The Significance of Unction in Byzantine Iconography
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 11932695 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Christopher Walter (corresponding author) |
| Year | 1976 |
| Volume | 2 |
| Pages | 53-73 |
| Publication date | 1976-01-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0307-0131 • E-ISSN: 1749-625X |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1179/030701376790206153 |
| OpenAlex | W2055293744 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 5 |
How agreeable it would be if the art historian could, with the aid of iconographical documents, resolve problems which baffle those who depend primarily upon literary sources for their studies. Unfortunately, such a triumph is rarely afforded to the art historian. Byzantine artists in particular have not left us a detailed record of contemporary events; their productions tell us more about the ideas current in their lifetime than about what actually happened. This is certainly the case for the rite of unction. We have no pictures of a Byzantine emperor being anointed and no evidence that such pictures ever existed. Consequently the art historian cannot directly help towards a firm answer to the question raised by Donald Nicol in his article: after what date should references in chronicle sources to a Byzantine emperor being consecrated by unction be interpreted in a literal rather than in a figurative or metaphorical sense
Ancient history · Art · Art history · Byzantine architecture · Emperor · Iconography · Linguistics · Literal and figurative language · Literature · Rite · Theology · Byzantine Studies and History · Classical Antiquity Studies · Classics · Historical and Religious Studies of Rome · History · Philosophy
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0.02 |
| Citation span | 1976 - 1976 (1) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |