bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Cult of Maria Regina in Early Medieval Rome
Authors: Osborne John
Published: May 2018

The iconography of Mary bearing the crown and vestments of a Byzantine empress has long been associated with the arts of the city of Rome, where the overwhelming majority of early examples survive. From the eighth century onwards, this theme was exploited by the popes to reinforce their claims to independence from secular authority. But did they invent it? This paper supports the view that the iconography was initially developed at the imperial court in Constantinople in the first half of the sixth century, and that it first appeared in Rome in an “imperial” as opposed to “papal” context.
Immagini di Maria nella pittura e nei mosaici romani dalla crisi monotelita agli inizi della seconda iconoclastia (640-819)
Authors: Themelly Alessandra
Published: May 2018

L’articolo analizza le immagini della Vergine, pittoriche e musive, presenti a Roma dalla metà del VII secolo ai primi decenni del IX. Il taglio prescelto cerca di usare in parallelo le diverse chiavi interpretative proposte dalla storiografia: l’analisi storica, le ricerche iconografico-iconologiche, le letture stilistico-formali. Nelle rappresentazioni di Maria si riflettono le dinamiche religiose dello sviluppo dottrinale e della pratica devozionale, legate prima alla eresia monotelita poi alla crisi iconoclasta; in seguito in esse convergono nuovi significati politici connessi alla nascente ideologia dello Stato della Chiesa. Lo sviluppo delle immagini mariane mostra nel corso dei quasi duecento anni esaminati il progressivo distacco dalla cultura bizantina ed il profilarsi di una nuova identità culturale.
Maria-Ecclesia and the Meaning of Marriage in the Late 13th Century
Authors: Lavin Marilyn Aronberg
Published: May 2018

By the end of the thirteenth century, the Church of Rome defined human marriage as incomplete before consummation in virtuous carnal intercourse. This article focuses on Cimabue’s emotionally charged and sexually explicit fresco representation of the Assumption of the Virgin, and shows that its stylistic verisimilitude makes visible human love as proof of the spiritual miracle of the Mystic Marriage of Christ and Maria-Ecclesia.
Urban Space and Ritual: Constantinople in Late Antiquity
Authors: Bauer Franz Alto
Published: May 2018

With the foundation of Constantinople, Constantine the Great created a cuty highly successful in meeting the requirements of imperial self-representation. Imperial monuments raised at the city’s most important intersections rendered the ruler omnipresent, even inescapable. Late emperors followed this pattern and occupied important sites of the cityscape with commemorative monuments which glorified the ruling dynasty. Along the Mese, the main east-west axis of the city, one imperial forum followed another, thus presenting the viewer with a series of monuments lined up like so many pearls on a string. The construction of these spaces for imperial representation went hand in hand with the development of their ritual function as each emperor attempted to transform his forum, his monument, into the target-point of city-wide processions. This development resulted in a contest between emperors past and present in which older monuments and fora finally lost ceremonial prominence, surrendering it to those created by the present ruler. In addition, more and more churches were built by the emperor, members of his family, and private benefactors withing an outside the city. After the end of Justinian’s reign, the most important of these churches began to substitute the imperial fora as departure points, stations, and destinations of citywide processions. As the emperor ceased to be regarded as the guarantor of the city’s safety, Christ and the Mother of God assumed the role as the city’s divine protectors and defenders.
The Ruler Image of the Fourth Century: Innovation or Tradition
Authors: Hannestad Niels
Published: May 2018

Following the chaotic third century, the new sole ruler, Constantine, was forced to re-think the image of the ruler. The soldier-emperor, and ultimately the Tetrarchic model, had failed. Constantine chose to go back to the portraits of the Hellenistic kingdoms and the Early and High Empire in the search for iconographical elements to create a new image more fitting to the Dominate. In his portrait, Constantine proclaimed himself king, and his portrait (or rather mask) became the model of future emperors. The new imperial mask had no Christian connotations, but it came to be the image of the Christian emperor. When Julian, the Apostate, tried to revive paganism, he had himself represented as a full-bearded philosopher. As was the case during the Principate, the imperial portrait was still a political manifesto, but in consequence of the trend of the later third century to obliterate what was left of traditional Roman verism in portraiture, the imperial mask created by Constantine left very little room for individuality. The imperial portrait could follow the style of the time, but the type was fixed. The Christian emperor could not be represented as a philosopher, as a sage, or be adapted to any other trends or diversities still found in private portraiture.
A Terracotta Plaque in the Dumbarton Oaks Collection. Judgement scene or Congiarium?
Authors: Sande Siri
Published: May 2018

The subject of this article is a terracotta plaque in the Dumbarton Oaks Collection formerly in the Barberini Collection, Rome. It shows Christ and six apostles seated on a dais with a small-scale group of men, women, and children below. This highly unusual scene has been interpreted by some scholars as the Last Judgement, by others as congiarium scene. In my opinion, it is definitely not a judgment, but rather a contamination of the traditional Christ as a teacher and a congiarium scene. There are a few other examples of Christian scenes with the inclusion of elements from secular art. These elements need not have been inspired by imperial monuments, however. One may also think of objects with scenes from the activities of high dignitaries, such as diptychs and the like.
Un décor de voûte controversé: L’ornementation “sassanide” d’une mosaïque de la Rotonde de Saint-Georges à Thessalonique
Authors: Torp Hjalmar
Published: May 2018

