Sarcophagus paléochrétien

The influence of the social conditions and material on the funerary sculpture paléochrétienne

The production of the Roman Sarcophage S with carved decoration is spread largely at the beginning of the 2nd century, following the progressive abandonment of the incineration in favor of the burial (which in the current of the 3rd century is essential in all the Empire), while remaining a means of the burial reserved to the fortunate families because of her cost. In the context of the great economic crisis, policy, social and nun of the 3rd century, “the small peace of the Church” (introduced by the edict of tolerance under Gallien into 260 and which ensures the Christianisme peace until the turning of the century) allow Christianity to gain the higher classes of the company (remained one of the last bastions of the Paganisme). The Christians fortunate, often present in the army, the important administration and until the entourage of the emperor, are the silent partners of the sarcophagi which appear in second half of the 3rd century and whose plastic treatment follows the contemporary tendencies of the carved decoration.

These new silent partners are often the provincial ones installed with Rome, who are partly at the origin of the evolution of the artistic style. Their taste for “plebeian art” (more expressive and individual because of the close link with realities of the daily life), which mixes with the hellenistic tradition, gives birth to in the Roman workshops of sculpture a new artistic expression. The first demonstrations of sculpture of Christian inspiration fall under this movement. André Grabar detects in this movement the following characteristics: “schematization of the drawing, simplification of the forms often tending to approach a simple geometrical figure; concentration on a small number of expressive features that one maintains and underlines, while or remove other features are reduced, sacrificed for the clearness of the unit; insensitivity to space and the correlation, which defines dimensions of the unstable objects in same space; insensitivity to the plastic form, the weight. ”

As of second half of the 3rd century, the production of the sarcophagi is especially concentrated in Rome, where it will remain important until the beginning of the 5th century. However there exist also regional workshops, like those of Marseilles and Carthage. In fact often the same workshops produce Christian works and those which one can call “pagan” (but who generally are simply “profane”). For this reason the decoration of the Christian sarcophagi remains in conformity with the practices of the time.

The marble used for the clothes industry of the carved sarcophagi came mainly from Carrara marble or Greece (Proconnèse, island of Marmara; Aliki of Thasos, Paros), or of Minor Asia. The material could as well be imported in block as after being worked partly, even carried out in work finished in the workshops close to the careers. These imports of finished sarcophagi or blanks brought to Rome various formal solutions, which took part in the creation of various types of sarcophagi.

The three types of the “pagan” sarcophagi most current are also used to build Christian sarcophagi: 1) to plank, 2) with columns; 3) with Strigile S (this last standard, which derives from the tank for the fermentation of the wine, at the origin in the shape of bath-tub decorated with heads of lion by which one made run the wine, was decorated with dionysiaques scenes and parallel grooves in form of S ). The Clipeus , carrying the portrait of late or an epigraph, appears very quickly on the Christian sarcophagi. Often, the imago clipeata takes the shape of a shell, with the example of “pagan” works.

But these types will evolve/move with time. That with strigiles loses its oval form quickly, but remains essentially faithful to the original provision of the decoration. The type with plank, whose sides can be made up juxtaposed characters or comprise small scenes with different heights, will be organized in horizontal registers with a clipeus in the center. In the current of the 4th century, the type with columns becomes more and more complex in its architectural ornament (sometimes replaced by vegetable elements), until taking a form which associates division in horizontal bands of the registers and vertical division by architectural elements, like the sarcophagus of the former consul Junius Bassus gone back to 359.

The iconography of the Christian sarcophagi, its origin and the principles of its use

The Christian images which appear at that time are not related to the need for propagating Christianity, but answer rather a taste for the illustrated representation which is deeply enraciné in the Mediterranean world.

It is difficult to determine the moment when certain forms, in the funerary art, become manifestations of the Christian faith, because of this phenomenon that Henri-Irenee Marrou calls the pseudomorphosis (in Cristallographie, the term indicates the state of a mineral which, after a change of chemical composition, preserves its primitive crystalline form instead of crystallizing according to its new substance): the images of the first Christian sarcophagi and the pagan sarcophagi are drawn from the same repertory. One can distinguish two approaches.

The first is a recovery without modification of the existing reasons: to represent allegorical images of abstract ideas, the craftsmen have recourse to scenes which are used to represent similar ideas in pagan art. It is the case for example reasons bucolic which, by their pastoral universe, can evoke eternal peace (the golden age = paradise). Pasteur or the criophore symbolizing philanthropy in pagan art, or the Orphée as a shepherd, is invested Christian idea of Good Pasteur, the leader Christ, who will seek the mislaid ewe, the allegory of the Christian heart. The orante (or in certain case its during masculine) which symbolized piety will be the personification of the Christian faith or the evocation of an ordinary Christian. It is often represented under the features of late to show that this one had been a good Christian woman (the gesture of prayer upright palms of hand turned towards the sky is taken again by the Christians). It is not possible to identify these representations as being Christian as long as they are only reproduced on the sarcophagi, but they acquire a Christian connotation when they are associated with biblical scenes.

