Spatial Icons: The Communion of the Apostles in Medieval Art and Ritual

with Dr. Alice Sullivan, Assistant Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of the History of Art and Architecture at Tufts University. The Communion of the Apostles, a theme common to Byzantine and Slavic icons, manuscript decorations, textiles, liturgical objects, and mural cycles, presents a liturgical interpretation of the Last Supper. This image type displays symmetrical compositions that center on a single or double-figure of Christ at an altar, officiating the Eucharistic bread and wine to the twelve apostles before him, arranged in various configurations. These images thus show two diachronic events, either chronologically or out of sequence but meant to be understood as unfolding in a temporal continuum. In examining the iconographic developments of The Communion of the Apostles theme in various media in the Byzantine and Slavic cultural spheres, this lecture considers the temporal and mimetic effects, as well as the functional fluidity of this image type in medieval art and ritual. Your support makes everything we do possible. 🙏 Because of you, our Museum's friends and supporters, we’re able to preserve and share the sacred stories behind our treasured icons, bringing them to life in our galleries for people of all ages and backgrounds. 💗 DONATE: https://bit.ly/43Jv0eW ✉️ Join our email list: https://bit.ly/43ZS1cq 📅 Plan your next visit: https://bit.ly/3FWI8nE