Modern Greek Religious Art

[Jona Lendering]

Perhaps someone can help me. Below is a photo of something looking like a tombstone, in the garden of the delightful archaeological museum of Bodrum. But what is it? And how old is it? The saint, of course, is Nicholas of Myra.

Although I have never seen a representation of a saint cut in stone in the Greek world (it's usually icons on wood), and although it looks like a tombstone, I do not think it is a tombstone. The excellent state of preservation and the biedermeier-like flowers to the left and right suggest that it is comparatively young, perhaps nineteenth-century. I would not call it "Byzantine", but what is it? Is there anyone who knows something about the religious and artistic traditions of the Greeks in what is now Turkey?

[Rumo]

I can't help you with Greeks in Turkey, but it's not that uncommon for Christian Orthodox religious art to be carved in stone.

I'm not sure if the practices still exist today, as there's a vast space with a variety of traditions, however in past icons were also carved in materials such as bronze, silver or bone.


One idea, though. It can be from a sort of shrine (the "technical" Romanian term for it is troi??). Here's one example from Thassos:

http://poze.bbsoft.ro/d/1915-4/Troita+-+Thassos.JPG

[hoplite14gr]

In mainland Greece you will military saints carved.
Its an open debate if started with the Romania-Franks and the Byzantines simply inherit them or if
they added them.

Saint Nikolas is a naval saint and the image might be attributed to the "latin crews" of the Late Byzantine Navy if dated from 12th to 14th century.
Kind regards

[Jona Lendering]

the image might be attributed to the "latin crews" of the Late Byzantine Navy if dated from 12th to 14th century.

An interesting idea - I had not thought of that myself.

[hoplite14gr]

I suggest get a dating of this carving first.
Then see what accurate info exist on saint carving in the Balcans and Cyprus and see if it connects.
Kind regards

[Jona Lendering]

I suggest get a dating of this carving first.

That's the big problem: the Bodrum museum has no catalog. I've decided to mail them later - first I want to see the results of this posting, so that I will cause them as little work as possible.

[hoplite14gr]

Yes its a problem here too.
They managed to do something though about the carvings in Peloponnisos in mid 80s.
May I suggest you try the references through your university's library?

Kind regards