Archaeological Journal/Volume 2/Notices of New Publications: Bulletin Monumental
The above-named work is the publication of a sister society in France, to the establishment of which, and to some of its several General Sessions, we have already called attention at pages 81 and 186 of our first volume. But with the view of rendering the nature of its labours better known among us, and thereby of inducing, if possible, a feeling for more direct intercourse than yet exists with this Society, and with other Continental Associations similar to our own, it has been proposed to analyze occasionally such of its papers as may be most illustrative of English monuments. We shall therefore proceed to lay before our readers, as a supplement to the Essay on Sepulchral Brasses and Incised Slabs at page 197 of our first volume, the following abstract from a Memoir by the Abbé Magne on "Sepulchral Stones in the Cathedral at Noyon" in Picardy, hoping that it may aid our English correspondents in appropriating some of those dateless effigies and inscriptions with which many of our churches still abound.
Beginning with Monumental Slabs of the thirteenth century, M. Magne says that they are almost invariably coffin-shaped, and that their effigies are represented as in an arch springing from columns which occupy the whole length of the stone; while in each spandrel are quatrefoils or rosettes, and often a small angel with extended wings carrying a censer or a trumpet, the style being altogether simple and elegant. But the only Costume of this epoch which he instances is that of a Sub-deacon in an ample vestment descending to the feet and lifted up over the arms, as the chasuble then was, his hand holding a book against his breast. The inscriptions, of which the lines, as well as the lines of the effigy, are filled up with red or black mastic, are generally on the border of the slab, and merely indicate the deceased's name and title, and the year of his death, concluding with a brief pious invocation or consolatory sentiment. But sometimes Ave also find about the head of the effigy—and when there is no effigy, upon the middle of the slab—a scriptural passage admonishing the reader of his last days: these inscriptions, though sometimes in the vernacular tongue, being usually in Latin, especially when relating to ecclesiastics, who alone, whether priests or not, have the title of "Magister" before their names.
Incised Slabs of the fourteenth differ from those of the preceding century in having the arch, which contains the effigy, more acutely pointed and more adorned, and sometimes in having two persons represented on them. With respect to their ecclesiastical costume, Deacons and Sub- Deacons are in a dalmatic and tunic: the Cantor has a long cope and a short staff or baton; Canons have the amice, (then an essential part of their costume,) and Priests are in a chasuble resembling a cloak closed in front, and lifted up over the arms; while, it is worthy of remark, the stole and maniple were then much narrower than afterwards. The Laity are in long robes covering the whole figure, so that, except the feet, which are in the peaked shoes common to the subsequent century, no part of their underdress is visible.
Inscriptions of the fourteenth century differ from those of the thirteenth, in having, after the name of the deceased, a more detailed enumeration of his offices, and the precise date of his death; but the same kind of preceding honorary title and succeeding invocation are still found. The vulgar tongue is a little more employed; the form of the letters is somewhat different; and an expression of the date, partly with Roman numerals, and partly with words fully written out, as in the following example, is not uncommon:—
And here we may remark that this effigy of a Sub-cantor has the same kind of staff as that borne by the Cantor of the thirteenth century.
Incised slabs of the fifteenth century are more profusely, though less elegantly adorned than those preceding them; and many have other symbolical representations than the small angels before mentioned, while the arch en- closing the effigy partakes of the same change as to form, which real architectural arches had undergone. Their Ecclesiastical Costume is also rich; the tunic having often a border of pearl-like ornaments, and a double band of Greek crosses. In the inscriptions, honorary titles are more numerous both before and after the name; the vernacular tongue is much oftener employed, and the uncial letters, hitherto generally used, give place to those called Gothic.
In the first part of the sixteenth century, that gorgeous style, called cinque-cento, so pervaded every branch of the fine arts, that it even moditied the simplicity of tomb-stones, many having been then charged with small pointed-arched panels, of which some are occupied by figures of angels and weeping men and women, and others with skulls and crossed bones alternating with garlands. At the angles of the slab we now often find the four apocalyptic winged animals, emblems of the Evangelists; while above the effigy are the armorial escutcheons of the deceased arranged often about a death's head, and at the feet is occasionally the representation of a skeleton, accompanied with some scriptural sentences. It may be remarked, that where the countenances of the effigies are in good condition, their expression is very appropriate, magistrates having a noble and severe mien, and their wives generally an amiable and pious look. Towards the latter part of the sixteenth century the embellishments of incised slabs are in the renaissant style, with Italian pilasters and mouldings, but altogether poor and feeble in execution; they were soon discontinued, and except in the bearing of inscriptions, monumental slabs became quite plain. The Costume, however, of the sixteenth century is in general very rich. The chasuble, for instance, is covered with flowers and arabesques, and often has an embroidered cross on its front, (like one in Salisbury Cathedral,) although the author of an ancient work, called "The Book of the Imitation," says that chasubles, with crosses on them, were never used out of Italy. Canons have their heads covered with the aumusse, and are also represented with the insignia of any particular dignities which they may have held. Bailiffs and other officers of the Chapter are clad in habiliments appropriate to their employments, their dress being a cloak descending to the heels, with loose sleeves, or else an open short frock-coat, with narrow sleeves terminating at the wrists, and a small turned-down collar; women have flowing sleeves adorned with fringe, and cords ending in knobs, and a garment like a pelerine having a small collar over it. The inscriptions of the sixteenth century always give the family name of the deceased, and fully set forth his honorary titles; the names of priests being often preceded by the Words venerable and discreet—epithets restricted to them alone—while the laity are designated as honourable, though sometimes wise and good; and women, whether they had been single or married, are termed merely 'damsels.' After the name, moreover, we find all the scientific degrees of the defunct, whether Doctor, Licentiate, or Bachelor, &c.; the secondary inscriptions, before alluded to, as occurring on the middle of the slab, are still short and sentential, like those in our own country churches, viz.:—
"Quisquis ades, qui morte cades, sta, respice, plora;
Sum quod eris, modicum cineris; pro me, precor, ora."
