Book by Magdalena Skoblar
The book focuses on the most important examples of eleventh-century sculpture from Dalmatia and C... more The book focuses on the most important examples of eleventh-century sculpture from Dalmatia and Croatia. This study re-evaluates figural sculptures from Zadar and Biskupija in northern Dalmatia, Solin in central Dalmatia, and Koločep in southern Dalmatia by contextualising their visual presence in the churches, examining issues of patronage, and tracing intertextual relationships with visual sources and patristic texts.
More specifically, the book focuses on marble and limestone relief carvings from five sites in the present-day Croatian region of Dalmatia which are decorated with human figures. The carvings include five sets of chancel screens, a portal, a capital, a perforated panel, and a fragmentary crucifix. Each chapter discusses a specific site, and follows a consistent analytical programme, which includes contextualising the sculptures according to their immediate architectural setting, their visual and textual sources, and their likely patrons, thereby placing them both in a local historical context and in the wider spiritual and artistic contexts of their time.
Book chapters by Magdalena Skoblar
In: Il patriarcato di Aquileia: Identità, liturgia e arte (secoli V-XV), edited by Zuleika Murat and Paolo Vedovetto. Viella: Rome, 2021
This study focuses on two figural stone panels from Vodnjan in Istria, which were first recorded ... more This study focuses on two figural stone panels from Vodnjan in Istria, which were first recorded in the early twentieth century. The relationship between text and image on each panel points to an ecclesiological interpretation and is unique among the sculpture from the territory of modern-day Croatia. The article analyses the panels and provides an examination of their formal characteristics, iconography and theological significance in order to find their artistic and intellectual milieu. An overview of socio-political and religious circumstances in twelfth-century Istria helps contextualise the panels with regard to their possible commissioners and explain the reasons why the images of St Peter and Ecclesia were chosen to appear on them. The authors argue that the panels drew on twelfth-century illuminated manuscripts from the Holy Roman Empire and that they addressed contemporary concerns about the unity of the Church.
In: Byzantium, Venice and the Medieval Adriatic Spheres of Maritime Power and Influence, c. 700-1453, edited by Magdalena Skoblar. Cambridge University Press, 2021
The earliest preserved painted icons in the Adriatic date from the thirteenth century. In fact, a... more The earliest preserved painted icons in the Adriatic date from the thirteenth century. In fact, apart from Rome, the entire Latin West seems to have embraced icons simultaneously overnight as soon as they started coming in great numbers from Byzantium following the capture of Constantinople by the crusaders in 1204. This chapter argues that the Adriatic was particularly responsive to these painted icons because it had already embraced Byzantine relief icons in the eleventh century. The examination includes both the material and written evidence for the existence of icons in the eleventh-century Adriatic, such as the extant marble Hodegetria icon from Trani and the recorded commission of a gilt silver icon for Siponto Cathedral in 1069. When it comes to Dalmatia, this investigation looks into a donation document recording five icons, one of which was made of silver, in a church built and furnished by a Croatian dignitary in the 1040s. The analysis demonstrates that by the thirteenth century, the Adriatic was conditioned by relief icons to embrace easily portable painted icons reaching its shores after the fall of Constantinople and that this area as a whole experienced a strong prestige bias towards Byzantine artefacts.
In: Aspice Hunc Opus Mirum: Festschrift on the Occasion of Nikola Jakšić's 70th Birthday, edited by Ivan Josipović and Miljenko Jurković. University of Zadar: Zadar / International Research Centre for Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages: Zagreb and Motovun, 2020
This article argues that the introduction of griffins in Dalmatian eleventh-century sculpture was... more This article argues that the introduction of griffins in Dalmatian eleventh-century sculpture was sparked by the increased exposure of the region’s main ports to Byzantine and/or Islamic silks, which frequently featured these mythical creatures. This exchange was driven by Venetian merchants who benefitted from the trading privileges granted to Venice by Byzantine emperors in the tenth and the eleventh centuries. The documented routes of two individuals, travelling from Zadar to Constantinople and from Split to Antioch respectively, point to potential direct purchases from these two centres of silk production and trade. The article concludes with an examination of the griffin’s symbolic significance in the carvings under discussion.
In: Imperial Spheres and the Adriatic: Byzantium, the Carolingians and the Treaty of Aachen (812), edited by Mladen Ančić, Jonathan Shepard and Trpimir Vedriš. Routledge: New York and London , 2017
Although often mentioned in textbooks about the Carolingian and Byzantine empires, the Treaty of ... more Although often mentioned in textbooks about the Carolingian and Byzantine empires, the Treaty of Aachen has not received much close attention. This volume attempts not just to fill the gap, but to view the episode through both micro-and macro-lenses. Introductory chapters review the state of relations between Byzantium and the Frankish realm in the eighth and early ninth centuries, crises facing Byzantine emperors much closer to home, and the relevance of the Bulgarian problem to affairs on the Adriatic. Dalmatia's coastal towns and the populations of the interior receive extensive attention, including the region's ecclesiastical history and cultural affiliations. So do the local politics of Dalmatia, Venice and the Carolingian marches, and their interaction with the Byzantino-Frankish confrontation. The dynamics of the Franks' relations with the Avars are analysed and, here too, the three-way play among the two empires and 'in-between' parties is a theme. Archaeological indications of the Franks' presence are collated with what the literary sources reveal about local elites' aspirations. The economic dimension to the Byzantino-Frankish competition for Venice is fully explored, a special feature of the volume being archaeological evidence for a resurgence of trade between the Upper Adriatic and the Eastern Mediterranean from the second half of the eighth century onwards.
