Demons Druids and Brigands on the Irish High Crosses - Rethinking the images identified as The Temptation of Saint Anthony by Sally Tomlinson (2007).pdf - Magia - historia magii(1) - insideCOREi3

DEMONS, DRUIDS AND BRIGANDS ON IRISH HIGH CROSSES:

RETHINKING THE IMAGES IDENTIFIED AS

THE TEMPTATION OF SAINT ANTHONY

Sally Tomlinson

A dissertation submitted to the faculty of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy

in the Department of Art

Chapel Hill

2007

Approved by

Advisor: Dr. Dorothy Verkerk

Reader: Dr. Jaroslav Folda

Reader: Dr. Pika Ghosh

Reader: Dr. Carol Magee

Reader: Dr. Michael Newton

Sally Tomlinson

ABSTRACT

SALLY TOMLINSON: Demons, Druids and Brigands on the Irish High Crosses:

Rethinking the images identified as The Temptation of Saint Anthony

(Under the direction of Dorothy Verkerk)

Five crosses erected at ninth- and tenth-centuries monasteries in Ireland are decorated

with carvings of biblical and saints’ narratives, but these also include one in which two

zoomorphic-headed figures in contemporary clothing confront a centrally placed man.

Arthur Kingsley Porter identified the subject as temptation by demons, suggesting Saint

Anthony as the probable protagonist, but the iconography bears no apparent relationship to

the facts of Anthony’s story, as related by his biographer, Athanasius.

The asceticism practiced by some early medieval Irish monks has long fascinated

scholars, bleeding into assumptions about motivations behind the entire body of Irish

monastic art work. During the era in question, the monasteries erecting these crosses were

not retreats for solitary living, nor were they necessarily peopled by ascetic men in orders,

leaving open the contextual basis supporting the “temptation” interpretation.

This essay considers alternate explanations for scenes, beginning with the animals

pictured, seeking precedents in pre-Christian art forms. In addition to a visual survey, I

explore Irish vernacular literature to explain some of the beliefs surrounding the creatures

pictured.

iii

I explore the history of, and other uses for, the heraldic compositional type used for the

images, beginning with ancient Near Eastern art and applications in Irish art as drawn from

the Merovingian culture.

From there, I investigate the topics of demons and animal-related magic, seeking

information about the culture of druids and their poet-successors in Ireland. I look for related

visual images of demons and devils within contemporary Western European art and

elsewhere on the Irish crosses, comparing these with the zoomorphic-headed figures.

In the next chapter I illustrate and highlight details of the figures’ costume, connecting

visual evidence to scholarship on medieval dress and references in early medieval Irish

Christian and non-Christian literature, to identify the social station and professional standing

of the various figures, as suggested by their clothes and accoutrements. Finally, I define the

circumscribed geographic area in which the five crosses stand, providing an overview of its

history and the contemporary political situation, to provide context for the creation of these

unusual images on public monuments.

To my partner, Steve Hall, whose unfailing support and piano sonatas lent harmony to this

endeavor. And to my daughter, Siena Salazar, whose companionship means more than she

will ever know.

Also, in memory of my mother, who passed on halfway through this project, and who would

have been proud of me, true to her nature.

And finally, for my two wonderful and crazy brothers and fellow musketeers, Jim and Tom.

Thank you for holding down the fort.

Demons Druids and Brigands on the Irish High Crosses - Rethinking the images identified as The Temptation of Saint Anthony by Sally Tomlinson (2007).pdf

Plik z chomika:

Inne pliki z tego folderu:

Inne foldery tego chomika: