Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg

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Diptych with Lamb and Cross

Wing of Diptych with Lamb

Wing of Diptych with Lamb

Wing of Diptych with Cross

Wing of Diptych with Cross

 Undoubtedly one of the best-known ivories in early Christian art is one depicting the wings of a diptych from the end of 5th or rather the beginning of the 6th century preserved in the cathedral treasure in Milan. These wings follow the traditional scheme consisting of five parts. Their outer vertical parts and the two horizontal parts are subdivided so that we find a total of 26 spaces filled with pictures. Scenes from the life of Jesus Christ are arranged between the spaces at the edges that show medallions of evangelists and their symbols. The scenes depict Christ’s life from the Annunciation to the Last Supper, but they are organised neither chronologically nor thematically. The centre of each wing shows only a symbolic representation. One one wing a lamb is shown in a seasonal ring of flowers (spring), ears (summer), grapes (fall) and olives (winter), and on the other a cross formed from precious stones on Paradise mountain, with the four rivers whose source is located there. Both representations refer to Christ as the one who has transcended Time. The circle of seasons has a „pivot“, and the place of death becomes a place of Paradise.

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