Text in Czech and English.
The ivory Diptych of Five Parts, deposited in the cathedral treasury in Milan today, remains its exceptional place in the context of Early Christian art for several reasons. Primarily, it is the earliest completely preserved example of the five-part format (i.e. that each of the two panels is made of five separately carved panels). It is also one of the earliest ivory diptychs of explicitly Christian function. What makes the monument unique and utterly luxurious is the technique of 'cloisonné', with which its central panels are executed. It is the only known connection of ivory with the technique in Early Christian art. It is mainly for these reasons that the Milan Diptych has been repeatedly reproduced and cited by a substantial part of the studies dealing with Early Christian monuments. The numerous mentions of it, however, with a few exceptions,2 limit themselves to the question of its dating and provenience, or the reading of the narrative scenes.
The work presented does not set its aim only to subject the proposed hypotheses to critical thought, weigh the places pronounced doubts and more precisely date the Diptych and determine the likely place of its creation. It is primarily an attempt to answer other questions which arise when looking at the high-quality and without a doubt also exceptionally thoughtout art work. These questions include predominantly the clarification of the artistic models, determining the possible commissioner of the work, the reason for its creation and determining its art historical and cultural historical significance.
Author(s): Zuzana Frantová
Series: Opera Universitatis Masarykianae Brunensis. Facultas Philosophica, 423
Publisher: Masaryk University
Year: 2014
Language: Czech, English
Pages: 254
City: Brno
Předmluva (Ivan Foletti) 9
I. Úvod 11
II. Hledání místa objektu v dějinách umění 13
Diptych z pěti částí v milánském dómském pokladu 13
Přehled dosavadního bádání 13
III. Doba, místo a styl 21
Volbachovo výchozí stanovisko 21
Místo: Ravenna? 24
Doba: technika a styl 28
Místo: císařský dvůr a císař Majorian 35
IV. Od hledání funkce ke stanovení umělecké úlohy 38
Počátky používání slonovinových diptychů a diptychy konzulární 39
Znovupoužití konzulárních diptychů 42
Křesťanské diptychy 44
Evangeliáře 47
Diptych z pěti částí 48
Umělecká úloha: nositel teologického poselství 49
V. Diptych z pěti částí jako manifest ortodoxie 52
Atmosféra teologických sporů o dvojí podstatu Krista 53
Tomus ad Flavianum a chalcedonské vyznání víry 55
Lvova Ideologie křesťanské jednoty a primát římský 57
Kánon 28 58
Ravenna a římský primát 59
Biskup Neon 60
Interpretace ikonografie milánského Diptychu 63
Milánský Diptych a Řím 66
VI. Závěr 70
Doslov (Herbert L. Kessler) 72
Katalog narativních scén 74
1. Narození/Adorace zvířat 74
2. Vraždění neviňátek 75
3. Adorace mágů 77
4. Proměnění vody ve víno 79
5. Zvěstování u pramene 80
6. Tři mágové spatřili hvězdu 81
7. Křest Krista 82
8. Vjezd Krista do Jeruzaléma 84
9. Dvanáctiletý Kristus v chrámu (?) 85
10. Zkouška hořkou vodou (?) 86
11., 12. Uzdravení 87
13. Vzkříšení Lazara 88
14. Dar vdovy 89
15. Poslední večeře 90
16. Kristus předává (?) koruny mučedníkům 92
Preface (Ivan Foletti) 95
I. Introduction 97
II. Seeking the place of the object in art history 100
Diptych of Five Parts in the Treasury of the Cathedral of Milan 100
Overview of the research up to now 101
III. Time, place and style 108
Volbach’s starting position 108
Place: Ravenna? 111
Period: technique and style 115
Place: imperial court and Emperor Majorian 122
IV. From seeking a function to setting artistic role 125
The beginnings of the use of ivory diptychs and consular diptychs 126
The reuse of consular diptychs 130
Christian diptychs 132
Evangeliaries 134
The Five-Part Diptych 136
Artistic role: bearer of a theological message 137
V. The Five-Part Diptych as a manifestation of orthodoxy 140
Atmosphere of the theological dispute on the dual nature of Christ 141
Tomus ad Flavianum and the Chalcedonian Confession of Faith 143
Leo’s Ideology of Christian Unity and the Primacy of Rome 145
Canon 28 146
Ravenna and Roman Primacy 147
Bishop Neon 149
Interpretation of the iconography of the Milan Diptych 152
The Milan Diptych and Rome 155
VI. Conclusion 159
Afterword (Herbert L. Kessler) 161
Catalogue of the narrative scenes 163
1. The Nativity/The Adoration of the Animals 163
2. The Massacre of the Innocents 164
3. The Adoration of the Magi 166
4. The Changing of Water into Wine 168
5. The Annunciation at the Well 169
6. The Three Magi See the Star 171
7. The Baptism of Christ 172
8. The Entry of Christ into Jerusalem 174
9. Twelve-Year-Old Christ in the Temple (?) 175
10. The Ordeal of the Bitter Water (?) 176
11., 12. Healing 177
13. The Resurrection of Lazarus 179
14. The Gift of the Widow 179
15. The Last Supper 180
16. Christ giving (?) crowns to martyrs 182
Bibliografie / Bibliography 184
Seznam ilustrací 202
List of illustrations 207
Obrazová příloha / Illustrations 213
