the Scylla in Celje. As well as the Siren, the Scylla in Neuberg is in a strong Homeric context: The boat with Odyssey’s sailors alienates the subject from any other possible link. In medieval artistic depictions, the Scylla is extremely rare: Along the two mentioned Styrian depictions we could barely find her. There is a documented wall painting showing the known depiction of the battle between Odyssey and the Scylla in the Corvey Abbey near the North Rhine. The mentioned illustration dates from the ninth century. This is why the Scylla of Celje, determined with the undoubtedly associated inscription especially ichnographically important: Certainly, after the introduction of the Scylla from Celje, it is possible to recognize with a comparative analysis hitherto unknown depictions of Scylla which were recognized until now in some visual depictions as Sirens Harpies or something else. But this is the research that is yet to come. The Scylla and the Siren in Celje are surely, as the rest of the consoles with figurative depictions, intended for the reflection on the theological issues of modern and early Christian authors. The role is the same for the other cycle, the Apocalypse group in which the Siren acts as a “homo duplex” and the sub-themes of the complete cycle of consoles are certainly opening the question of the lost consoles and their content, as well as the content of the sculptures that stood under the baldachin. Such complex, sophisticated contents are appropriate to the privacy of a family chapel, literate and educated noblemen who read moral messages from enclosed inscriptions, discussing on “last issues”, and are in this way faced with their own mortality. This enclosure does not enter into the complex issue of style analysis of the artistic decoration of the chapel nor the question of its dating which was mentioned and written on many times. Still, raising the question on how much iconographic analysis can help contribute to the discussion around the dating of the construction of the chapel, we are emphasizing the iconographic closeness to the monastery in Neuberg, and other monuments in Upper Styria. On the other side, the similar motifs do not appear in the churches and monasteries, that were funded from the Cilli family, for example in Ptujska Gora and Pleterje.

Gothic; Iconography; Physiologus; Homer; Odyssey; Celje

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