Pregled umjetničkih i arhitektonskih ostvarenja u razdoblju od 550. do 1150. godine na području d... more Pregled umjetničkih i arhitektonskih ostvarenja u razdoblju od 550. do 1150. godine na području današnje Hrvatske pregled je regionalnih dostignuća. Tijekom šest stoljeća obuhvaćenih ovim sveskom, hrvatski gradovi sa zasluženim mjestom na karti umjetničke baštine poput Poreča, Nina, Zadra, Solina, Splita ili Dubrovnika, gotovo se nikad nisu nalazili unutar iste političke cjeline. Istarski spomenici imaju više dodirnih točaka s onima iz sjeverne Italije nego Dalmacije, a u dubrovačkima se očituje sklonost prema bizantskim vizualnim modelima. Iz tog razloga, kontekstualizacija hrvatske umjetnosti i arhitekture izlazi izvan granica današnje Hrvatske, čime se nagovještava da se za ovo razdoblje ne mogu iznaći sveopći 'nacionalni' trendovi u kojima bi se ogledala specifičnost isključivo hrvatske baštine. Hrvatska ranokršćanska i ranosrednjovjekovna umjetnost je umjetnost regija, ugledanja na susjede, želje za oponašanjem centara moći u tom susjedstvu te, napokon, umjetnost naručitelja koji financiraju građevine i njihovu dekoraciju.
Peer-reviewed articles by Magdalena Skoblar
Medioevo Adriatico 5
This paper discusses the eleventh-century relief icon with the Virgin and Child which is today lo... more This paper discusses the eleventh-century relief icon with the Virgin and Child which is today located in the Church of Santa Maria di Dionisio at Trani. It provides a detailed iconographic analysis of the icon and suggests which type of source model may have inspired it. I also examine the icon’s relationship with the inscription along the frame recording the name of its patron, Delterios, and situate the icon in the cultural milieu of Trani and Byzantine Apulia. By doing this, I hope to address the gap Leslie Brubaker has identified in contemporary discussion about the cult of the Mother of God: “…while we are increasingly aware of why the Byzantines venerated the Virgin in particular ways, the registers of levels of that veneration remain unstudied: why were particular groups, at particular times or in particular places […] drawn to the Mother of God? How does the veneration of the Virgin intersect with the hierarchies of gender and status?”
My research into Delterios’ icon demonstrates that in the mid-eleventh century, a local Latin-speaking man held one of the highest position in Byzantine Trani and opted for a purely Byzantine model in commissioning his icon. The consistency of Delterios’ dedication to Byzantine sources, reflected in the desire to have a relief icon, the choice of the Hodegetria dexiokratousa type, and the Greek invocation which addressed the speakers of that language, is indicative of a conscious imitation of the acts of patronage which were common in Byzantium. One of these was the practice of seeking help from the Virgin during the times of war, which Delterios experienced within the context of the Norman siege and assault on the town of Trani. By asking for the protection of the Logos Incarnate in Greek and by drawing on a Byzantine lead seal, perhaps even his own, as the iconographic source model, Delterios presented himself as a representative of Byzantine government in Trani, a tourmarches responsible for collecting taxes but also for dispensing justice. The stylistic estimates of previous scholarship, in judging the icon to be merely aesthetically unrefined and provincial, have overlooked a hidden history of public dedication, political allusion and local exigency in time of war, which can be observed only through a combination of iconographic analysis and historical contextualization.
This paper focuses on the marble relief with enthroned Christ built in the north wall in the inte... more This paper focuses on the marble relief with enthroned Christ built in the north wall in the interior of the church of St Mary at Rab. The author begins by giving an overview of the scholarly literature that mentions this relief before proceeding with an analysis of its iconography. Finally, the author suggests a possible historical context in which the relief may have been produced. Since it was first mentioned in Eitelberger’s book of 1861, the relief has been characterised as early Romanesque – an evaluation agreed upon by most present-day scholars. Scholarly attention has been almost exclusively directed at the issue of the relief’s date and origin, and, due to the high quality of its carving, dimensions and its overall shape, the relief has been interpreted as an imported icon. At the same time, the iconography of the depiction itself has been relatively neglected, although even Abramić noted the unusual form of the lyre-backed throne. The iconographic analysis and interpretation presented in this paper throw new light on the possible commissioners and the historical circumstances that obtained during the period when the church of St Mary still had a cathedral function.