Le champ de la mosaïque décorant la voûte en berceau du passage sud, passage qui correspond à l’entrée primitive de l’église, présente une grande croix latine pattée insérée dans un décor qui, à côté d’un semis d’étoiles, comporte divers motifs communément considérés d’origine où d’inspiration sassanide. Mes observations visent à déterminer la valeur à attribuer à la caractéristique “sassanide” assignée à ces motifs et aboutissent à un essai d’interprétation de la mosaïque – croix, étoiles et composant “sassonide” – à la lumière de la position topographique du monument même.
A Kabbalistic Reading of the Sistine Chapel Ceiling
Authors: Sagerman Robert
Published: May 2018

The Sistine Chapel Ceiling reflects Renaissance Christian immersion in Kabbalah by replicating, in its nine central Genesis “histories” and its lunettes and pendentives beneath, the Kabbalistic matrix of nine supernal Sefirot and one terrestrial Sefira. The Renaissance Christian Kabbalist and papal advisor Egidio da Viterbo is posited here as the designer of this Ceiling program. Egidio’s known belief that Christian propagation of Kabbalah would hasten the arrival of the messianic kingdom provides the motivation for his conception of this Ceiling program and is evidenced specifically in the imagery itself, which focuses upon an association of Christ with the supernal Sefira Binah as the nexus of such expectations. Beyond merely replicating the Kabbalistic cosmology, the Ceiling demonstrates contemporary Kabbalistic engagement with notions of the imagination’s role in mystical practice. Such practice is addressed – via encoded references to Kabbalistic doctrine – with respect to its relationship to magic, prayer and to the prophetic phenomenon. The Ceiling program suggests a theurgical relationship, on the part of the devotee, to the Sefirot, as well as an interconnectedness between this theurgical posture and conceptions of Christian prayer and the role of the Catholic liturgy. Individual attainment is entwined, in the Ceiling, with notions of ascent through the sefiortic hierarchy and is associated as wll, true to the Kabbalistic tradition, with collective redemption. Such redemption was expected by Egidio to mark the moment when Kabbalah – and hence the Ceiling’s themes – would be widely understood.
The cult of the Virgin, Icons and Relics in Early Christian and Medieval Rome. A Semiotic Approach and a Sixth Century Proposal
Authors: Thund Erik
Published: May 2018

The article traces the development of the cult of the Virgin, relics, and icons in early medieval Rome and proposes a sixth-century dating for the emergence of these cult types as channels of communication with the invisible. In so doing, these cult types are looked at as constituents of a sign system according to Charles Sanders Peirce’s theory of signs.
Architettura come codice di trasmissione dell'immagine dell'imperatore, dai Severi all'età costantiniana
Authors: Guidobaldi Federico
Published: May 2018

Si propone di “leggere” la produzione architettonica – e specialmente quella monumentale – non solo nelle sue valenze artistiche e funzionali, ma anche come veicolo di un messaggio con cui l’imperatore-committente vuole suggerire, ovviamente in modo ”occulto”, cioè in codice, una sua immagine “morale”. Si sottolinea l’intenzionalità di questo messaggio e se ne cercano le testimonianze analizzando le variazioni dello stile architettonico dai Severi a Costantino. I notevoli cambiamenti che si riscontrano in questo lasso di tempo lasciano ipotizzare un passaggio graduale da un’immagine imperiale basata sulla consistenza concreta e sulla stabilità del potere ad un’altra ben diversa che vuole evidenziare l’origine soprannaturale del potere imperiale e la predominanza degli aspetti spirituali su quelli materiali.
The Oratory of the Forty Martyrs: From Imperial Ante-Vestibule to Christian Room of Worship
Authors: Gulowsen Kirsti
Published: May 2018

The Oratory of the Forty Martyrs occupies a strategic symbolical position between the Forum Romanum and the Palatine complexes. Its interior decoration is dominated by representations of the Forty Martyrs of Sebasteia, soldiers of the legendary Legio XII Fulminata. Would a cult to the Forty Martyrs, obviously prominent in the oratory, share any connotations with the pre-ecclesiastical use of the room as part of the vestibule complexes for the imperial residence on the Palatine hill? Though by no means complete, the information given in the primary sources tells of a continuous imperial virtual presence on the Palatine hill. A corresponding presence of the imperial scholae may well have been part of this continuity. The church complex of S. Maria Antiqua and the Oratory of the Forty Martyrs would have been the natural site for an official cult of the Forty Martyrs, and politically a timing for its introduction to Rome at the beginning of the seventh century would suit best.
Imperial Connotations in Roman Church Interiors. The Significance and Effect of the Lateran Fastigium
Authors: De Blaauw Sible
Published: May 2018

The fastigium donated by emperor Constantine to the Lateran Basilica is a key object in the study of imperial connotations in Early Christian Roman churches. The fastigium was a pediment surmounted by silver statues and supported by four bronze columns, standing as a linear structure in front of the altar of the basilica. In contrast to other objects of imperial largitio donated to the Christian churches, the fastigium was recognized from the very beginning as an explicit monument of imperial presence. Both its shape and its unusual nature in the context of Christian liturgy were responsible for this association.
Imperiale - cristiano - pagano - privato. Dal contesto al significato
Authors: Brenk Beate
Published: May 2018

