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The thesis examines c. 280 forms and motifs derived from a reconstruction of 93 gold stater types struck within 7 geographical regions across southeastern England, c. 80 BC - AD 45. The thesis highlights the emerging presence of an iconographic repertoire across southern Britain during the late pre-Roman Iron Age. Gold staters remain an important aspect of this phenomenon which is demonstrated to have manifested itself in other media, particularly metalwork. That this new art form supplemented, but did not supplant, existing types of non-representational La Tene style art is suggested by the presence of other types of object that continue to be decorated in this fashion throughout the first century AD. In the absence of any other type of established or coherent methodology Erwin Panofsky's (1993, 1972) method of iconographic analysis is adopted in order to provide a framework for the analysis. Whilst retention of Panofsky's three 'Acts of Interpretation' can be justified, a post-structuralist critique of Panofsky's method exposes fundamental theoretical shortcomings with regards the interpretation of meaning. In contrast to preceding interpretations of iconographical data, inferences are made upon the basis of lan Hodder's (1995, 1986) 'context of use' of other types of comparable forms and motifs within the archaeological record. The iconological content of staters is interpreted in terms of a transition, c. 20 BC - AD 10, from the expression of corporate or public ideals in a 'tribal periphery' to the manifestation of personal or private concerns in the southeastern 'core'. This divergence coincides with the emphasis placed upon the relative 'monetary' or 'political' roles performed by coinage within these regions. From the context of the forms or motifs illustrated on staters it is concluded that such images were appropriated by members of a minority social elite to legitimise and maintain their position at the apex of a social hierarchy.

This study investigates the symbolic role of the domestic dog in Iron Age and Roman Britain through contextual analysis of their faunal remains and interpretation of their representations in iconography. Previous studies have highlighted linkages between the species and ideas about death, healing and regeneration (Jenkins 1957, Ross 1967, Toynbee 1973, Henig 1984, Green 1992). Although these connections clearly did exist in the cosmologies of Britain and the Western provinces of Rome, this detailed examination of the evidence seeks to identify reasons why this might have been so. The enquiry was also designed to highlight any previously unnoticed patterns in the dataset that might add a further dimension to our understanding of how the domestic dog was perceived at a symbolic level. It has been established for some time that dogs appear in statistically significant numbers, compared to other species, in the special animal deposits that are a feature of certain Iron Age pits (Grant 1984, Wait 1985, Hill 1995). Dramatic evidence for ritual practice involving animals found at a Romano-British temple complex in Springhead, Kent, and comparable finds from both sacred and secular sites, suggest that domestic dogs were also a favoured sacrifice during this period. As well as analysing such archaeological evidence, this study draws on anthropological, psychological and historical writings about human relationships with the domestic dog in an attempt to forward our understanding of religious expression during antiquity.