The second approach consists in taking again existing formal models in pagan art or layman to present a new narration. The best example is the history of Jonas, one of the biblical topics oldest and most frequent, often represented in several scenes on the sarcophagi. In the first scene of the cycle, which is generally reduced to the representation of the boat, this last is a transposition of the funerary reason for the boat with winged Amour S (or children) replaced by sailors. The fish of the following scenes is represented in monster-dragon which belonged to the procession of Neptune in the decoration of the pagan sarcophagi (from where the presence of Neptune beside the boat on the sarcophagus of Santa Maria Antica). Jonas itself in rest in the fourth scene is represented according to the model of Dionysos under the treillised vineyard or to the image of the shepherd deadened Endymion. Whenever only this last scene is represented, it is the Coloquinte which makes it possible to identify the character as being Jonas.

The first illustrations of the biblical scenes appear in second half of the 3rd century. The choice of the scenes probably comes from the prayers for dying (and of the funerary liturgies) which referred the hello following the example of granted by God in the Old one and New Testament. While being based on these examples, the faithful ones wish that their divine requests for control, expressed in the prayers, be to some extent prolonged on the walls of their tombs. That explains why the richly decorated sarcophagi were often buried, the scenes represented were addressed to God and not to the contemplation of the faithful ones.

The topics vétérotestamentaires which prevail at the beginning are mixed with the pastoral universes. To the 4th century, they yield little by little the place dominant about néotestamentaires. Among the scenes of the Old Testament which generally return appear that of Jonas (already mentioned), the three Hebrews in the furnace (), Daniel between the lions (), Noah (,), Moïse and the miraculous source (), the sacrifice of Isaac (), and less systematically history of Suzanne (), Adam and Eve created by God () or in the scene of the original sin (), handing-over of the Law with Moïse on the mount the Sinai (). The iconography of several of these scenes is not solidified and can vary, of the characters are added, like the angel and the servant in the representation of the Hebrews.

The most frequent scenes of New Testament, which multiply at the beginning of the 4th century are the miracles of Christ: miracle of the loaves and fishes (), the miracle of Cana (), cure of the blind man (), the hémorroïsse (,) and the disabled person (), the resurrection of Lazare (). The scenes of the Worship of the Magi (), the Nativity () and the Baptism of the Christ (), which point out the importance of the Incarnation for the Redemption, are carrying a message of the individual hello as well as collective. Elements apocryphal books fit in the account, such ox and the ass in the Crèche. Pierre, distinguished in the assembly from the disciples, quickly finds his place in the decoration, probably because of his importance for Rome: the most current scenes being those of its arrest (with two soldiers in “bonnet pannonien”, of use in the Roman army at the 4th century) and announces it disavowal ()

But in the current of the 4th century, the repertory widens: scenes of the lives of Pierre and Paul, Christ among the apostles, various moments of the cycle of Passion, the entry in Jerusalem (; ; ), the rectal injection of the feet (), Jesus in front of Pilate and the rectal injection of the hands (). In the scene of Crucifixion Christ is represented crowned bay-trees, with the foot of the cross two soldier-guards.

These various scenes and characters are divided on the walls without chronology or direct link, it is the order of the unit which seems to direct more this fitting. The scene of Daniel between the lions, at the symmetrical composition, is often placed in the center (for example under the medallion), the sacrifice of Isaac and the handing-over of the Law, drawing diagonals, fits beside the medallion. The miraculous source and the resurrection of Lazare are in the ends of the tanks, because of the verticality of their composition. The scene of the three Hebrews in the furnace is regularly placed on the stringcourse of the lid because of its horizontality.

The Christian art presents to its beginnings more unit, as well in the art of the sarcophagi as in that of the catacombs, the iconography being the same one in the broad outlines. There is no either important difference between the Roman and provincial sarcophagi of and centuries. But the simple and expressive manner of the first sarcophagi, carried out in the plebeian style, will be erased at the 4th century in front of the current which one called the “classicism constantinien”. The Low-relief, approaching the Sculpture in the round, finds its elegance then, and the polished treatment accentuates the serenity of the characters which comes to replace the naturalness of the expressions of the 3rd century.

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