Giacchè la Chiesa nel vuoto di potere del 476 potè subentrare al cessato impero romano, si è delineato per la storia dell’arte del tardoantico un modello secondo cui l’arte imperiale nel quinto secolo ugualmente si era data il cambio con l’arte cristiana, cioè la Chiesa cristiana era stata promossa per così dire ad erede unico delle esigenze e delle tradizioni artistiche dell’impero. Questo modello storiografico è ancora sostenibile? L’idea fissa che i cristiani dovvevano aver fatto nient’altro che prendere il “manico dello scrigno iconografico imperiale” si dimostra unilaterale e indifferenziata. Invece di cercare influssi mi sembra più fruttuoso che il problema dello scambio reciproco e della partecipazione venga avvicinato ad una eredità comune e diffusa. La nostra odierna disciplina ha una pronunciata difficoltà di concedere al paganesimo ancora nel quinto secolo architetture ed opere d’arte originali, perché essa ha dato la palma del vinctiore già da tempo all’architettura cristiana. Il quinto secolo viene squalificato nella nostra disciplina come fine del paganesimo: qui non è possibile che nascono delle cose nuove pagane. È giustificato questo verdetto?
The Emperor and the Icon
Authors: Mathews Thomas F.
Published: May 2018

The emperor has been credited with many things, why not icons? Modern art historians have enthusiastically subscribed to a theory crediting the emperor with a major role in the development of icons, brushing aside all evidence to the contrary, whether archaeological or literary. But early sources on the Christian icon consistently parallel it not with emperor cult, but with the private icon cult observable among the pagans, and a large body of Late Antique pagan icons (at least 30) has survived into the twentieth century with close similarities to early Byzantine icons.
Cristo e l'imperatore romano: i valori simbolici del nimbo
Authors: Ahlqvist Agneta
Published: May 2018

Questo studio si concentra sulla comparsa dei nimbi portati dall’imperatore e da Cristo nell’arte propagandistica ed ufficiale (145 d.C. – 440 d.C.) con lo scopo di interpretare la simbologia del nimbo nel suo rapporto fra l’imperatore e Cristo. L’esame iconografico di essi dimostra l’uso del nimbo nell’arte propagandistica, ma non basta per spiegare i valori simbolici del nimbo, che richiede un’integrazione di una quantità sufficiente d’immagini con altri esseri nimbati. Nell’insieme dei motivi principali in cui il nimbo compare è possibile mostrare le regole simboliche del nimbo. Di base è un segno descrittivo, applicato ai corpi celesti, contenente diversi gradi di densità simbolica, di qualità cosmica-divina. Quando il nimbo fu introdotto nell’arte propagandistica si basa sull’iconografia tradizionale, accentuando i sovrani come versi cosmocratores. Ma presto lo sviluppo dei vaolri simbolici del nimbo si dirama: per l’imperatore il nimbo diventa un simbolo prerogativo per il suo potere mentre il nimbo di Cristo accentua la sua sacralità (sanctus).
Thirty-four Years after "Leda Christiana". Misery and Splendour of the First Century of Coptic Art History
Authors: Török László
Published: May 2018

The course of the research of Egyptian Late Antique art was influenced for more than seven decades in a most unfortunate manner by the erroneous intrepretation of the archaeological context of the foruth century AD mythological reliefs discovered in the 1890s by Édouard Naville at Heracleopolis Magna (modern Ahnas). The misinterpretation of the find circumstances led to the postulate of a Christianisation of pagan themes in Coptic art and of their employment in the decoration of Christian churches. The actual architectural and iconographic context of mythological reliefs from Ahnas and other Egyptian Late Antique sites was identified by Hjalmar Torp in a 1969 paper in which he suggested that the mythological reliefs, as well as the contemporary carvings with Christian themes, came from pagan and Christian funerary edifices. Torp also pointed out the impact of Roman funerary iconography on the decoration of third-fifth century Egyptian tomb chapels. The present study discusses the trends prevailing in the research of Egyptian Late Antique art before and after 1969 from the special point of view of Torp’s seminal work. Particular attention is paid to the interconnected issues of chronology, social-cultural context, and quality stratification. The analysis of individual groups of sculptures, paintings, and luxury textiles presents new data for the assessment of the international context of Egyptian art in the Late Antique and early Byzantine periods as well as for the investigation of the transfiguration of Egyptian culture in Late Antiquity.
Il tema della Creazione nell'arte e nel pesniero tra l'XI e il XIII secolo: indagini sull'iconografia del Creatore dopo lo Scisma
Authors: Muratova Xenia
Published: May 2018

L’autore pone una domanda che riguarda la scelta particolare delle immagini e dei tipi iconografici del Creatore nelle scene della Creazione del mondo nell’arte occidentale e nell’arte bizantina dopo lo Scisma. Indagando sugli influssi di questo avvenimento della vita religiosa e di elementi focali del dissenso dogmatico nell’iconografia della Creazione e del Creatore in particolare l’autore intravvede, sia nella scelta di tipi iconografici paleocristiani (il Creatore rapresentato come Cristo giovane e imberbe, tipo associato con l’immagine di Cristo-Logos, o come Cristo barbuto di età media, associato con l’immagine di Pantocrator nell’arte occidentale, la mano di Dio nell’arte bizantina), sia nell’adattamento del tipo iconografico dell’Antico di Giorni nell’arte bizantina e delle sue diverse interpretazioni iconografiche, il riflesso del movimento di un pensiero iconografico che in Occidente e in Oriente è mosso dall’obiettivo di trasmettere visualmente le differenze dogmatiche tra i due brani della Chiesa cristiana.
"Inter duas metas": le immagini del martirio di S. Pietro e la topografia simbolica di Roma
Authors: Hodne Lasse
Published: May 2018

