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The doors of Santa Sabina.

Doors[edit]

The doors on the exterior of Santa Sabina are made of cypress wood, and are composed in a layout of twenty-eight panels. Out of these panels, ten of the original have been lost, and are left without ornamentation[1].

Each of the original seventeen panels depicts a scene from the Old Testament or the New Testament, leaving one panel that does not directly correlate to a biblical story[1]. This panel, found near the bottom of the door, depicts an homage to a man wearing a chlamys, and is thought to depict a historical event relating to a powerful ruler, though the exact story depicted is unknown [2]. One of the smaller top panels depicts the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and two other figures in front of a building that alludes to the architecture of a Roman mausoleum[3]; this panel is the first known publicly displayed image of the crucifixion of Christ[4]. The panels are carved in two distinct styles, one including more detail and adherence to classical art style, and one adopting a simpler style, indicating that several artists may have worked on the doors. The abstract vegetal designs on the panels' frames are consistent with a Mesopotamian style, suggesting the origin of at least one of the artists was from this region[1].

Due to the abnormally cramped composition of the panels and the thin outer frame, it is likely that the door was originally bigger, then cut down to fit into the frame of Santa Sabina. This makes it unclear as to whether the door was initially intended to be used for this specific structure; it may have been designed for a different Roman building with larger doorway dimensions, but then been transferred to Santa Sabina for unknown reasons. However, the door was most likely constructed near the same time as the erection of Santa Sabina in 432, as the powerful figure in the chlamys scene carving shares stylistic similarities with depictions of Theodosius II, the emperor at the time of the consecration of Santa Sabina[1].

  1. ^ a b c d Delbrueck, Richard (1952). "Notes on the Wooden Doors of Santa Sabina". The Art Bulletin. 34 (2): 139–145. doi:10.2307/3047407.
  2. ^ Kantorowicz, Ernst H. (1944). "The "King's Advent": And The Enigmatic Panels in the Doors of Santa Sabina". The Art Bulletin. 26 (4): 207–231. doi:10.2307/3046963.
  3. ^ Coon, Lynda (2016-03-17). "Gendering Dark Age Jesus". Gender & History. 28 (1): 8–33. doi:10.1111/1468-0424.12175. ISSN 0953-5233.
  4. ^ Sheckler, Allyson Everingham; Leith, Mary Joan Winn (2010/01). "The Crucifixion Conundrum and the Santa Sabina Doors*". Harvard Theological Review. 103 (1): 67–88. doi:10.1017/S0017816009990319. ISSN 1475-4517. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)