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8
TheImageandtheFigure
Anobjectliketheshroudisespeciallyimportanttobelieversbecausethecontact
withtheholypersonhasleftavisualrepresentation.
Thestoriesofacheiropoieticimages,veraiconsandmiraculoussudariums
arepartofafundamentalmechanismdeterminingtherelationshipbetweenthe
faithfulandholyimages.InareligiousreceptionofChristianimages,theborder
betweentherepresentation(painting,portrayal)andthegure(theholyfigure
e.g.Christ,Mary)isveryoftenobliteratedbythefaithful.Thestoryoforigin
describesthemomentoftheimage’screationanddefinesthemiraculousstatusof
theobject.Therefore,inlegendarynarrations,specialemphasisisplacedonthe
directcontactoftheholygurewithhis(orher)portrait.Forareligiousrecipi-
entofthestory,theholinessoftheimageisbasednotonlyuponaresemblance
betweenimageandgurebutalsouponontologicalparticipationofthefigurein
theimage.Thankstosuchanunderstanding,theimagegainsanimportanceclose
tothestatusofrelic.11
Significantly,atalmostthesametimethatacheiropoieticimagesandvera
iconsbegantoappearinChristianculture,anothergroupofpicturesemerged.
ThesepictureswereattributedtoSaintLuke.Amongthisgroupwereimagesof
bothChrist,aswellasoftheVirginMarywithChild.12Similartotheicons"not
madebyhumanhand,”theseimagesweresurroundedbyaparticulardevotion.
LegendsaboutSaintLukestructurallyresembledthestoriesaboutacheiropoietos.
Andso,forexample,inmanylegendstherewasathemeoftheEvangelistfall-
ingasleeporleavinghisworkunattendedduringtheprocessofpainting.Itwas
duringthesetimesthattheholyimagewassaidtohavebeencompletedthanksto
miraculousdivineintervention.13
Boththeimages"notmadebyhumanhand”andthoseascribedtoSaintLuke,
constitutedanswerstodesiresandquestionsthattroubledtheChristianreligion
atatimewhenitwasgrowingandspreadingtomoreandmoreplaces.Thefor-
mationofdogmafounditsreflection,confirmationandsupplementationinthe
11
Someresearchersemphasizethatthecultofimages"notmadebyhumanhand”within
theOrthodoxChristiantradition,expressesthehighrankingoficonsequaltothatofrelicsin
theWest.SeeA.Różycka-BryzekandJ.Gadomski,‘ObrazMatkiBoskiejCzęstochowskiej
wświetlebadańhistoriisztuki’,StudiaClaromontana5(1984),p.44,footnote48.According
toBarbaraDąb-Kalinowska,holyimages(inOrthodoxtradition)wererankedevenhigherthan
relics.See.B.Dąb-Kalinowska,Ikonyiobrazy(Warszawa,2000),p.14.Onthecultofrelicsin
thehistoryofChristianityseeJ.Kracik,Relikwie(Kraków,2002).
12
AccordingtotheOrthodoxChristiantradition,SaintLukepaintedportraitsofMary
afterthedescentoftheHolySpirit.Thereare21icons,renownedinOrthodoxtradition,thatare
saidtobepaintedbySaintLuke.SeeG.Kobrzeniecka-Sikorska,Ikona,kult,polityka.Rosyj-
skieikonymaryjneoddrugiejpołowyXVIIwieku(Olsztyn,2000),p.6.MieczysławSkrudlik
claimsthattherstreferencetoSaintLukeasthepainteroftheimageoftheVirginMarycanbe
foundinsixth-centurysources:inthelettersofTheodoretheLector.SeeM.Skrudlik,Królowa
KoronyPolskiej.SzkicezhistoriimalarstwaikultuBogarodzicywPolsce(Lwów,1930),p.57.
13
OneofthemedievallegendsconnectedwiththeimageofChrist(keptintheLateran
papalcomplex)statesthatSaintLukehadstartedthisimage,however,itwascompleted"by
Godthroughthehandofanangel.”SeeCormack,PaintingtheSoul,p.99.