Ci chiediamo quali sono e qual è il significato dei due edifici piramidali che si trovano sullo sfondo di una serie di rappresentazioni della Crocifissione di S. Pietro nel trecento e nel quattrocento. È naturale vederli come le due mete inter quas, secondo le fonti, fu martirizzato l’apostolo. La maggior parte degli studiosi hanno identificato le due mete con monumenti situati nella zona tra l’attuale Castel S. Angelo e la Basilica di S. Pietro. Nel presente articolo propongo invece che una delle mete è da identificarsi con la Piramide Cestia, una volta ritenuta la tomba di Remo. In questo modo i pittori hanno voluto sottolineare il rapporto non tanto tra Pietro e Remo, quanto tra l’apostolo ed entrambi i fondatori di Roma. Dal discorso sull’ubicazione delle due mete nasceranno, a loro volta, le nuove teorie nel tardo medioevo sul luogo del martirio di Pietro, più precisamente la sua nuova collocazione presso Montorio.
The “Double Apostolate” as an Image of the Church. A Study of Early Medieval Apse Mosaic in Rome
Authors: Hodne Lasse
Published: May 2018

As large cities claimed apostolic founding of their churches, the Roman church declared that it was constituted on the “double apostolate” of Peter and Paul. The concordia apostolorum which results from the final agreement between the “former rivals” in this city is also seen as the foundation of the Roman church. The term concordia apostolorum has been applied to at least two image types which show the two apostles together. I propose that this name is more appropriate as a title for the well known Roman apse image of Christ flanked by the apostle princes than the traditional traditio legis, since the concordia and the double apostolate are concepts which relate the church to the city of Rome. Hence, the scheme with the two apostles which decorates so many Roman apses from Late Antiquity until the age of Paschal I can be seen as an emblem precisely of the Roman church.
Imperial Mausolea and Everyman’s Grave? The fourth-century funerary Basilicas in the Roman suburbia.
Authors: Sande Siri
Published: May 2018

When Constantine had conquered Rome from Maxentius, he constructed a series of U-shaped funerary basilicas outside Rome. All lie beside one of the main roads leading into the city, near a catacomb where one or more saints already seem to have been venerated. With one possible exception (the basilica of the Via Ardeatina, which has not been completely excavated), a mausoleum for one or more members of the Imperial family was constructed or at least planned adjacent to the basilica. This is a novelty since Constantine’s predecessors generally built one large mausoleum close to one of the consular roads. By spreading the Imperial mausolea and placing them close to the existing centres of Christian worship, Constantine ensured that his family and his new faith were constantly commemorated, not only by the persons who came to visit the tombs in the adjacent funerary basilicas but also by the many pilgrims who came to honour the saint(s) buried in the nearby catacomb.
Inscriptions on Painted Crosses and the Spaces of Personal and Communal Meditation
Authors: Kessler Herbert L.
Published: May 2018

Against the background of a general discussion of medieval devotional practices connected to the crucifix, this paper contributes to the study of the oversized, painted crucifixes prominent in central Italy from the eleventh century and onwards. The paper examines and discusses two recently cleaned Italian crosses from the twelfth century, one in Convent of Rosano near Florence and the other in the cathedral of Sarzana. Both include scenes from the Passion of Christ elucidated by inscriptions. The words accompanying the individual narratives support the overall anagogical strategy and were clearly intended for personal meditation on Christ’s life that focuses the viewer’s mind and elevates his or her contemplation. The crucifixes were conceived of as manifestations of divine real presence. Thus the narrative scenes and accompanying inscriptions actively engaged the problem of Christ’s two natures de facto and, in so doing, they mapped itineraries of meditation onto the pictured Crucifixion. The paper considers possible liturgical and devotional uses of the crucifixes, concluding that the inscriptions not only articulate the meaning of the imagery but also bear on their use(s) in liturgical and private spaces.
Inscriptions and Interactions: Text and Image on the Cloisters Cross and other Ivories
Authors: Hahn Cynthia
Published: May 2018

According to the Gospel narratives, a sign of identification was posted on the cross above Christ’s head at the Crucifixion, following Roman custom. The biblical passage in John 19: 19-22 and its exegesis concerning the circumstances of the titulus provides a concise commentary on the Christian use of inscription. The Cross’s inscription is described as multilingual and disputed from the moment of its production, but it also authoritatively affirmed by the Bible passage itself. As it grew in importance in the Middle Ages, the supposedly preserved object and text became a relic testifying to the veracity of the events of the Crucifixion. Of particular interest is the way in which the ironic phrase “King of the Jews,” not only fails to match the image of the abjected crucified man it inscribes but thereby comes to represent a higher truth also inherent in the Gospel story. This essay discusses these issues as they are realized on the ivory Cloisters Cross in New York City and then contrasts this highly self-conscious use of inscription to other texts on Romanesque ivories.
Der Konstantinsbogen als Monument des Senates
Authors: Zanker Paul
Published: May 2018

