Skip to Main Content

 Admission is always freeOpen today: 10:00  to 5:00  Directions             Play Artle            

                  -  Visit                      - Visit
                    - Getting Here
                    - Accessibility
                    - Tours, Guides & Maps
                    - Food & Drink
                    - Gallery Shops
                    - Visitor Policies 
                  -  Collection                      - Collection
                    - Highlights
                    - Search the Collection
                    - Artists Search
                    - Acquisition Highlights
                    - Stories
                    - Games 
                  -  Exhibitions                      - Exhibitions
                    - Current
                    - Special Installations
                    - Upcoming
                    - On Tour
                    - Past 
                  -  Calendar                      - Calendar
                    - Films
                    - Performances
                    - Talks
                    - Guided Tours
                    - After Hours
                    - Fun for Kids
                    - Festivals
                    - Workshops 
                  -  Learn                      - Learn
                    - Teachers
                    - Families
                    - Teens
                    - Adults
                    - Learning Resources
                    - Music Programs
                    - Film Programs 
                  -  Conservation                      - Conservation
                    - Projects
                    - Publications
                    - Resources 
                  -  Research                      - Research
                    - The Center
                    - Publications
                    - Make an Appointment
                    - Archives
                    - Library
                    - NGA Online Editions 
                  -  Support                      - Support
                    - Donate Now
                    - National Membership
                    - Circle Membership
                    - Leadership Groups
                    - Planned Giving
                    - Major Giving
                    - Gifts of Art 
                  -  Shop                      - Shop
                    - Books
                    - Jewelry
                    - Apparel & Accessories
                    - Kids
                    - NGA Custom Prints 
                  -  Play Artle

Home>Research>Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts>Research Projects>Members' Research Report Archive>Shigebumi Tsuji, 2017–2018

About Fellowships

Senior Fellowships

Visiting Senior Fellowships

Postdoctoral Fellowships

Center/YCBA Postdoctoral Fellowships

Predoctoral Dissertation Fellowships

Center Members

Members’ Presentations

Former Members

Members’ Research Reports, 2011–2018

About Center Meetings

Recent & Upcoming Meetings

A. W. Mellon Lectures in the Fine Arts

Wyeth Foundation for American Art Programs

Sydney J. Freedberg Lectures on Italian Art

Research at the Center

The Index of American Design

History of Early American Landscape Design

The History of the Accademia di San Luca, c. 1590–1635

About the Center Publications

Recent & Upcoming Publications

Reflections on the Collection: The Edmond J. Safra Visiting Professors at the National Gallery of Art

Studies in the History of Art

Seminar Papers

*Center Report*

From the *Bulletin*

Research Publications

Special Publications

National Gallery of Art Shop

# Members' Research Report Archive

*The Cosmological Background of Monumental Representation of Christophany Before the Iconoclasm***

**Shigebumi Tsuji**, Osaka UniversityPaul Mellon Visiting Senior Fellow, May 1–June 30, 2017

Christogram in a starry sky, dome mosaic, c. 400, Baptistery of San Giovanni in Fonte, Naples. Author photograph

My recent work focuses on the study of a series of mosaics and frescoes that adorn the vaulted ceilings of early Christian and early Byzantine religious buildings. The decoration consists of two motifs: the night sky dotted with numerous sparkling stars, and the cross, the symbol of Christ, hovering in the heavens. The composite motif was invented in the last quarter of the fourth century. At that time, erudite church fathers and skilled artists all endeavored to recast the legacy of classical culture within the new framework of Christian belief.

In the East, the Christian renovation is attested by the thought and activity of the Cappadocian fathers, represented by Saint Basil the Great, bishop of Caesarea (330–379). They were grounded in the Greek system of learning, *paideia*, which, in addition to the liberal arts, included the study of nature. Simultaneously, they inherited the Platonic and Neoplatonic philosophical tradition from the preceding generation and adapted it to new exegetical requirements. Soon the Latin West came under the influence of Greek authors whose works were translated and introduced by such Latin fathers as Saint Ambrose (339–397), bishop of Milan. The dramatic transformation of a pagan to a Christian worldview is vividly described by Saint Augustine in his *Confessions*.