L’objet de notre recherche touche à la période la plus intéressante de toute l'histoire de l'art arménien, une période où le royaume arménien, créé à la fin du XIIe siècle, était au carrefour de très importants empires. La prospérité politique s’est alors accompagnée d’une prospérité économique, fondée sur l'abondance des ressources naturelles, et par un niveau élevé pour ce qui concerne l'artisanat pour lequel les Arméniens ont toujours été réputés. Ce fut un âge de renouveau complet de l'art du livre sur le plan de la qualité. La peinture, les miniatures sont devenues un symbole indissociable du royaume arménien de Cilicie.La situation géopolitique du royaume arménien de Cilicie nous permet de mettre en évidence les différentes influences artistiques que les miniatures ont reçues. C’est pour cette raison-là qu’elles doivent être discutées d’une manière complexe, comprenant des analyses théologiques historiques et artistiques.Dans mon travail j’ai étudié la majorité des manuscrits ciliciens du XIIIe siècle. J’ai décidé d’établir un corpus de manuscrits en les regroupant sous les noms de leurs commanditaires. Mon étude a commencé par les manuscrits peints par T‘oros Ṙoslin- le plus éminent des enlumineurs arméniens du Moyen Âge classique qui travaillait au scriptorium de Hṙomkla, principalement au service du Catholicos Constantin Ier et du roi Hét‘um Ier.Les manuscrits créés dans la seconde moitié du XIIIe siècle se singularisent par leur style, avec une dramatisation des expressions, l’allongement des corps, les compositions un peu surchargées. Tout cela s’oppose à l’art tout en retenue de Ṙoslin. Les noms des peintres de ces manuscrits sont inconnus, mais nous sommes sûrs qu'il y avait au moins 4 artistes principaux par lesquels ces œuvres ont été créées. / He subject of my PHD is “The iconographic, historic andtheological analysis of the royal manuscripts of the first three kings of theHetoumid dynasty of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia” (13th century). I can saywith confidence that it’s the most interesting period in the whole Armenian arthistory, a period when Armenian Kingdom was on the crossroads of hugeempires. Political prosperity was accompanied by economic flourishing, based onthe abundance of natural resources, by high standards in handicrafts for whichthe Armenians have always been famous. This was an age of completely newquality in the book art. The miniature painting became inseparable symbol of theArmenian Kingdom of Cilicia. In flourishing of Cilician painting an important rolewas played by the commissioners, as it was usual for Middle Ages: kings andprinces, among which the most educated were especially distinguished HetumianPrinces who have commissioned the most magnificent Armenian manuscripts.King Levon II and his elder son Hetoum II were probably most educated Ciliciankings and delicate connoisseurs of art. They possessed a rich library where acollection of manuscripts, decorated with miniature paintings, existed. Three ofthem of high artistic quality now are in Mahstots Matenadaran: the MalatiaGospel of 1268, copied and adorned by Toros Roslin by the order of Kostandin I,who intended the manuscript as a gift for, at that time, four-year-old Hetoum II,the Lectionary of 1286 commissioned by future king Hetoum II, and the Bibleordered already by the king Hetoum II in 1295.One of the most elegant and dramatic illuminated manuscripts of that period isthe Gospel of Queen Keran; it was commissioned by the Queen at Sis, Cilicia, in1272 after the ascension of her husband, Levon II to the throne. The Queen isrepresented in one of the last leaves, together with her husband, King Levon IIand their three children - kneeling piously in front of a "Deisis".Cilicia had been on the crossroads of the merchant routes between the East andthe West and the artists who had worked on these manuscripts had travelledmuch and had seen the works of the Italian, Greek and even Persian artists andminiaturists. Perhaps this is the explaination of the stylistic diversity that we findin these manuscripts. We know that Hetoum II made his sister Rita marry theByzantine Emperor Michael Paleolog and may suppose that byzantinemanuscripts had been given as wedding gifts and so became known in the ciliciancourt.Being strongly influenced by Byzantine art and iconography and taking intoconsideration the style of representation of the features of the faces of characterswe may call the style of the manuscripts of this group Italo-Byzantine. AnyhowArmenian manuscripts of this period have always attracted scholars and arthistorians all over the world and the style in which these miniature paintings arerepresented has been called Armeno-Byzantine.The profound research on this subject reveals the most mysterious parts aboutthese manuscripts: I am speaking about the most unbelievable details that onecan find in their decorations. The majority of the elements integrated in thedecorations of the title pages are adopted from Romanesque, Italian, Mongol andeven Chinese art. We can see here three-headed creatures, human-headedplants, Chinese lions and dragons, phoenixes and many more fantastic elements.These manuscripts fascinate with their texts written in fine 'Bolorgir' script inblack ink with colored capitals and much more fascinating content which has asignificant meaning connected with the decorations of the pages on which theyare written. To understand the meaning of these texts we need to consult thewritings of medieval theologians, to understand the period the people creating itlived in and the believes they had.