Über den Konstantinbogen kann man kaum mehr etwas Neues sagen, nachdem seit den 1950 er Jahren so viel über ihn diskutiert worden ist. Dass in den letzten Jahrzehnten so viel über den Bogen geschrieben worden ist, hängt damit zusammen, dass dieser untrennbar mit zwei besonders neuralgischen Punkten der Forschung verbunden ist: zum einen mit dem Problem der Verwendung von Spoilen, die von älteren Kaisermonumenten stammen, zum andern aber mit der komplexen Frage nach Konstantins Macht – und Religionspolitik in den Jahren seiner religiösen “Wende”. Im Mittelpunkt meiner eigenen Überlegungen zum Bildprogramm des Bogens, steht die Tatsache, dass er der der Senat und das römische Volk waren, die den Bogen nach Konstantins Sieg über Maxentius errichtet haben, wie es in der Inschrift steht. So selbstverständlich diese Feststellung ist, so oft werden die Bilder in der Forschung als Ausdruck dessen, was der Kaiser verlautbaren wollte, oder gar als direkte “Propaganda” von Seiten Konstantins gelesen. Davon kann aber keine Rede sein. Natürlich versuchte der Senat, bzw. die vermutlich von ihm mit dieser Aufgabe betraute Kommission, nichts darstellen zu lassen, was beim Kaiser direkten Anstoß hätte erregen können. Aber sie konnten die Gelegenheit nutzen, um ihre Vorstellungen vom beziehungsweise ihre Wünsche an den neuen Herrscher auszudrücken. In diesem Sinne will ich den Bogen als einen Stein gewordenen, an den Sieger Konstantin gerichteten Panegyricus zu verstehen versuchen, dessen Autor in erster Linie der römische Senat war.
Petrarch and the Vision of Rome
Authors: Falkeid Unn
Published: May 2018

Petrarch’s enthusiasm for the eternal city is balanced by a deep sense of perishability and death. Both visions – the Classical and the Augustinian – are fused into a double perspective in Petrarch’s description of Rome, transformed both by the harsh political conditions of the fourteenth century as well as the author’s personal experiences. This double perspective articulates an ambiguity most familiar to modern scholars of history: while Petrarch was trying to retrieve Classical art and virtues, he also emphasized the falseness of the reconstruction of Rome as an ideal ancient city and the impossibility of catching the echoes petrified in the many ruins and fragments of the past.
The Theater of Pompey in Rome: the Archeological Evidence, the Architecture and Destruction
Authors: Packer James E.
Published: May 2018

"Celebrated by the writers of classical antiquity for its size, splendor, and amenities, the Theater of Pompey has almost completely disappeared from modern Rome. Yet, its site has been known for centuries (probably since antiquity). Modern buildings – particularly Palazzo Pio at Campo de’ Fiori – preserve its outline, and various fragments of its surviving structure allow a reasonably accurate reconstruction of its original appearance.With a diameter of 156.80 m the semi-circular cavea had a four-story facade like that of the Theater of Marcellus or the Colosseum. Some fragments of the marble seats survive, and, from the schematic plan on the Severan Forma Urbis and modern archaeological reports, we can restore the interior facade of the three-story Domitianic scaenae frons with its columns of imported polychrome marbles and statues. The Forma Urbi also preserves plans of some of the rooms around the great peristyle behind the scaenae frons, and a nineteenth-century excavation gives us the intercolumniations, diameters, and materials for its colonnade.Why did this monumental structure not survive? Much seems to have been destroyed in an earthquake: the rubble from that disaster underlies the pavements of Palazzo Pio’s two courtyards raising them nearly 2 m above the level of the adjacent Via di Grotta Pinta. The foundations and walls of medieval and later houses incorporated and hid the rest of the theater's structure. "
Clay Varietas - Guido Mazzoni's Society of Women
Authors: Forsgren Frida
Published: May 2018

The article discusses two major works by the prolific artist Guido Mazzoni, sculptor and life-size terracotta statuary in northern Italy in the late Quattrocento: the Lamentation group at Ferrara dating to 1485 and the Nativity group at Modena dating to the same year. Mazzoni’s oeuvre has received little attention in the traditional Renaissance canon due to his choice of materials, the poor terracotta from the Po valley, as well as his subject matter, which often verges on the pathetic. This article stresses how Mazzoni’s distinctive use of Albertian varietas links him to the guiding aesthetic principles of his time and furthermore shows how Guido Mazzoni’s collaboration with his wife and daughter gave his works a particular focus on their female protagonists. As I argue, the female characters portrayed in his groups tend to be more vivid and varied in their gestures and poses than the men represented.
Lo sfondo storico-iconografico dell'immagine di Cristo nel Tempietto Longobardo a Cividale.
Authors: Torp Hjalmar
Published: May 2018