Godine 1981. Ante Šonje objavio je saznanja i spoznaje o kasnoantičkim spomenicima na otoku Pagu ... more Godine 1981. Ante Šonje objavio je saznanja i spoznaje o kasnoantičkim spomenicima na otoku Pagu na temelju tadašnje znanstvene literature i svojih višegodišnjih istraživanja. l Tom prilikom osvrnuo se kako na poganska, tako i na kršćanska umjetnička ostvarenja iz razdoblja kasne antike, a posebno su naglašena ona koja potječu sa sjevernog dijela otoka, tj. današnje Novalje i njene uže okolice. Riječ je uglavnom o antičkom sloju iz današnjih naselja Novalje, Stare Novalje i Caske, koja se nalazi na mjestu antičke Cisse. Iako su u sva tri naselja pronađeni mnogi spomenici koji pripadaju poganskom kasnoantičkom kontekstu, zasad je samo Novalja pokazala ranokršćansku fazu koja se očituje u tragovima triju ranokršćanskih crkava i njihovih mozaika, otkriću vrijednih relikvijara 2 te ulomcima istovremene ranokršćanske skulpture. 3 Osim dviju grobišnih crkava izvan zidina antičke Novalje i pripadajućih ulomaka njihove liturgijske opreme,4 velika ranokršćanska crkva nalazila se i u središtu samog naselja, na širem prostoru oko današnje barokne kapele Gospe od Ružarija. Do sada je otkrivena prostrana apsida s podnim mozaikom te dijelovi sjevernog broda te velike bazilike. 5 Osim apside, tijelo crkve nikad nije bilo predmet arheološkog istraživanja a posljednji koji je prikupio saznanja o velikoj ranokršćanskoj bazilici u Novalji na jednome mjestu bio je A. Šonje. 6 Budući da je titular barokne kapele sv. Marija, pretpostavlja se da je i ranokršćanska bazilika bila posvećena Bogorodici, tim više što su iznad njene apside pronađeni tragovi dviju srednjovjekovnih apsida te je time potvrđen kontinuitet kultnog mjesta. 7 Sam A. Šonje novaljsku baziliku sv. Marije često naziva basilica urbana, iako je dobro poznato da Novalja nikad nije bila urbs. 8 Čini mi se prikladnijim veliku crkvu zvati basilica intra muros, što ona zapravo i jest, pogotovo u odnosu na poznate grobišne crkve izvan zidina antičkog naselja.
Early medieval sculpture from the island of Pag is rarely mentioned
in scholarly literature. Most... more Early medieval sculpture from the island of Pag is rarely mentioned
in scholarly literature. Most essays and catalogues
dealing with early medieval sculpture in Croatia tend to avoid
the sculptured fragments from the island of Pag, as well as the
fragments from the neighbouring Quarnero islands. This fact
has to do with the general tendency in Croatian scholarly
research on early medieval sculpture, which is that of stylistic
analysis. Such analysis can be applied only to a group of
stone reliefs and not to the early medieval sculpture in general.
Therefore, the fragments of Pag are not convenient objects
of stylistic analysis and have therefore only sporadically attracted
the interest of researchers.
Early medieval sculptures have been found only on two sites
on the island of Pag: at Novalja and built in as spoils in the
church of St George on the promontory near Caska. Most of
these fragments are kept in the local parish collection named
Stomorica at Novalja, while some of them are in the possession
of the Archaeological museum of Zadar and supposedly
in the possession of the Museum of Croatian Archeological
Monuments in Split. Among the fragments from both sites,
there are sculptures which once belonged to a single ciborium.
The existence of a ciborium has already been suggested
by M. Abrami}, I. Petricioli, M. Jurkovi}, and N. Jak{i}, since
the largest fragment is built in as a spoil above the entrance
to the Vidas house at Novalja. Although the idea that this
spoil and the fragments in the local collection of Stomorica
may belong to the same monument was fleetingly expressed
by M. Jurkovi} and N. Jak{i}, neither of them has attempted
to reconstruct the ciborium. The spoil from the Vidas house
and the fragments in the Stomorica collection at Novalja,
together with the fragments kept in the museums of Zadar
and Split (those recorded as having been sent to Split are
missing) form three different arcades of the same ciborium.
Only two fragments of the ciborium have been dated, unfortunately
to two distinct centuries. The spoil from the Vidas
house was dated to the 8th century because of the lack of pure
geometric interlace, while the fragment of another arcade was
dated to the 9th century because of the realistic treatment of
birds. Taking into consideration the ciborium as a whole,
together with its front arcade, composed of the fragment with
a cross from the Archaeological museum at Zadar and the
fragment from the Stomorica collection, the 9th-century date
seems more likely. The front arcade indeed shows traces of
geometric interlace, while its vegetal scroll displays a skilful
hand and the birds on the other two arcades are equally well
carved and realistic regarding the treatment of their small
heads and wings.
As for the construction of the ciborium, another fragment
from the Stomorica collection implies that it was of a square
rather than hexagonal form. Since hexagonal ciboria are
mostly found in baptisteries, it can be concluded that the
early medieval ciborium from Novalja stood above the altar
of the main church in the 9th century Novalja
'Ulomci predromaničke i ranoromaničke skulpture iz Nina.' Adrias 11 (2004): 103-117.
Conference organization by Magdalena Skoblar
This conference forms part of the British Academy sponsored Adriatic Connections research program... more This conference forms part of the British Academy sponsored Adriatic Connections research programme and is organised in conjunction with the British School at Athens.
The principal aim of the conference is to bring together experts who specialize in interdisciplinary studies of the Adriatic during the period of Byzantine rule in order to produce a ground-breaking publication which would serve as a first port of call for a broad range of scholars interested in the region. The book will fill the existing gap in knowledge about the Adriatic as a major channel of communication between East and West.
Bearing in mind recent developments in archaeology which have brought hitherto unknown resources to scholarly attention, there is now an unprecedented opportunity to mount an interdisciplinary study of the Adriatic. The conference and book will collect together this new knowledge of the archaeology, art history, economic and social history, and naval activity along these shores in late antique and medieval times. This will also make a broader comparative perspective both possible and extremely desirable.
We have developed a conceptual framework for the conference which focuses on the Adriatic as a threshold to Byzantium. Three main interconnected strands will structure the three days of the conference: the nature and scope of the Byzantine presence in the Adriatic, the networks of connectivity and exchange that existed between the cities of the Adriatic and Constantinople, the formation and rise of Venice as a major Adriatic centre.
