An illuminating look at the iconography of the early church and its important place in the history of Christian art
Christian Iconography examines how the earliest Christian images were created and sheds light on the role they played alongside other forms of Christian piety in their day. André Grabar looks at the most characteristic examples of paleo-Christian iconography, dwelling on their nature, form, and content. He explores the limits of originality in such art, its debt to figurative art, and the cultural climate in the Roman Empire more broadly, drawing a distinction between expressive images—that is, genuine works of art—and informative ones. Enriching our understanding of early Christian art, this classic book shows how early Christian iconography assimilated contemporary imagery. It establishes the importance of imperial iconography in the development of Christian portraits and discusses dogmas expressed in single and juxtaposed images.
- ISBN10 0691018308
- ISBN13 9780691018300
- Publish Date 21 April 1981 (first published 21 January 1969)
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 11 June 1998
- Publish Country US
- Imprint Princeton University Press
- Format Paperback (US Trade)
- Pages 422
- Language English
- URL https://press.princeton.edu/titles/1056.html