During my CASVA fellowship, I organized my research into three broad divisions: a catalog of the ten existing monuments with the composite iconography of the cross hovering in the starry sky, interpretation of the iconography, and the historical context of the monuments.

Both the starry night and Christ’s symbol have precedents from before the last quarter of the fourth century. Of the surviving examples, the mosaic decorating the dome of the baptistery of San Giovanni in Fonte in Naples seems to be the earliest. Moreover, it surpasses all the other extant monuments in its superb artistic quality. The mosaicist elaborated the spatial depth of the night sky by skillfully variegating the sizes and colors of the stars. As a result, the symbol of Christ sems to appear abruptly in the dark sky. As seen in the Neapolitan mosaic, the composite iconography is often accompanied by the apocalyptic tetramorph. Scholars have thus unanimously recognized in the mosaic program of San Giovanni in Fonte the Christophany at the end of the world. In doing so, they tended to interpret the two motifs separately and paid little attention to scrutinizing the essential idea by which they are combined. It was Carl-Otto Nordström who, in 1953, noted the vertical structure of the mosaic program of the so-called Mausoleum of Galla Placidia. He compared it to a Parousia image in the *Christian Topography of Cosmas Indicopleustes* (Vat. Cod. Gr. 699, fol. 89r). However, the manuscript illustration differs decisively from the mosaic in that the Pantocrator seated on the throne occupies the summit of the composition, and his background is painted in solid cerulean blue, without star motifs.

One of the most important literary explanations of the intrinsic meaning of the starry sky is found in Saint Basil the Great’s late work, *Hexameron*. The significant section for my discussion is his Third Homily on the Firmament. Basil faithfully follows scripture (Genesis 1:6) in describing the firmament as separating the waters below and above it. Despite his exegetical approach to the Heaven of Heavens, or Third Heaven, of scripture, he tries to explicate the nature of the firmament at length by traditional (Hellenistic-Roman) natural science. While discussing the shape of the firmament, he notes that its essence is water, which gains solidity as it is frozen but turns into invisible vapor when heated.

There is some visual evidence that the firmament represented as the starry sky signified the source of water, especially water from above the most sacred sphere, the Heaven of Heavens. One example is a marble plaque from Aquileia with an engraved image representing a scene of the baptism in Paradise, in which water gushes from the starry sky in a roundel hovering above the head of the baptized. This image suggests an interpretation of a small detail of an ivory panel depicting John the Baptist on the front of the cathedral of Maximianus in Ravenna. Draped like a hanging cloth, streams of water flow from under the feet of the Agnus Dei enframed within a disk held by the Precursor.

The creators of this composite motif of the cross and starry night never intended to depict a scientific schema of the universe. Late antique visuality was thoroughly hodological, that is, fundamentally performative. For coeval viewers, the descent of the cross was an extraordinary, awesome spectacle involving them both physically and cognitively, as the souls of men and women on earth, both dead and alive, were lifted to the highest register of heaven.

*Center 38*

### Stay connected

Learn more about our exhibitions, news, programs, and special offers.

About
          - About the National Gallery
          - Stories
          - Press
          - FAQs
          - Contact Us

Plan a Visit
          - Getting Here
          - Accessibility
          - Today's Tours
          - Food & Drink
          - Calendar
          - Downloadable Map

Get Involved
          - Donate
          - Membership
          - Volunteer
          - Opportunities
          - Shop Online

Resources
          - Search the Collection
          - Conservation
          - Library
          - Archives
          - The Center
          - Film Programs
          - Music Programs
          - Audio/Video
          - Open Access Images

Hours: 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily

**West Building**6th St and Constitution Ave NW*Enter or exit from Constitution Avenue, 4th Street, or 7th Street. The Madison Drive entrance is currently closed.*

**East Building**4th St and Constitution Ave NW*Enter and exit from 4th Street.*

**Sculpture Garden**7th St and Constitution Ave NW*Enter and exit from 7th Street, Constitution Avenue, or Madison Drive.*

We are closed on December 25 and January 1.

*The National Gallery of Art serves the nation by welcoming all people to explore and experience art, creativity, and our shared humanity.*

          -  Twitter 
          -  Facebook 
          -  Instagram 
          -  Pinterest 
          -  YouTube 

© 2024 National Gallery of Art   Notices   Terms of Use   Privacy Policy