Pagan Pinakes and Christian Icons. Continuity or Parallelism?

Abstract

This is an answer to the article by T.F. Mathews, “The Emperor and the Icon”, published in ActaAArtHist (N.S. 1) 15 (2001), 163-177. Mathews presents a number of pinakes painted on wood, with pagan motifs, which he defines as forerunners of the Christian icons. There are undoubtedly many points of resemblance between the two categories with regard to technique and style. The pagan “icons” were used in religious contexts, being especially well documented as votive gifts. Despite the resemblances, this article points out a fundamental difference between the pagan and Christian images. The Christian icon is always supposed to have a flesh and blood prototype, which is present in the picture, while the pagan gods were spiritual beings inaccessible to mankind. The shapes in which they are shown, are purely illusory. Therefore the pagan gods can be depicted in various media, from cult statues which were the object of worship, to mosaics which people could walk on. The Christian icon, on the other hand, is always an object of the same reverence which is due to the prototype. It is basically a portrait, while the pagan “icons” are the last offshoots of the traditional depictions of divinities.