Conference papers by Magdalena Skoblar
‘Prima del 1200, niente’ is how Pina Belli D’Elia described the situation in Apulia regarding med... more ‘Prima del 1200, niente’ is how Pina Belli D’Elia described the situation in Apulia regarding medieval icons. The same assessment is mirrored across the Adriatic in Dalmatia where the earliest preserved painted icons date from the same century. In fact, apart from Rome, the whole of the Latin west seems to have embraced icons simultaneously overnight as soon as they started coming in great numbers from Byzantium following the capture of Constantinople by the Crusaders in 1204.Taking into consideration Hans Belting’s statement that in the West ‘icons had neither a liturgical use nor a fixed position within the churches’ together with the thirteenth-century surge in icon veneration in Italy and Dalmatia, I would like to pose the following questions: What was it that made Byzantine painted icons appropriated so readily in these areas? Was it just their painterly qualities or was there something else?
This paper presents a portion of my research into the cult of the Virgin in the early medieval Ad... more This paper presents a portion of my research into the cult of the Virgin in the early medieval Adriatic which was funded by the British Academy’s Adriatic Connections programme and hosted at the British School at Athens and the British School at Rome. The project has been focusing on the time prior to the total Venetian domination over the Adriatic, the Comnene Dynasty in Byzantium, and the Crusades, and the reason for it lies in the fact that up until the late eleventh century, Adriatic connections were more heterogeneous and, at times, even unstable, producing a culture rich in diversity and idiosyncratic artistic achievements.
These can be observed in the depictions of the Virgin and the way she was addressed in accompanying inscriptions on both sides of the Adriatic. The material presented here will consist of eleventh-century relief carvings from both sides of the Adriatic which will be examined with regard to the Roman and Carolingian/Ottonian sources on the one hand, and those from Byzantium on the other. The paper will also present the examples of the iconographic types which are consistent with Byzantine icons. This specific phenomenon which pre-dates the twelfth-century influx of Byzantine-style Marian icons, associated with the circulation of objects during the Crusades, will be examined with regard to the sites where these depictions occur and the likely channels of communication which may have brought them there.
'The Proskynesis on a Panel from Split'
The eleventh-century marble panel depicting an act of proskynesis before a seated, temporal ruler... more The eleventh-century marble panel depicting an act of proskynesis before a seated, temporal ruler, now re-used as a spolia in the Cathedral Baptistery at Split, has been attributed to the Church of SS Peter and Moses at nearby Solin and seen as a depiction of Petar Krešimir IV (1058-1074) or Demetrius Zvonimir (1075-1089), two most important eleventh-century Croatian kings. The paper will focus on the proskynesis itself as an act of paying homage in the context of Croatia’s liminal position with relation to the visual culture and imperial tradition of the East and West, but also in the context of other, extremely rare, depictions of the same gesture in early medieval art.
'Beyond the City Walls: Dubrovnik and its Network of Contacts in the Eleventh Century'
The paper focuses on what can be learned from the sources (Croatian, Byzantine and Papal) about t... more The paper focuses on what can be learned from the sources (Croatian, Byzantine and Papal) about the communication between Dubrovnik and the key powers in the wider region. I examine what it meant to Dubrovnik to have a Byzantine strategos, a bishop subjected to the Pope, a Benedictine abbot who arrived from Apulia, and a Slavic king who threatened to capture it. The paper also contrasts this with the material evidence such as local architecture and fresco painting about which the written records are silent.
'Hunting Paraphernalia and Royal Patronage in Eleventh-Century Croatia'
This paper focuses on the eleventh-century chancel screen from the church of St Michael on Koloče... more This paper focuses on the eleventh-century chancel screen from the church of St Michael on Koločep, an island off Dubrovnik in Croatia, which depicts hunting paraphernalia such as horn-blowing. Since the gable of the screen bears the inscription mentioning a queen, the whole screen has been associated with Jelena, the wife of king Zvonimir of Croatia. The paper will discuss her role in the construction of the church and the choice of motifs selected for the decoration of the screen. As it is well known, hunting was a well-known pastime associated with social status and pleasure throughout the middle ages. However, it could be a cause of complaint due to Jerome’s comment that ‘we never read of a pious hunter.’ With this in mind, and given that hunting scenes do appear in the context of religious art, as seen on Koločep, this paper will demonstrate – by discussing the iconography and spatial and historical context of this chancel screen – that in early medieval sculpture, this pleasure-seeking activity was used to depict more spiritual concepts such as that of being ‘hunted down unto salvation.’
"Patriarchs and Patrons: Textual Sources, Material Evidence and the Attribution of the Ciboria in... more "Patriarchs and Patrons: Textual Sources, Material Evidence and the Attribution of the Ciboria in Santa Maria delle Grazie at Grado
During the turbulent events in the north Adriatic which preceded the Treaty of Aachen, Patriarch Fortunatus went into exile on account of his pro-Frankish inclinations and the see of Grado was left empty. In his absence, it was occupied by John, who is usually referred to as Iohannes Iunior in the written sources. As is obvious from John the Deacon’s Chronicon Venetum, John Junior wasted no time in embarking on the decoration of the churches in Grado. He had the cathedral apse furnished with marble columns and panels in honour of the martyrs whose relics were venerated there. An architrave fragment which still survives may have belonged to this structure, as can be deduced from its inscription which mentions IOHANNES IVNIOR. According to Tavano, it can be linked to three other fragments, the reconstructed text of which reads: +AD HONORE BEATI MARCI E(vagelist)E IOHANNES IVNIOR SOLA D(ei) SVFFRAGANTE GRATIA D(…) IND(ictione). John’s second recorded commission was an altar ciborium in the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie. Three ciborium arches discovered in this church, bearing no
inscription, have nonetheless been identified by Italian scholars as the remains of John Junior’s documented ciborium. My paper discusses the remains of this ciborium but also the remains of another ciborium which has been attributed to Patriarch Fortunatus, all of which are displayed in
Santa Maria delle Grazie. It is frequently forgotten that this display was assembled by Vigilio De Grassi, a local architect responsible for the 1920s excavation and restoration of the church.
