Cambridge Ancient Hi.. - Index of

896 30. the visual arts
symbolic). The modern interpretation of this section of the church has led,
however, to considerable controversy, and the various viewpoints are irreconcilable.
26 One issue is how closely to relate the imagery to biblical (or
even to apocryphal) sources or how far to see it as a tentative visual exploration
of the current interpretations of the status of Mary. The latter approach
is helped by the fact that technical examination of the mosaics shows that
some of the preliminary drawings on the plaster layers on the wall diverge
from the final composition. This might be taken to suggest a pictorial development
during the course of finalizing the imagery. The issues of interpretation
are illustrated immediately if one considers the opening scenes of the
set at the top left of the triumphal arch. The first scene might be identified
as the Annunciation (Luke 1.26–38), but the composition does not conform
to later medieval ‘norms’. Mary is seen seated in a throne, in imperial dress
and wearing a diadem; and she has a retinue of angels. All this imperial
emphasis is unexpected, and certainly far from the gospel account. Equally
absent from the gospels is her work of spinning a veil of purple wool for the
temple; this is a detail about the early life of Mary taken from the Apocrypha.
The angel Gabriel is shown in the sky, flying towards her. To the right is
another scene, the Annunciation to Joseph. Although the motif of Mary as
queen became a feature of art in Rome from the sixth century, it would seem
highly innovative to show the theme at this date; it also seems that the use of
the Apocrypha was discouraged at this period. For these reasons, alternative
interpretations of the scene have been pursued. The Annunciation, however,
remains the most likely reading.
But another scene of the cycle (in the register immediately below) is considerably
more arcane within the vocabulary of the art of this period.
Where we might have expected the Nativity, we appear to have a unique
version of the Adoration of the Magi; the three Magi approach the newly
born child (one to the left and two to the right) from each side of a massive
jewelled throne. Christ sits upright and has a halo with a small cross above
his head. On each side of Christ is a seated woman. The woman to the left
resembles the figure of Mary as queen in the Annunciation scene above;
the woman to the right, dressed in purple, is a figure one would expect to
identify as Mary, since she wears the conventional dress of the mother of
Christ. These two figures have caused particular difficulty, some identifying
the figures as symbolic figures (one symbolizing the church), some suggesting
that one may be Sarah, the wife of Abraham, some seeing the images
as two facets of Mary (Mary in glory, Mary in sadness for the fate of
Christ). As for the figure of baby Jesus sitting upright on the throne, the
identification is hardly controversial (although the surface is much
26 The fundamental exposition is that of Grabar (1936), and many of the controversial interpretations
are in reaction to his identifications of the scenes: Brodsky (1966) and Spain (1979) are the most
antipathetic to his viewing.
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