Haloes : art questions

[Theodosius the Great]

Avete,

When I look at imperial art from about the 4th C. AD onward, I notice the appearance of haloes behind the heads of the Emperors and gods.

These of course began as pagan symbols and were eventually adopted exclusively by Christians. However, even after this happened, for many centuries haloes were still employed in secular art (e.g. the mosaic of Justinian at Ravenna)

I have two questions :

1.) When do haloes first appear in Roman art ?

2.)When do they stop being used in art with purely secular subjects ?

[Carlton Bach]

1.) When do haloes first appear in Roman art ?

According to my Kleiner Pauly, they already appear in Greek art, though the familiar form belongs to Hellenistic rather than Classical times. I haven't found the image right now, but there is reference to a halo shown on a painting from Pompeii, so definitely first century AD.

2.)When do they stop being used in art with purely secular subjects ?

I guess you could argue that depicting emperors in a ceremonial context ius never a 'secular' subject by Roman lights, but the tradition of showing a reigning emperior with a nimbus continuzes in Byzantine and Byzantine-influenced art into the 14th century (and quite possibly later - this is just the latest example I could find). There is a stemma of the Nemanjid dynasty from Serbia that shows all members with halos, despite none of them having been Roman emperors, simply to make clear their exalted status (this may also be a reference to the dead ones being in heaven, but since certainty of grace is a grave sin I would assume rather it's appropriation of symbols of power).

[Theodosius the Great]

According to my Kleiner Pauly, they already appear in Greek art, though the familiar form belongs to Hellenistic rather than Classical times

Oh wow, so it's Greek. The Romans never come up with anything :lol: (just kidding) :wink:

I guess you could argue that depicting emperors in a ceremonial context ius never a 'secular' subject by Roman lights, but the tradition of showing a reigning emperior with a nimbus continuzes in Byzantine and Byzantine-influenced art into the 14th century

Yeah, I didn't think the Byzantines ever gave it up. My guess is they justified its use for Emperors since they were God's "vice regent" on earth. But in the West I think it ceased being used for secular figures. Not even Popes are seen with them (unless they were subsequently Sainted). Maybe I'm wrong though...?

[Carlton Bach]

Yeah, I didn't think the Byzantines ever gave it up. My guess is they justified its use for Emperors since they were God's "vice regent" on earth. But in the West I think it ceased being used for secular figures. Not even Popes are seen with them (unless they were subsequently Sainted). Maybe I'm wrong though...?

I don't think we have terribly much up until the 9th century, and in Carolingian art, halos are not shown on kings or emperors, only on Jesus, the angels and the saints.

[Robert Vermaat]

I understood that the halo as a religious thingy belonged to helios. Christ seems to have 'inherited' it from that god, or so the theory goes.

[Theodosius the Great]

I understood that the halo as a religious thingy belonged to helios. Christ seems to have 'inherited' it from that god, or so the theory goes.

That mosaic of Neptune I have posted would seem to undermine that theory.

Maybe there are two different things we are confusing. The spiked corona (worn by some Emperors) representing the sun's rays and the halo with the simple ring representing divine aura (or "grace" for the Christians later).

[Susanne]

My understanding was that the haloes began to appear in Roman art as the Empire was being christianized, around 4th century AD.

[tlclark]

Nimbi is the technical turn in art history.

The heliate spiked corona, and foliate corona are separate phenomenon.

Early examples are known, but they are nearly always isolates.

The halo is most likely a representation of the solar disk and appears in Ghandaran, Christian/Late Roman and Persian art at nearly the same time. 3rd-4th C.

It looks like they are persian in origin, but it's debated.

The nimbus comes in several forms. Circular ones are reserved for dieties and square ones seem to indicate contemporary living figures.

The mosaics at S. Maria Maggiore have nimbi on all royal figures including Herod, which is odd to see.

Square nimbi are seen on the abbess of the Chapel of San Zeno in Rome and also on the local official in the mosaics of St. Demetrios in Thessaloniki.

By the 7th C. the round nimbus becomes reserved almost exclusively for saints, the Virgin and Christ.

Thomas Mathews, Jas Elsner and Lawrence Nees are probalby the best references on this.

Let me look up what's available on this and forward it on.

Travis

[tlclark]

Here's the earliest review from Burlington Magazine 1907.

The Nimbus in Eastern Art-I
J. Tavenor-Perry
The Burlington Magazine for Connoisseurs, Vol. 12, No. 55. (Oct., 1907), pp. 20-23.

and

The Nimbus in Eastern Art-II
J. Tavenor-Perry
The Burlington Magazine for Connoisseurs, Vol. 12, No. 56. (Nov., 1907), pp. 95-96

This is really a nice crossover article as it traces it's origin through to the Eastern tradition in Buddhist Art. I have the pdf if anyone is interested.