The paper also examines the historiography of these sculptures in order to establish how and why they became associated with the information from the Chronicon. I also discuss the validity of such an identification and its consequences for an art historical analysis of sculpture from the north and east Adriatic. While as recently as 2005, Italian researchers interpreted these three ciborium arches as belonging to John Junior’s ninth-century ciborium; in 2006, Jakšić attributed them to the eleventh century on the basis of stylistic analysis. I will also compare John Junior’s commissioning activities to those recorded in the so-called testament of Patriarch Fortunatus which contains a long list of donations and building initiatives he carried out upon his return to Grado.
"
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Book by Magdalena Skoblar
More specifically, the book focuses on marble and limestone relief carvings from five sites in the present-day Croatian region of Dalmatia which are decorated with human figures. The carvings include five sets of chancel screens, a portal, a capital, a perforated panel, and a fragmentary crucifix. Each chapter discusses a specific site, and follows a consistent analytical programme, which includes contextualising the sculptures according to their immediate architectural setting, their visual and textual sources, and their likely patrons, thereby placing them both in a local historical context and in the wider spiritual and artistic contexts of their time.
Book chapters by Magdalena Skoblar
Peer-reviewed articles by Magdalena Skoblar
My research into Delterios’ icon demonstrates that in the mid-eleventh century, a local Latin-speaking man held one of the highest position in Byzantine Trani and opted for a purely Byzantine model in commissioning his icon. The consistency of Delterios’ dedication to Byzantine sources, reflected in the desire to have a relief icon, the choice of the Hodegetria dexiokratousa type, and the Greek invocation which addressed the speakers of that language, is indicative of a conscious imitation of the acts of patronage which were common in Byzantium. One of these was the practice of seeking help from the Virgin during the times of war, which Delterios experienced within the context of the Norman siege and assault on the town of Trani. By asking for the protection of the Logos Incarnate in Greek and by drawing on a Byzantine lead seal, perhaps even his own, as the iconographic source model, Delterios presented himself as a representative of Byzantine government in Trani, a tourmarches responsible for collecting taxes but also for dispensing justice. The stylistic estimates of previous scholarship, in judging the icon to be merely aesthetically unrefined and provincial, have overlooked a hidden history of public dedication, political allusion and local exigency in time of war, which can be observed only through a combination of iconographic analysis and historical contextualization.
in scholarly literature. Most essays and catalogues
dealing with early medieval sculpture in Croatia tend to avoid
the sculptured fragments from the island of Pag, as well as the
fragments from the neighbouring Quarnero islands. This fact
has to do with the general tendency in Croatian scholarly
research on early medieval sculpture, which is that of stylistic
analysis. Such analysis can be applied only to a group of
stone reliefs and not to the early medieval sculpture in general.
Therefore, the fragments of Pag are not convenient objects
of stylistic analysis and have therefore only sporadically attracted
the interest of researchers.
Early medieval sculptures have been found only on two sites
on the island of Pag: at Novalja and built in as spoils in the
church of St George on the promontory near Caska. Most of
these fragments are kept in the local parish collection named
Stomorica at Novalja, while some of them are in the possession
of the Archaeological museum of Zadar and supposedly
in the possession of the Museum of Croatian Archeological
Monuments in Split. Among the fragments from both sites,
there are sculptures which once belonged to a single ciborium.
The existence of a ciborium has already been suggested
by M. Abrami}, I. Petricioli, M. Jurkovi}, and N. Jak{i}, since
the largest fragment is built in as a spoil above the entrance
to the Vidas house at Novalja. Although the idea that this
spoil and the fragments in the local collection of Stomorica
may belong to the same monument was fleetingly expressed
by M. Jurkovi} and N. Jak{i}, neither of them has attempted
to reconstruct the ciborium. The spoil from the Vidas house
and the fragments in the Stomorica collection at Novalja,
together with the fragments kept in the museums of Zadar
and Split (those recorded as having been sent to Split are
missing) form three different arcades of the same ciborium.
Only two fragments of the ciborium have been dated, unfortunately
to two distinct centuries. The spoil from the Vidas
house was dated to the 8th century because of the lack of pure
geometric interlace, while the fragment of another arcade was
dated to the 9th century because of the realistic treatment of
birds. Taking into consideration the ciborium as a whole,
together with its front arcade, composed of the fragment with
a cross from the Archaeological museum at Zadar and the
fragment from the Stomorica collection, the 9th-century date
seems more likely. The front arcade indeed shows traces of
geometric interlace, while its vegetal scroll displays a skilful
hand and the birds on the other two arcades are equally well
carved and realistic regarding the treatment of their small
heads and wings.
As for the construction of the ciborium, another fragment
from the Stomorica collection implies that it was of a square
rather than hexagonal form. Since hexagonal ciboria are
mostly found in baptisteries, it can be concluded that the
early medieval ciborium from Novalja stood above the altar
of the main church in the 9th century Novalja
Conference organization by Magdalena Skoblar
The principal aim of the conference is to bring together experts who specialize in interdisciplinary studies of the Adriatic during the period of Byzantine rule in order to produce a ground-breaking publication which would serve as a first port of call for a broad range of scholars interested in the region. The book will fill the existing gap in knowledge about the Adriatic as a major channel of communication between East and West.