Cette thèse de doctorat a pour objectif de préciser les espèces qui appartiennent au bestiaire domestique de la région ensevelie par l’éruption du Vésuve en l’an 79 de notre ère et d’analyser les relations qui se nouent entre ces animaux et leshommes aux époques hellénistique et romaine. Cette étude se place au croisement de plusieurs disciplines, telles l’histoire, l’archéologie, l’ethnologie et l’anthropologie et une pluralité de sources est envisagée (archéozoologie, épigraphie, iconographie, littérature) afin de cerner la place de l’animal domestique dans la société. Ce travail s’intéresse à la manière dont l’homme établit la cohabitation avec la faune (qui n’est pas sans occasionner de contraintes) et aux stratégies mises en place pour assurer la domestication des animaux, notamment à travers l’examen des structures d’élevage et la répartition des animaux dans les espaces anthropisés (la domus ou la ville par exemple). Les comportements adoptés face à l’animal varient en fonction des publics concernés et des espaces dans lesquels ils s’inscrivent. L’animal est un acteur de la vie économique en tant que fournisseur de matières premières et auxiliairedans les activités artisanales mais il est aussi un compagnon et un facteur de distinction sociale pour certains publics. Les modalités selon lesquelles les animaux sont représentés, perçus et intégrés dans les sphères privées et publiques sont envisagées. Les animaux domestiques et leurs relations avec les hommes sont une clé de lecture pour appréhenderles mentalités et les valeurs des Romains et contribuer à écrire une page de l’histoire culturelle de la région de Pompéi / This thesis identifies the species belonging to the family of domestic animals in the area buried by the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 A. D. and investigates their relationships with humans in the Hellenistic and Roman periods. It lies at the crossroads of several disciplines, including history, archaeology, ethnology and anthropology, and draws on varied sources (archeozoology, epigraphy, iconography, literature) so as to assess the roles of domestic animals in society.This work explores the ways in which humans handle cohabitation with animals (which may be sources of nuisance) and the strategies they use to ensure their domestication, by examining breeding structures and considering the distribution ofanimals in anthropized areas (in the domus or in cities, for example). The approaches to animals vary according to the areas and the subjects involved. Besides playing a major role in the economy thanks to the raw materials they supplyand acting as auxiliaries in artisanal activities, animals may serve as companions, or as symbols of social prestige. The ways in which animals are represented, perceived and integrated into both public and private spheres are put under scrutiny.Domestic animals and their relationships with the population are a key to understanding Roman attitudes and values and to documenting a part of the cultural history of the Pompeii area

Aux époques ptolémaïque et impériale, les représentations de cavaliers se multiplient et de nouveaux motifs apparaissent en Égypte. Des divinités du panthéonpharaonique peuvent être dotées d’un cheval et d’attributs militaires. Des dieux étrangers font leur apparition ainsi que des personnages cuirassés et armés dont lanature divine n’est pas avérée. Le présent travail constitue une première monographie sur l’ensemble de ces représentations. Le catalogue comporte cent quarante‐huit objets et présente une hétérogénéité importante, tant du point de vue des supports que des sites d’où proviennent les sources. Axée sur l’interdisciplinarité, la thèse repose sur deux approches, technique et iconographique. L’étude du mode de fabrication des figurines en terre cuite et les réflexions sur la question de la mise en série des objets constituent le premier champ de recherches. L’axe iconographique repose sur la comparaison systématique des motifs iconographiques avec les emblèmes visibles dans le reste du pourtour du bassin méditerranéen et traite de la signification des représentations. La confrontation des données a permis d’établir des hypothèses sur l’origine et la fonction des terres cuites et sur les raisons qui ont mené à la production des objets du corpus.Des critères de datation nouveaux ont été définis pour tenter de pallier les lacunes dues à l’absence de contexte de la majorité des sources du catalogue. Les travaux effectués dans les musées ont permis de publier des reproductions de qualité pour des objets qui pour certains n’avaient plus été observés depuis 1915. Ils ont également donné lieu à la découverte d’inédits. / During the Ptolemaic and Imperial times in Egypt we find increasing representations of horsemen, and new emblems start to appear. Divinities of the Pharaonic pantheon are sometimes endowed with a horse and military attributes. Foreign gods also begin to appear, as do cuirassed and armed characters, whose divinity is unproven. This study is a first attempt to produce a monograph encompassing all of these representations. The catalogue contains 148 objects and has a significant degree of heterogeneity, both with regard to the items themselves and to the sites from which they come from. With a strongly interdisciplinary approach, the thesis is based on two methods of investigation: the technical and the iconographic. The first area of researches comprises an examination of the method of manufacture of the terracotta figurines and some thoughts regarding the series production of the objects. The iconographic approach is based on a systematic comparison of the iconographic attributes with the emblems that can be seen around the rest of the Mediterranean, and considers the significance of these representations. By comparing data, it has been possible to make assumptions regarding the origin and purpose of the terracotta figurines, and the reasons which led to the production of the objects comprising the study. New dating criteria have been defined in an effort to bridge the gaps caused by the lack of context for the majority of sources listed in the catalogue. Work done in the museums has allowed the creation of high‐quality reproductions of the objects, some of which were last examined in 1915; it has also resulted in the discovery of previously unpublished material.

