The Iconoclastic Controversy occurred in two waves (from 730 to 787 and 814 to 842 A.D.). Resolved by the Ecumenical Council of 843, at its heart was the excessive veneration of icons (holy images) that permeated the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire. This was in direct opposition to the Old Testament's Second Commandment that forbids idolatry. Byzantine Emperor Leo III (r. 717-741) issued an edict ordering the removal of public religious images, a decree met by popular rebellion. Theodosia (d. 729), a nun from Constantinople, and her female allies opposed the destruction of a mosaic image of Christ on the palace's Chalke Gate in 726. In 729, she was martyred for her beliefs by having a ram's horn violently thrust into her throat. Saint Theodosia, a posthumous portrait, is one of some 43 rare Byzantine icons and six manuscripts lent by the Holy Monastery of Saint Catherine, Sinai, Egypt exclusively to The J. Paul Getty Museum for Holy Image, Hallowed Ground: Icons from Sinai.
"Holy Image, Hallowed Ground: Icons from Sinai" is on view from November 14, 2006 to March 4, 2007 at the Getty Center. The museum is located at 1200 Getty Center Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90049-1681 (Telephone: 310-440-7300; Website). It's open Tuesday through Thursday and Sunday from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM and Friday and Saturday from 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM. Admission to the museum is free. Paid parking is based on availability and costs $7.00 per car, cash only.
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From your Guide: Stan Parchin, Senior Correspondent for Museums and Special Exhibitions, is a specialist in ancient, late-medieval and Renaissance art and history, and a regular contributor to About Art History. You may read all of his Special Exhibition and Catalogue Reviews here.
"Holy Image, Hallowed Ground: Icons from Sinai" is on view from November 14, 2006 to March 4, 2007 at the Getty Center. The museum is located at 1200 Getty Center Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90049-1681 (Telephone: 310-440-7300; Website). It's open Tuesday through Thursday and Sunday from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM and Friday and Saturday from 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM. Admission to the museum is free. Paid parking is based on availability and costs $7.00 per car, cash only.
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From your Guide: Stan Parchin, Senior Correspondent for Museums and Special Exhibitions, is a specialist in ancient, late-medieval and Renaissance art and history, and a regular contributor to About Art History. You may read all of his Special Exhibition and Catalogue Reviews here.