Bearing in mind recent developments in archaeology which have brought hitherto unknown resources to scholarly attention, there is now an unprecedented opportunity to mount an interdisciplinary study of the Adriatic. The conference and book will collect together this new knowledge of the archaeology, art history, economic and social history, and naval activity along these shores in late antique and medieval times. This will also make a broader comparative perspective both possible and extremely desirable.
We have developed a conceptual framework for the conference which focuses on the Adriatic as a threshold to Byzantium. Three main interconnected strands will structure the three days of the conference: the nature and scope of the Byzantine presence in the Adriatic, the networks of connectivity and exchange that existed between the cities of the Adriatic and Constantinople, the formation and rise of Venice as a major Adriatic centre.
Conference papers by Magdalena Skoblar
These can be observed in the depictions of the Virgin and the way she was addressed in accompanying inscriptions on both sides of the Adriatic. The material presented here will consist of eleventh-century relief carvings from both sides of the Adriatic which will be examined with regard to the Roman and Carolingian/Ottonian sources on the one hand, and those from Byzantium on the other. The paper will also present the examples of the iconographic types which are consistent with Byzantine icons. This specific phenomenon which pre-dates the twelfth-century influx of Byzantine-style Marian icons, associated with the circulation of objects during the Crusades, will be examined with regard to the sites where these depictions occur and the likely channels of communication which may have brought them there.
During the turbulent events in the north Adriatic which preceded the Treaty of Aachen, Patriarch Fortunatus went into exile on account of his pro-Frankish inclinations and the see of Grado was left empty. In his absence, it was occupied by John, who is usually referred to as Iohannes Iunior in the written sources. As is obvious from John the Deacon’s Chronicon Venetum, John Junior wasted no time in embarking on the decoration of the churches in Grado. He had the cathedral apse furnished with marble columns and panels in honour of the martyrs whose relics were venerated there. An architrave fragment which still survives may have belonged to this structure, as can be deduced from its inscription which mentions IOHANNES IVNIOR. According to Tavano, it can be linked to three other fragments, the reconstructed text of which reads: +AD HONORE BEATI MARCI E(vagelist)E IOHANNES IVNIOR SOLA D(ei) SVFFRAGANTE GRATIA D(…) IND(ictione). John’s second recorded commission was an altar ciborium in the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie. Three ciborium arches discovered in this church, bearing no
inscription, have nonetheless been identified by Italian scholars as the remains of John Junior’s documented ciborium. My paper discusses the remains of this ciborium but also the remains of another ciborium which has been attributed to Patriarch Fortunatus, all of which are displayed in
Santa Maria delle Grazie. It is frequently forgotten that this display was assembled by Vigilio De Grassi, a local architect responsible for the 1920s excavation and restoration of the church.
The paper also examines the historiography of these sculptures in order to establish how and why they became associated with the information from the Chronicon. I also discuss the validity of such an identification and its consequences for an art historical analysis of sculpture from the north and east Adriatic. While as recently as 2005, Italian researchers interpreted these three ciborium arches as belonging to John Junior’s ninth-century ciborium; in 2006, Jakšić attributed them to the eleventh century on the basis of stylistic analysis. I will also compare John Junior’s commissioning activities to those recorded in the so-called testament of Patriarch Fortunatus which contains a long list of donations and building initiatives he carried out upon his return to Grado.
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More specifically, the book focuses on marble and limestone relief carvings from five sites in the present-day Croatian region of Dalmatia which are decorated with human figures. The carvings include five sets of chancel screens, a portal, a capital, a perforated panel, and a fragmentary crucifix. Each chapter discusses a specific site, and follows a consistent analytical programme, which includes contextualising the sculptures according to their immediate architectural setting, their visual and textual sources, and their likely patrons, thereby placing them both in a local historical context and in the wider spiritual and artistic contexts of their time.
My research into Delterios’ icon demonstrates that in the mid-eleventh century, a local Latin-speaking man held one of the highest position in Byzantine Trani and opted for a purely Byzantine model in commissioning his icon. The consistency of Delterios’ dedication to Byzantine sources, reflected in the desire to have a relief icon, the choice of the Hodegetria dexiokratousa type, and the Greek invocation which addressed the speakers of that language, is indicative of a conscious imitation of the acts of patronage which were common in Byzantium. One of these was the practice of seeking help from the Virgin during the times of war, which Delterios experienced within the context of the Norman siege and assault on the town of Trani. By asking for the protection of the Logos Incarnate in Greek and by drawing on a Byzantine lead seal, perhaps even his own, as the iconographic source model, Delterios presented himself as a representative of Byzantine government in Trani, a tourmarches responsible for collecting taxes but also for dispensing justice. The stylistic estimates of previous scholarship, in judging the icon to be merely aesthetically unrefined and provincial, have overlooked a hidden history of public dedication, political allusion and local exigency in time of war, which can be observed only through a combination of iconographic analysis and historical contextualization.
in scholarly literature. Most essays and catalogues
dealing with early medieval sculpture in Croatia tend to avoid
the sculptured fragments from the island of Pag, as well as the
fragments from the neighbouring Quarnero islands. This fact
has to do with the general tendency in Croatian scholarly
research on early medieval sculpture, which is that of stylistic
analysis. Such analysis can be applied only to a group of
stone reliefs and not to the early medieval sculpture in general.
Therefore, the fragments of Pag are not convenient objects
of stylistic analysis and have therefore only sporadically attracted
the interest of researchers.