The wall-paintings in the Tempietto Longobardo di Cividale, ca. 750/760, are rendered in an unmistakable Byzantine style. They were probably made by a workshop lead by a master painter from Constantinople. As such, the paintings are important as rare evidence of figural religious art from the iconoclastic period. The technically most accomplished part of the decoration is the painting depicting Christ flanked by the archangels Michael and Gabriel in the lunette over the western door, the main entrance to the chapel. The very distinctive physiognomic type of the Christ indicates that the painter rendered a specific prototype. The article discusses parallels and traces the origin of this particular iconographic type.
In the Iconographer's studio. The fashioning of the new motif types in Pre-Iconoclastic art.
Authors: Nordhagen Per Jonas
Published: May 2018

What was the part played by the artists (the craftsmen/painters) in the making of new iconographical types in the Early Middle Ages? Were have they given the design of what was to be illustrated all drawn up and ready for the hands of the program-makers? Or did they participate also in the work of selection from Scripture of the episode destined to be given pictorial form? This problem is rarely reflected upon in the literature on the period, yet it calls for a clarification. A cluster of newly created or revised New Testament scenes occurs in the art of Rome shortly after the year 700 A.D., a phenomenon which opens for a study of the collaboration which took place between the artists/craftsmen and the other partakers in the process of image-creation. This is the rationale for a renewed inspection of this extraordinary series of iconographical innovations, which as must be accentuated, were o leave their imprint on Byzantine art of the successive centuries.
The head posture of Alexander the Great
Authors: Kiilerich Bente
Published: May 2018

Some portraits show Alexander the Great with his neck twisted and head titled, mostly to the left, occasionally to the right. Similarly, Plutarch and later sources describe Alexander as having a titled or twisted neck. This head posture has been subject to discussion by archaeologists as well as physicians. While most archaeologists believe the posture to be a question of iconography, many physicians have put it down to a physical defect. In fact, in very recent medical publications, Alexander is still presented as suffering from torticollis, twisted neck, a diagnosis launched in the mid-nineteenth century. This study concludes that a potential physical defect is unlikely to have been depicted in the official portraits of Alexander.
The Ludovisi "throne", the Boston "throne" and the Warren Cup: retrospective works of forgeries?
Authors: Sande Siri
Published: May 2018

The Ludovisi and Boston "thrones" are among the most discussed monuments in the history of art. It is here argued that certain details on the "thrones" find their closest parallel artifacts of the Augustan period such as decorative reliefs and candelabra, Arretine ware and silver work: notably the so-called Warren cup in the British Museum. The "thrones" cannot, therefore, be dated to the early Classical period. But does that mean that they are Roman retrospective works? Both the "thrones" and lately also the Warren cup have been regarded by some scholars as forgeries. The author of this article strongly suspects that all three were created in the late 19th century.
The Rhetoric of Violence in the Buddhist Tantras
Authors: Gray David B. ,   Philosophy Documentation Center
Published: May 2018

This article explores the rhetoric of violence in the Buddhist tantras, arguing that it generally falls into two types: (1) violence deployed in a purely rhetorical fashion for the purpose of impressing or persuading the reader; and (2) textual depictions of violent ritual practices, which can, with some caveats, be interpreted as depictions of, and possibly prescriptions for, ritual violence. The former type often includes grandiose or exaggerated instances of hyperbolic rhetoric, often deployed for the purpose of aggrandizing the text or tradition. The article segues to discussions of descriptions of and prescriptions for ritual violence, and explores one of the justifications given for ritual violence, namely that it contributes to, or is excused by, the attainment of a spiritually advanced state of awareness called the “non-dual gnosis” (advayajñāna). Here particular attention is paid to violent rituals that involve the creation of effigies or symbolic substitutes for a sacrificial victim. These rituals, rather than involving actual violence, instead symbolically depict it. Yet these rituals are still violent insofar as they are symbolic enactments of acts of violence, and often they are performed with the goal of actually harming the victim who is symbolically represented in the ritual practice. The article concludes with an examination of a strategy for legitimizing such violence by invoking the concept of non-dual gnosis, and suggests that this ethical double standard has actually been used to excuse ethically dubious conduct by contemporary Buddhist leaders.
Supervivencia de empresas sociales de nueva creación. Un enfoque basado en el análisis cualitativo comparativo fsQCA
Authors: Fernández Guerrero Rafael , Revuelto Taboada Lorenzo , Simón Moya Virginia
Published: May 2018

Las empresas sociales constituyen una realidad de la que multitud de instituciones, tanto organismos internacionales como universidades de prestigio, se han hecho eco dedicando recursos a su estudio y promoción. Actualmente, la literatura se centra, fundamentalmente, en investigar las diferencias entre emprendimiento de negocios y social, las diferentes lógicas de las empresas que, siendo sociales, persiguen fines lucrativos con el fin de obtener un sistema sostenible, o la medición del impacto del valor social que aportan. Sin embargo, poco se ha investigado aún sobre cómo afectan determinadas características del emprendedor y la empresa social a supervivencia, lo que constituye el fin de este trabajo. El estudio utiliza una muestra que oscila entre 291 y 212 empresas según el periodo considerado. Utilizando el Análisis Cualitativo Comparativo, tratamos de identificar si existe algún antecedente que sea condición necesaria para la supervivencia, así como combinaciones de antecedentes causales capaces de explicar la  supervivencia. Los resultados muestran que no existe ninguna condición necesaria por sí misma y que existen diversas soluciones suficientes que varían conforme la empresa adquiere mayor madurez.
Numerical modelling to show variation in the amount of leachate in a solid waste column in the sanitary landfill sites of the Mejía and Ambato cantons
Authors: Cuásquer Jordán José Elías , Paredes Paredes Bélgica Estefanía , Paneluisa Tituaña María José , Chillagana Toapanta Maribel de los Angeles , Vilches Moreno Richard Jachson , Mátyás Bence , Álvarez Mendoza César Iván , Ramírez Cando Lenin Javier
Published: May 2018

