Sarcophagus with Flying victories holding a portrait medallion

myminifactory

Human: 21. Divergences in meaning between artistic devices became apparent until Hesyshasm emerged, raising pivotal questions about representation. The Hesyshastic mainstream obscured distinctions between the nimbus as a symbol of holiness and mandorla as a convergence point between material and celestial realms, 22. In late Palaiologan art, the mandorla evolved into a visual representation of uncreated Thaboric light, equivalent in meaning to the halo. Another theory posits that the mandorla originated from depictions of the rising sun or Victory supporting a shield on Roman sarcophagi, popularized in antique art. 24 (Fig. 1) Antecedents can be seen in the multiplication of Victories on the balustrade of the temple of Nike at Athens and in general outlines the transition from "the imago clipeata of a deceased person to the angel... who raises the imago clipeata of a deceased and risen Christ was easy and natural, especially since the type of the angel in Christian art developed out of the pagan Victory appearing first in the fourth century..." 25. This theory can explain some cases where the round mandorla was used in Early Christian art, yet it fails to acknowledge the distinct meanings of the medallion and the mandorla in Christian art. It is undeniable that the prevailing form of the early Christian mandorla is the oval one. Another hypothesis suggests that the mandorla served as a step towards more abstract depictions of God's Dynamics, replacing earlier methods of representation through clouds and God's hand.