Early medieval sculptures have been found only on two sites
on the island of Pag: at Novalja and built in as spoils in the
church of St George on the promontory near Caska. Most of
these fragments are kept in the local parish collection named
Stomorica at Novalja, while some of them are in the possession
of the Archaeological museum of Zadar and supposedly
in the possession of the Museum of Croatian Archeological
Monuments in Split. Among the fragments from both sites,
there are sculptures which once belonged to a single ciborium.
The existence of a ciborium has already been suggested
by M. Abrami}, I. Petricioli, M. Jurkovi}, and N. Jak{i}, since
the largest fragment is built in as a spoil above the entrance
to the Vidas house at Novalja. Although the idea that this
spoil and the fragments in the local collection of Stomorica
may belong to the same monument was fleetingly expressed
by M. Jurkovi} and N. Jak{i}, neither of them has attempted
to reconstruct the ciborium. The spoil from the Vidas house
and the fragments in the Stomorica collection at Novalja,
together with the fragments kept in the museums of Zadar
and Split (those recorded as having been sent to Split are
missing) form three different arcades of the same ciborium.
Only two fragments of the ciborium have been dated, unfortunately
to two distinct centuries. The spoil from the Vidas
house was dated to the 8th century because of the lack of pure
geometric interlace, while the fragment of another arcade was
dated to the 9th century because of the realistic treatment of
birds. Taking into consideration the ciborium as a whole,
together with its front arcade, composed of the fragment with
a cross from the Archaeological museum at Zadar and the
fragment from the Stomorica collection, the 9th-century date
seems more likely. The front arcade indeed shows traces of
geometric interlace, while its vegetal scroll displays a skilful
hand and the birds on the other two arcades are equally well
carved and realistic regarding the treatment of their small
heads and wings.
As for the construction of the ciborium, another fragment
from the Stomorica collection implies that it was of a square
rather than hexagonal form. Since hexagonal ciboria are
mostly found in baptisteries, it can be concluded that the
early medieval ciborium from Novalja stood above the altar
of the main church in the 9th century Novalja
The principal aim of the conference is to bring together experts who specialize in interdisciplinary studies of the Adriatic during the period of Byzantine rule in order to produce a ground-breaking publication which would serve as a first port of call for a broad range of scholars interested in the region. The book will fill the existing gap in knowledge about the Adriatic as a major channel of communication between East and West.
Bearing in mind recent developments in archaeology which have brought hitherto unknown resources to scholarly attention, there is now an unprecedented opportunity to mount an interdisciplinary study of the Adriatic. The conference and book will collect together this new knowledge of the archaeology, art history, economic and social history, and naval activity along these shores in late antique and medieval times. This will also make a broader comparative perspective both possible and extremely desirable.
We have developed a conceptual framework for the conference which focuses on the Adriatic as a threshold to Byzantium. Three main interconnected strands will structure the three days of the conference: the nature and scope of the Byzantine presence in the Adriatic, the networks of connectivity and exchange that existed between the cities of the Adriatic and Constantinople, the formation and rise of Venice as a major Adriatic centre.
These can be observed in the depictions of the Virgin and the way she was addressed in accompanying inscriptions on both sides of the Adriatic. The material presented here will consist of eleventh-century relief carvings from both sides of the Adriatic which will be examined with regard to the Roman and Carolingian/Ottonian sources on the one hand, and those from Byzantium on the other. The paper will also present the examples of the iconographic types which are consistent with Byzantine icons. This specific phenomenon which pre-dates the twelfth-century influx of Byzantine-style Marian icons, associated with the circulation of objects during the Crusades, will be examined with regard to the sites where these depictions occur and the likely channels of communication which may have brought them there.
During the turbulent events in the north Adriatic which preceded the Treaty of Aachen, Patriarch Fortunatus went into exile on account of his pro-Frankish inclinations and the see of Grado was left empty. In his absence, it was occupied by John, who is usually referred to as Iohannes Iunior in the written sources. As is obvious from John the Deacon’s Chronicon Venetum, John Junior wasted no time in embarking on the decoration of the churches in Grado. He had the cathedral apse furnished with marble columns and panels in honour of the martyrs whose relics were venerated there. An architrave fragment which still survives may have belonged to this structure, as can be deduced from its inscription which mentions IOHANNES IVNIOR. According to Tavano, it can be linked to three other fragments, the reconstructed text of which reads: +AD HONORE BEATI MARCI E(vagelist)E IOHANNES IVNIOR SOLA D(ei) SVFFRAGANTE GRATIA D(…) IND(ictione). John’s second recorded commission was an altar ciborium in the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie. Three ciborium arches discovered in this church, bearing no
inscription, have nonetheless been identified by Italian scholars as the remains of John Junior’s documented ciborium. My paper discusses the remains of this ciborium but also the remains of another ciborium which has been attributed to Patriarch Fortunatus, all of which are displayed in
Santa Maria delle Grazie. It is frequently forgotten that this display was assembled by Vigilio De Grassi, a local architect responsible for the 1920s excavation and restoration of the church.
The paper also examines the historiography of these sculptures in order to establish how and why they became associated with the information from the Chronicon. I also discuss the validity of such an identification and its consequences for an art historical analysis of sculpture from the north and east Adriatic. While as recently as 2005, Italian researchers interpreted these three ciborium arches as belonging to John Junior’s ninth-century ciborium; in 2006, Jakšić attributed them to the eleventh century on the basis of stylistic analysis. I will also compare John Junior’s commissioning activities to those recorded in the so-called testament of Patriarch Fortunatus which contains a long list of donations and building initiatives he carried out upon his return to Grado.