The leachate generated by the direct disposal of solid waste into the soil of terrace number one of the Romerillos sanitary landfill site contaminates the environment. This is visible from an average distance of up to 20m with the presence of dry vegetation cover showing infiltration by leachate and soil pollution in the surface and underground. Meanwhile, in the soil of terrace number one of the Ambato sanitary landfill site, the contaminated environment is visible from an average distance of 33m with the presence of dry vegetation cover. At both the Romerillos and the Ambato sanitary landfill sites, a quantification study of codified (Matlab) and spatial (ArcGis) variability of the characteristics, such as hydraulic load, pressure load and percentage of leachate, was carried out. Field data was collected for the Matlab simulation. For 10 specific GPS Navigator sampling points, the variables studied included infiltration speed, porosity, infiltration distance, Van Genuchten parameters and time. Estimation graphs were created for each variable at 10, 20, 30 and 40mins. Through the observation of the graphs obtained in Matlab, it was determined that the variable hydraulic load is inversely proportional to depth. It was also established that the behaviour of the pressure load is directly proportional to depth and percentage of leachate was inversely proportional to depth. All the variables analysed showed a normal behaviour due to the silty-clay soil type in the "Romerillos" sanitary landfill site and sandy-loam in the Ambato sanitary landfill site.
Cultural participation for, with and by children – Enhancing children’s agency through art pedagogy, visual knowledge-building and learning
Authors: Häikiö Tarja Karlsson
Published: May 2018

This article focuses on how children's rights in society can be manifested with cultural tools and through cultural participation. The article discusses cultural participation for, with and by children based on the core ideas of a Swedish governmentally initiated strategy implemented in the 1970s. The right for children to take part in cultural activities, to be culturally active and to express themselves is based on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989). Art education and visual activities for children in formal and informal cultural environments and the use of contemporary art will be discussed. An art-based project in collaboration between a cultural institution and preschool and younger children is described. The main purpose of the article is to analyse what impact the use of cultural participation and cultural tools has on children's collective experience and learning, as well as to discuss and contextualise the relationship between culture, preschool and school as it is influenced by global and societal changes, particularly the increasing visual impact in society through the use of digital media and multimodality. The results show how an art gallery visit and the use of cultural narratives, such as art educational activities at a preschool based on work with a picture book, create visual knowledge and contribute to children’s agency and understanding of equity as one of the aims in the early childhood education curriculum.
From water striders to water bugs: the molecular diversity of aquatic Heteroptera (Gerromorpha, Nepomorpha) of Germany based on DNA barcodes
Authors: Havemann Nadine , Gossner Martin M. , Hendrich Lars , Morinière Jèrôme , Niedringhaus Rolf , Schäfer Peter , Raupach Michael J.
Published: May 2018

With about 5,000 species worldwide, the Heteroptera or true bugs are the most diverse taxon among the hemimetabolous insects in aquatic and semi-aquatic ecosystems. Species may be found in almost every freshwater environment and have very specific habitat requirements, making them excellent bioindicator organisms for water quality. However, a correct determination by morphology is challenging in many species groups due to high morphological variability and polymorphisms within, but low variability between species. Furthermore, it is very difficult or even impossible to identify the immature life stages or females of some species, e.g., of the corixid genusSigara. In this study we tested the effectiveness of a DNA barcode library to discriminate species of the Gerromorpha and Nepomorpha of Germany. We analyzed about 700 specimens of 67 species, with 63 species sampled in Germany, covering more than 90% of all recorded species. Our library included various morphological similar taxa, e.g., species within the generaSigaraandNotonectaas well as water striders of the genusGerris. Fifty-five species (82%) were unambiguously assigned to a single Barcode Index Number (BIN) by their barcode sequences, whereas BIN sharing was observed for 10 species. Furthermore, we found monophyletic lineages for 52 analyzed species. Our data revealed interspecific K2P distances with below 2.2% for 18 species. Intraspecific distances above 2.2% were shown for 11 species. We found evidence for hybridization between various corixid species (Sigara,Callicorixa), but our molecular data also revealed exceptionally high intraspecific distances as a consequence of distinct mitochondrial lineages forCymatia coleoptrataand the pygmy backswimmerPlea minutissima. Our study clearly demonstrates the usefulness of DNA barcodes for the identification of the aquatic Heteroptera of Germany and adjacent regions. In this context, our data set represents an essential baseline for a reference library for bioassessment studies of freshwater habitats using modern high-throughput technologies in the near future. The existing data also opens new questions regarding the causes of observed low inter- and high intraspecific genetic variation and furthermore highlight the necessity of taxonomic revisions for various taxa, combining both molecular and morphological data.
From in silico to in vitro: a trip to reveal flavonoid binding on the Rattus norvegicus Kir6.1 ATP-sensitive inward rectifier potassium channel
Authors: Trezza Alfonso , Cicaloni Vittoria , Porciatti Piera , Langella Andrea , Fusi Fabio , Saponara Simona , Spiga Ottavia
Published: May 2018

Background

ATP-sensitive inward rectifier potassium channels (Kir), are a potassium channel family involved in many physiological processes. KATP dysfunctions are observed in several diseases such as hypoglycaemia, hyperinsulinemia, Prinzmetal angina–like symptoms, cardiovascular diseases.

