Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2012/04/04

[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]

Subject: [Leica] IMG: Ancient portraits of Christ
From: henningw at archiphoto.com (Henning Wulff)
Date: Wed, 4 Apr 2012 10:40:18 -0700
References: <4F7B2B09.7060002@csdco.com>

Wonderful images that are probably as close to technically perfect as is 
possible right now! Right up to the standard of your previous postings.

The artwork is certainly interesting, as are the coins in general. They look 
like they were very little circulated. 

The second coin looks rather strange, with the cross behind Christ looking 
almost like a beam through his head.

Henning



On 2012-04-03, at 9:53 AM, John Nebel wrote:

> Greetings!
> 
> In 692 AD at the Quinisext Council in Constantinople, Canon LXXXII 
> established, according to the epitome, "Thou shalt not paint a lamb for 
> the type of Christ, but himself."  The Byzantine emperor was Justinian II, 
> and the empire's coinage consequently depicted Christ as a human figure.
> 
> <http://photos.csd.net/justinian_ii.html> was minted during Justinian II's 
> first reign.  This portrait of Christ misses the mark "himself" as it is 
> likely based on the Greek sculptor's, Phidias's statue of Zeus from 
> Olympia, made about a millennium before and one of the wonders of the 
> ancient world.
> 
> Mouse over the coin's image to see the reverse, or click for a larger 
> image. This coin and the next are about 19mm diameter, 4gms mass.  The 
> coin's reverse depicts Justinian II.
> 
> The Phidias image of Christ appears to have become the standard as one can 
> see from a WP image of a wall painting at Hagia Sophia made centuries 
> later, 
> <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Byzantinischer_Mosaizist_um_1020_001.jpg>
> 
> During Justinian II's second reign another coin was minted, perhaps a more 
> realist depiction of Christ, <http://photos.csd.net/justinian_ii_2a.html>. 
> On the reverse, Justinian II is on the left, Tiberius on the right.  
> Similar mouse functions on the image.
> 
> C&C welcome!
> 
> Best,
> 
> John
> 
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Leica Users Group.
> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
> 


Henning Wulff
henningw at archiphoto.com






In reply to: Message from john.nebel at csdco.com (John Nebel) ([Leica] IMG: Ancient portraits of Christ)