Also:

The Halo: A Further Enquiry into Its Origin
E. H. Ramsden
The Burlington Magazine for Connoisseurs, Vol. 78, No. 457. (Apr., 1941), pp. 123-127+131.

Also the persian contribution...

A Sassanian Silver Phalera at Dumbarton Oaks
Andrew Alföldi; Erica Cruikshank
Dumbarton Oaks Papers, Vol. 11. (1957), pp. 237-245.

More coming...

[Theodosius the Great]

Hi Travis,

Our very own art historian comes to clear up any confusion :wink:

Nimbi is the technical turn in art history.

Ahh...never heard of the term before. Let's see now....."Nimbi", it appears to come from the Latin meaning "clouds".

The heliate spiked corona, and foliate corona are separate phenomenon

Hmm...just as I suspected. This is what Vortigern (and Carlton ?) was thinking of.

The halo is most likely a representation of the solar disk and appears in Ghandaran, Christian/Late Roman and Persian art at nearly the same time. 3rd-4th C.

Wow, that late, huh ? So, even though it's pagan in origin it comes during Paganism's twilight withinin the Empire.

The nimbus comes in several forms. Circular ones are reserved for dieties and square ones seem to indicate contemporary living figures.

I'm totally unfamiliar with the square version :? Very interesting...I'll look for them.

By the 7th C. the round nimbus becomes reserved almost exclusively for saints, the Virgin and Christ.

Only for Western Christendom, right ? The Byzantines (i.e. the Emperors) held on to it till their last, at least that was my understanding.

[Theodosius the Great]

Here's one of the mosaics you cited, Travis. The extreme left figure...CLICK HERE

Like I said, I've never seen this before hock:

[tlclark]

Some newer sources...

Bruun, Patrick.
Una permanenza del "Sol invictus" di Costantino nell'arte cristiana.
22 ill., plans.
Costantino il grande dall'antichità all'umanesimo : colloquio sul Cristianesimo nel mondo antico, t. I. -- Macerata, Università degli studi di Macerata, 1992, p. 219-230.

Here's the abstract:

Summary: Argues that the prototype for the representations of Christ and saints with haloes (from the 4th c. onwards) was the haloed image of Constantine on gold coins minted after 312, and that Constantine adopted the halo from his protector divinity, Sol invictus.

So maybe the current thinking is that they ARE related to the heliate/radiate corona! Hmmm.

Well, that's art history for you. Yesterday's crank is today's authority and tomorrow's has-been.

[tlclark]

One more:

The Halo: A Further Enquiry into Its Origin
E. H. Ramsden
The Burlington Magazine for Connoisseurs, Vol. 78, No. 457. (Apr., 1941), pp. 123-127+131.

This one I've read.

It argues that the appearance of the nimbus in both eastern and western contexts in the 3rd-4th C. indicates that the source is some-where between the two, and finds a source, the Hvareno, or solar disk used to distinguish the kaushan kings of Persia.

Incidentally, most of the Indian scholars agree it's origin is Western! The number of Western scholars acknowledging an eastern (perhaps even Buddhist) origin for the nimbus is far rarer.

But I have to point out that it is not impossible. A yakshi was indeed found in Pompeii and the extensive trade routes between the Red Sea and India are extensively documented.

Hope this helps.

Travis

[tlclark]

By the 7th C. the round nimbus becomes reserved almost exclusively for saints, the Virgin and Christ.

Only for Western Christendom, right ? The Byzantines (i.e. the Emperors) held on to it till their last, at least that was my understanding.

[/quote]

Well not really. It is only seen on emperors and then not terribly often, and then only in religious contexts.

[Theodosius the Great]

So maybe the current thinking is that they ARE related to the heliate/radiate corona! Hmmm.Well, that's art history for you.

This happens in other fields. *cough*.. [size=75:3uwl7kl5]archeology[/size]. Art history may have a better track record. :wink:

Incidentally, most of the Indian scholars agree it's origin is Western! The number of Western scholars acknowledging an eastern (perhaps even Buddhist) origin for the nimbus is far rarer.

No one wants to claim it - they treat it like a swastika. Just kidding :lol: (btw, the Romans used that symbol too)

Only for Western Christendom, right ? The Byzantines (i.e. the Emperors) held on to it till their last, at least that was my understanding.

Well not really. It is only seen on emperors and then not terribly often, and then only in religious contexts.

Right, the ones that show Christ crowning the Emperor and Empress. Here's a military context dating to the 9th century- manuscript art so I don't know if this counts as Imperial art. Emperor Michael Rhangabe (r. 811-13) crowning his son Theophylact junior emperor on Christmas Day 811.


Great book by Threadgold, too. I own it.