Methods

A broader view of the KATP mechanism is needed in order to operate on their regulation, and in this work we clarify the structure of the Rattus norvegicus ATP-sensitive inward rectifier potassium channel 8 (Kir6.1), which has been obtained through a homology modelling procedure. Due to the medical use of flavonoids, a considerable increase in studies on their influence on human health has recently been observed, therefore our aim is to study, through computational methods, the three-dimensional (3D) conformation together with mechanism of action of Kir6.1 with three flavonoids.

Results

Computational analysis by performing molecular dynamics (MD) and docking simulation on rat 3D modelled structure have been completed, in its closed and open conformation state and in complex with Quercetin, 5-Hydroxyflavone and Rutin flavonoids. Our study showed that only Quercetin and 5-Hydroxyflavone were responsible for a significant down-regulation of the Kir6.1 activity, stabilising it in a closed conformation. This hypothesis was supported by in vitro experiments demonstrating that Quercetin and 5-Hydroxyflavone were capable to inhibit KATP currents of rat tail main artery myocytes recorded by the patch-clamp technique.

Conclusion

Combined methodological approaches, such as molecular modelling, docking and MD simulations of Kir6.1 channel, used to elucidate flavonoids intrinsic mechanism of action, are introduced, revealing a new potential druggable protein site.
Mannose and Mannose‐6‐Phosphate Receptor–Targeted Drug Delivery Systems and Their Application in Cancer Therapy
Authors: Dalle Vedove Elena , Costabile Gabriella , Merkel Olivia M.
Published: May 2018

In order to overcome the main disadvantages of conventional cancer therapies, which prove to be inadequate because of their lack of selectivity, the development of targeted delivery systems is one of the main focuses in anticancer research. It is repeatedly shown that decorating the surface of nanocarriers with high‐affinity targeting ligands, such as peptides or small molecules, is an effective way to selectively deliver therapeutics by enhancing their specific cellular uptake via the binding between a specific receptor and the nanosystems. Nowadays, the need of finding new potential biological targets with a high endocytic efficiency as well as a low tendency to mutate is urgent and, in this context, mannose and mannose‐6‐phosphate receptors appear promising to target anticancer drugs to cells where their expression is upregulated. Moreover, they open the path to encouraging applications in immune‐based and gene therapies as well as in theragnostic purposes. In this work, the potential of mannose‐ and mannose‐6‐phosphate‐targeted delivery systems in cancer therapy is discussed, emphasizing their broad application both in direct treatments against cancer cells with conventional chemotherapeutics or by gene therapy and also their encouraging capabilities in immunotherapy and diagnostics purposes.
Molecularly Engineered Biolubricants for Articular Cartilage
Authors: Morgese Giulia , Benetti Edmondo M. , Zenobi‐Wong Marcy
Published: May 2018

Lubrication within articular joints plays a crucial role in daily life, providing an extremely low coefficient of friction and preventing wear at the surface of the articular cartilage. Natural biomacromolecules responsible for lubrication are part of the synovial fluid and their degradation is associated with the onset of degenerative diseases, such as osteoarthritis (OA). The current absence of effective treatments for OA has captured the attention of chemists and material scientists over the last two decades, triggering the development of partially or fully synthetic biolubricants aimed to reduce friction within the joints and restore cartilage functions. Although there is still a long way to go before synthetic replacements of natural biolubricants can be applied clinically, this review highlights those formulations that meet the fundamental requirements for being efficient lubricants for articular cartilage.
High‐Definition X‐Ray Imaging of Small Gecko Skin Surface Protuberances for Digitization and 3D Printing
Authors: Green David W. , Kelly Stephen T. , Lee Kenneth Ka‐Ho , Watson Gregory S. , Watson Jolanta A. , Jung Han Sung
Published: May 2018

A detailed analysis of zoological and botanical engineering structures reveals remarkable ideas for developing new healthcare technologies. One eclectic example is the surface microprotrusions of Gecko lizard skins, featuring nanoscale tips that engage in bacterial repulsion and killing. However, building biomimetic synthetic nanostructures in long range for technological use is hampered by the lack of concentrated digital information for 3D nano‐fabrication. For instance, standard micro‐computed tomography (µCT), confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) imaging failed to replicate gecko spinules at the nanoscale. The authors now show that the latest generation of high‐power X‐ray microscopy (Zeiss X‐Radia 810) builds high contrast images of the gecko skin surface, and following 3D digital conversion the individual spinules, in the large array, are perfectly delineated at 150 nm and clearly featured the 50 nm nanotips crucial for bacterial cell rupturing. Consequently, the authors generate stenographic (STL.) digital file formats loaded with the instructions for 3D printing and the design blueprints for soft lithography replication. A further reconstruction of the digital data is undertaken into a 3D solid object using MeshLabs, yielding biologically realistic, virtual‐world spinule arrays. In this form, the authors are able to edit the spinules for optimal killing performance against bacterial cells.