medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
> Greetings all. I have a quick iconographic question. In several
Medieval
> illuminations which I have been looking at, I have noticed that
monks,
> saints, and depictions of Christ have their right hands in a certain
> position. The thumb and first two fingers are extended, and the other
two
> fingers are curled underneath. I have not yet run across any mention
of the
> meaning or significance of this, and I am not sure where to look.
> Does anyone know the significance of this hand position?
> Much appreciated.
> cheers
> Amy
This image may be what you want (from the Orthodox Page website):
http://www.ocf.org/OrthodoxPage/icons/clip/hand.gif
The .gif explains the position of the fingers as denoting the IC XC,
familiar as a nomen sacrum from manuscripts.
Best wishes,
MW
Mark F. Williams
Dept. of Classics
Calvin College
Grand Rapids, MI
USA 49546
"Keep your stick on the ice."
-Red Green
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