The primary aim of this dissertation is the mapping of Jewish figural iconography in the Czech lands, primarily of the Post-Emancipation - end of 18th to 20th century - period. The research focuses mainly on the protrayal of contemporary Jewish figures found in Czech visual culture, following religious as well as gradually secularized Jews through iconopgraphic themes. In dealing with the less observant or even wholly secularized Jewish figures, the aim is to show the iconographic elements by which these differ from the majority of society. In the first part the most important aspects of the evolution of Jewish iconography are analyzed. Among these the most important ones are a liberal interpretation of the Old Testament prohibition of figural representation, Jewish emancipation involving gradual assimilation as well as the Jewish yearning for an authentic visual representation, which most likely was the main factor behind the evolution of Jewish iconography. In addition to medieval and modern Jewish figural representations special attention is given to portrayal of Prague Jews and themes found in Hebrew manuscripts as well as printed materials, where surprisingly enough a much lower number of demeaning signs are found. Furthermore a gallery of portraits showing Czech Jews is shown, including...

Many portraits of Rudolf II were painted and created during his lifetime, forming a significant component of Rudolfine art, however, they have not received a sufficient art historical attention. They document, at times at stylyzed manner, the transformation of Rudolf's appearance. However, their most important task was to demonstrate and make tangeable Rudolf's authentic appearance to the world and to celebrate his magnanimity and personality. Thus, there are many portraits that represent Rudolf as a good emperor or a brilliant commander, although, as we know, they did not correspond to reality. A special chapter of the portrait iconography also create complicated allegories about Rudolf's reign relying on representations of personifications, mythological and animal symbols using Rudolf's personal impresa. Most of the portraits follow former portrait types typical for the 16th century, as bust, standing figure or equestrian monument. However, the peculiarity for Rudolfine portraiture is the allegorical portrait Rudolf as Vertumnus painted by Giuseppe Arcimboldo that combines classical portrait with allegory.

The aim of this study is to offer a description and evaluation of the ceremonial carriages collections preserved in museums across Bohemia and Moravia, and to put them in the context of European artistic and artisan production in the 16th - 18th century. The study provides an overall account of the development of carriage from technical, as well as art history angle, together with the necessary overview of the issues of courtly hierarchies, ceremonials and visual demonstrations of the modern aristocracy, leading ultimately to the transformation of a simple personal mode of transport into a pompous work of art. Many important Baroque artists took part in carriage construction and decoration, and this study attempts to ascertain the extent of their contribution in this area. By presenting a descriptive summary of the history of the ceremonial carriages found in the collections in Bohemia and Moravia, and providing a comparison study with such carriages from other European countries, we can assert their position within the context of Europe-wide museum collections, as well as provide the opportunity for foreign scholars to take the Czech collections into account in their research.

Cases of Italian embedded self-portraiture appear in the sacred art of some of the most renowned artists of the Cinquecento and early Seicento, artists such as Bronzino, Michelangelo, Titian, Tintoretto, and Caravaggio. This thesis first examines the history of the practice from its origins in Quattrocento Florence and Venice then argues that an important development in the function and presentation of embedded self-portraits can be observed as Cinquecento artists experienced broad shifts in religious and cultural life as a result of the Reformation and Counter-Reformation. It also assesses three works by Caravaggio to suggest that embedding self-portraits in religious art was a variable and meaningful convention that allowed artists to inject both their personal and public emotions. This thesis argues that in the Cinquecento and early Seicento, the very gesture of embedding a self-portrait in sacred artworks provided a window into an artist's individuality, personality, and piety.