The principal inscriptions are, however, longer than those of former centuries, and generally end with "Orate pro co," or "cujus anima requicscat in pace," and occasionally the emphatically pious ejaculation, "Jhesu, esto mihi Jhesus." The vulgar tongue is almost invariably employed, although Latin was then the language of the schools and scientific bodies.
All funereal monuments of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries are bad imitations of Greek and Italian art, except a few at the beginning of the seventeenth century, on which we still find the ornamentation, the bordering, the panelling, and the effigy, accompanied with its trumpet-bearing angels of preceding times. But soon afterwards effigies on slabs gave place to antique semicircular or flattened arches on pilasters, with capitals, which, though somewhat like Corinthian, have, instead of acanthus leaves, the interlaced pearled bands, &.C., of debased Italian embellishment. Sometimes these pilasters seem merely to support funereal torches, or angels, who, with one leg in the air, sustain large heavy medallions inscribed with affected antitheses and enigmatical anagrams. At other times we find a monstrous figure with outspread wings, like those of a bat, holding a kind of fasces, composed of pick-axes and spades; to which are often added the death's-heads and cross-bones so common in the present day, the whole being generally enclosed in a border of tears and lambent flames mixed up with garlands and flowers.
With a view also of comparing the style of the representations of the crucifixion now often discovered on our church-walls, we give from the same number of the "Bulletin Monumental" the following abstract of "An account of the first representations of the Crucifix and of early Hieratic Paintings," by the Chevalier Joseph Bard, of the Pontifical Academy of Archæology at Rome.
M. Bard states that it was not until after the figure of the Cross had been adopted as an imperial ensign by Constantine that it was regarded as an ecclesiastical symbol, and that in very early times it was merely a cross de- void of any representation on it. He asserts also that no part of the passion of our Saviour was ever depicted or any allusion whatever made to it, on any of the walls of the catacombs at Rome or elsewhere, or on any mosaics, or sculptures, or sacred vessels, except in the character of a good Shepherd. He attributes this non-existence of very early crucifixes, 1st, to the expediency of treating with deference the feelings both of Jews and Gentiles as to the horror with which they regarded a mode of death then inflicted only on the meanest slaves and malefactors. 2ndly, to the piety with which the early Christians, and among them artists themselves, venerated their Incarnate Deity. 3rdly, because their faith did not require any such excitement: and 4thly, because the rulers of the Church would not probably have tolerated any exhibition of the Redeemer's sufferings.
M. Bard proceeds to state that the earliest crucifix he has discovered is a small bronze, once gilt, now in the cabinet of bronzes in the Galleria degli Uffizi at Florence. This crucifix has the head inclined to the right, and is crowned with a kind of mural crown of three battlements. The hair is only indicated by dots, but the upper lip has a decidedly marked mustachio. The chest and legs are naked, the rest of the body being in a tight half tunic, through which the ribs are indicated by engraved lines. The folds of the tunic and of the girdle are respectively represented by a blue and white composition. The face is long, and in conformity with the hieratic type which all Byzantine artists continued to adopt up to the eleventh century. The body is attached by four nails, a practice which is said to have been prevalent during the whole period of Roman-Byzantine art, until the time of Cimabué, who was the first who painted the feet of Christ placed one upon the other and affixed by one nail only.
The legend is in intaglio, and consists of the following words thus arranged:—
J. C. NAZ
ARENVS
REX JVD
EORUM.
It is remarkable that these characters are completely of Roman form, because the back of this crucifix has the date mcccxii, but this M. Bard says is undoubtedly a date denoting the addition to it of a circle enclosing the figure of the Lamb, and four other circles, circumscribing the four evangelistic symbols, like those on the external stone of the prepositorium of the apsis of the ancient church at Serigny in the diocese of Dijon.
This interesting crucifix, which M. Bard assigns to the latter part of the fifth century, is an evidence of the gradual triumph of artistic feeling over popular repugnance, by first half-clothing the figure before venturing to represent it in that naked state to which we have now been so long accustomed. He compares the mosaic crucifix in St. Clement's church at Rome, which has arabesques of a Romano-Byzantine type, with some crucifixes in the South of France of the thirteenth century, with one in St. Martin's church at Lucca, and with the magnificent crucifix in the library at Sienna, which are all of the same date, and all, except about the middle, quite naked.
Alluding to the ancient Hieratic Paintings formerly in the catacombs and crypts, but now mostly removed to the Vatican, M. Bard says that the earliest portraitures of Christ, of the Virgin Mary, and of the Apostles, were brought from the East and adopted without any variation by all artists until the beginning of the eleventh century, when a few ventured to depart from them. He states also that very early paintings were destitute of chiaroscuro or any blending of their tints; and that although in the sixth century, the mechanical process of painting had been greatly modified, artists of every kind continued faithful to this traditional portraiture and hard oriental type until after the tenth century—the third period of Romano-Byzantine art—which it is easy to perceive by carefully comparing the mosaics of various periods contained in the several edifices above mentioned.