medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
i have spent some happy hours massaging the scans of the Nazareth St. Peter
taken from Bagatti's book, with damned little to show for it.
the original scan of the whole torso (which expands to larger than the IE
window) :
http://www.christophersbookroom.com/cc/nazareth/bagatti/colfigs/bagatti-pl42.jpg
the detail of the Dingus we were working on yesterday :
http://www.christophersbookroom.com/cc/nazareth/bagatti/colfigs/bagatti-pl43-4.jpg
a bit larger detail of that :
http://www.christophersbookroom.com/cc/nazareth/bagatti/colfigs/bagatti-pl43-4-d.jpg
sometimes looking at things upside down helps, so here it is upside down:
http://www.christophersbookroom.com/cc/nazareth/bagatti/colfigs/bagatti-pl43-4-d-r.jpg
here, the thing really does resemble one of those liturgical fans, as Chris
suggested yesterday.
and as a negative image :
http://www.christophersbookroom.com/cc/nazareth/bagatti/colfigs/bagatti-pl43-4-d-neg.jpg
and as a negative image, upside down :
http://www.christophersbookroom.com/cc/nazareth/bagatti/colfigs/bagatti-pl43-4-d-neg-r.jpg
the upside down view
http://www.christophersbookroom.com/cc/nazareth/bagatti/colfigs/bagatti-pl43-4-d-r.jpg
makes it clear that the thin, punched strap (on the left here) inexplicably
terminates/covers about 1/8 of the larger object, suggesting that there is
something solid which extends below the little "lipstick" [hey, that's what it
looks like] thingie to the side of the strap.
and, in this view, the elements which make up the larger object can be seen a
bit clearer --the cord by which it hangs extends down directly into an inner
heart-shaped something-or-other, beyond which is a beaded border, beyond which
is the outer border, which seems to have also been articulated in some
fashion.
i'm still stumped.
or, stuck on the possibilities that :
--it's a pocket watch, on a really, really cheap chain;
--it's a heart-shaped locket, within which is a portrait of Mrs. Peter;
--it's a fancy snuff box.
i hereby withdraw the suggestion that the object next to the punched strap is
a little knife in a sheath --it's just too small.
i also note what appears to be a "mistake" in the depiction of that strap:
it is clearly tied to the cord belt by a "half hitch" or "ring hitch" knot
http://www.tribbler.com/tatman/ring-hitch.html
but, as the above makes clear, that type of knot requires that there be *two*
straps, and the sculptor has only given us one.
what the significance of this "mistake" might be, i cannot say.
perhaps it's some sort of theological statement about Duality of the Trinity
or something.
whatever the Dingus and its Mate are, to their intended audience they would
have been, as Groucho used to say "a common object, something you see every
day".
c
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