medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Dear George and Colleagues,
Late medieval Italian art is replete with examples of saints flying,
hovering in the air and performing other similar supernatural feats. The
following are a few examples:
Sassetta: "Bl. Raniero frees poor men from prison in Florence", 1437-44,
Louvre; "Bl. Raniero appearing to a cardinal," c. 1437-144, Berlin.
(Predella panels from the dismembered Sansepolcro Altarpiece.
Simone Martini, "Bl. Agostino Novello Altarpiece," 1324, Pinacoteca Siena.
Giovanni di Paolo, "St Clare rescuing the Shipwrecked," 1455-60, Berlin
-------------------------, "A Miracle of St Nicholas of Tolentino," 1456,
Vienna, Akademie.
The most spectacular example I can think of from the early modern period is
Tintoretto's canvas "St Mark rescuing a Saracen from a shipwreck." 1548.
Accademia, Venice.
I'm not aware of any studies on the iconography of "flying saints.' You
might try the recent publication on Sassetta's Borgo Sansepolcro altarpiece,
edited by Machtelt Israels; the entry on the Bl Ranieri panels might have
some leads on the iconography of the "flying saint."
Cheers,
Claire
-----Original Message-----
From: George FERZOCO
Sent: Thursday, December 29, 2011 10:02 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [M-R] 'flying' saints
medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Dear medieval-religion colleagues,
The image Gordon sent to the list, of a vengeful Thomas Becket hovering in
the air, reminds me to ask the list's members about the post-mortem
representation of saints in the visual arts. Was it common for them to be
portrayed as flying or hovering in the air, horizontally or swooping
downward? Or perhaps in an upright position, but suspended above the earthly
actors?
On a closely related issue, are any of you aware of scholarship related to
pre-early-modern 'flying saints', whether in art or in textual form?
Many thanks for your considerations. Best wishes, George
--
George FERZOCO
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