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My paper will focus on the Croatian part of the Adriatic coast. Here, early medieval art displays a curious mixture of cross-cultural influences particularly evident in stone sculpture, the best examples of which can be found in reliefs depicting the Virgin Mary.
Firstly, I will examine two eleventh-century reliefs from the church of St Mary at Biskupija containing isolated depictions of the Virgin: a chancel screen gable with the Virgin in a Byzantine orans posture, and a perforated panel decorated with one of the earliest western depictions of the Virgin in Majesty.
The paper will also examine the iconography of the Virgin in a narrative context by looking at two chancel screens with scenes of Christ’s Infancy from the churches of Holy Dominica and St Lawrence at Zadar. The scenes include the Annunciation, Visitation, Nativity and the Adoration of the Magi all of which feature the Virgin.
My analysis demonstrates that the borrowing of motifs from East and West alike corresponded to the wishes and contacts of the local patrons, who belonged to the upper echelons of Croatian society and used their knowledge of the significance of particular iconographical prototypes to make decisions about their commissions. My argument illustrates Croatia’s place as a fertile ground between Eastern and Western visual culture.
The Visual Commentary on Scripture (VCS) is a freely accessible online publication that provides theological commentary on the Bible in dialogue with works of art. It helps its users to (re)discover the Bible in new ways through the illuminating interaction of artworks, scriptural texts, and commissioned commentaries.
Croatia (Dominikanci u Hrvatskoj), staged at
the Klovićevi dvori Gallery. Stating that the goal
of the exhibition was to show as much valuable
exhibits as possible, acknowledging in that way
the richness of the monasteries throughout
the country, the review explores the relation
between the display of the exhibits and the target
audience.
The research into the dedication of the churches and monasteries to the Virgin will firstly separate the structures consecrated in the early Christian period from those founded in the early middle ages. As a working hypothesis, it can be supposed that early Christian dedications will mostly coincide with cathedral churches, especially in Dalmatia, Istria and the Veneto, while medieval dedications will overlap with Benedictine monasteries and nunneries, founded mostly in the tenth and eleventh century. The research will compare and contrast the Marian cult in the ‘old’ and ‘new’ establishments by examining their patrons (if known) as well as the circumstances of the original dedication. It will also pay special attention to those churches with a double dedication, to St Mary and to another saint, for example a local martyr, as was the case at Murano and Split. The association between the Benedictine order and the dedication of their churches to the Virgin will also be explored by focusing on the architecture of the abbeys but also on the manuscripts they possessed (the Book of Hours of Abbess Chicca, and the Gospels of Abbess Vekenega, now at Budapest and Oxford respectively, both of which are from eleventh-century Zara/Zadar).
Marian feasts which were honoured in the early medieval Adriatic were her Conception, Nativity, and Presentation in the Temple, followed by the feasts associated with her adult life: the Annunciation, the Purification of Christ, and her Assumption. The research on her feasts will be based on the study of primary sources such as manuscripts and historical records. This topic overlaps with the dedication of churches and the research will establish which dedications corresponded to specific feasts.
The third aspect of this research project is the analysis of inscriptions and works of art, as these two phenomena tend to overlap and studying one without the other would mean ignoring their actual context. The Virgin was depicted in monumental art and the applied arts alike, and the material which will be examined will include frescoes (Aquileia Cathedral) and mosaics (Torcello, Dyrracchium/Drač), as well as sculptures (eleventh-century chancel screens in Zara/Zadar, and stone icons such as the one at Santa Maria di Dionisio at Trani), and manuscripts (eleventh-century gospel books from Zara/Zadar). With regard to the iconography of the Virgin, particular attention will be given to the so-called Maria Regina on the mosaics from the chapel in the amphitheatre at Dyrracchium/Drač, and the Virgin in Majesty in the frescoes at Aquileia and relief sculptures from Biskupija in Dalmatia. The analysis of the inscriptions and tituli which accompanied sculptures or paintings will result in the identification of specific formulae of addressing the Virgin, which will serve to identify liturgical models or local devotional practices. These findings will be compared to those from the Roman and Carolingian/Ottonian sources on the one hand, while on the other to those from Byzantium. Finally, this segment of research will also study the first examples of the iconographic types consistent with Byzantine icons: the Virgin orans (Torcello, Bagnole/Banjole, Biskupija) and the Hodegitria (Trani). This specific phenomenon which pre-dates the twelfth-century influx of Byzantine-style Marian icons, associated with the circulation of objects during the Crusades, will be examined with regard to the sites where these depictions occur and the likely channels of communication which may have brought them there.
The role of nationalism in the preservation and presentation of medieval art and architecture in Mediterranean contexts has not yet been treated in any scholarly forum with the depth and comprehensiveness the subject deserves. And yet, national narratives fundamentally influence both scholarly discourse and public understanding. The periodization of material culture as 'Ancient,' 'Medieval', 'Byzantine', 'Ottoman' and 'Modern,' the characterization of religious change as positive or negative, even the visualization of the historical arc as one of progress or decline – are all fundamentally impacted by the ordering and categorizing activities that take place in museums and archaeological sites. These sites of presentation in turn shape the agendas of scholars as well as the ways in which the various national publics make sense of their past.
The seminar brings together younger scholars from around the Mediterranean to rethink their own research projects in light of discussions shared in the seminar. The seminar uses visits to local museums and archaeological parks in Rome and central Italy, as well as visits by local specialists, to inform its ongoing work.