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Saturday, February 22, 2025 |
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Image of a Christ without a beard, short hair and wearing a toga unearthed in Spain |
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Light shines through a glass dish, bearing the engraved image of a Christ without a beard, short hair and wearing a toga, exposed in the Museum of Archaeology of Linares near Jaen on October 7, 2014. Dating from the 4th century AD this unusual picture, one of the oldest of Christianity, was discovered in Spain and took three years for archaeologists who regualrly discovered fragments in the ruins of a building for religious worship in Castulo to piece together almost all of the 22 centimeter diameter plate. (Blue colour from LED lighting) AFP PHOTO/ JORGE GUERRERO.
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LINARES (AFP).- Archaeologists say they have found one of the earliest pictures ever of Jesus Christ, sporting an unusual clean-shaven, short-haired look, on an old glass plate unearthed in southern Spain.
The team found numerous fragments of glass during a three-year dig in the ruined ancient city of Castulo and in July dug up some bigger bits with designs that caught their eye.
When pieced together, the shards formed a plate dating to the fourth century AD, with an engraving of Christ in a Roman-style toga, neatly groomed.
The researchers identified it as a paten, a plate for holding the bread for communion.
They pieced together more than 80 percent of the plate, which measured 22 centimetres (about eight and a half inches) in diameter.
It went on display this month in a museum in the southeastern Spanish town of Linares.
The leader of the dig, Marcelo Castro, hailed the finding as "an exceptional archaeological document".
Three haloed figures are engraved on it, with Christ himself in the middle, holding a cross and a Bible, flanked by two men thought to be the apostles Peter and Paul.
Experts say Christ's lack of beard and short curly hair in the engraving are very rare traits in historic depictions of him.
Castro said it was a relic of a key early period in church history, just after the Roman Emperor Constantine embraced Christianity.
Previously Christians had worshipped in secret and produced few sacred images for fear of persecution under the Romans.
The Roman style of the paten was "present in the first moments" of Christianity post-Constantine but was "discarded later on in favour of other ways of depicting Christ", Castro told AFP.
The team of archaeologists believe the plate was made in the Ostia glasswork district of ancient Rome.
Other rare examples of similar early Christian art are held in Paris's Louvre Museum and the Toledo Museum of Art in Ohio, he said.
© 1994-2014 Agence France-Presse
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Today's News
October 8, 2014
Image of a Christ without a beard, short hair and wearing a toga unearthed in Spain
After success of inaugural sale in December 2013, Christie's commits to annual sale in Mumbai
Frank Gehry's first major retrospective in Europe opens at the Centre Pompidou
Early work from height of Robert Ryman's most sought-after period to be offered at Sotheby's
VITRARIA Glass +A Museum: A new Palazzo for Contemporary Art in Venice opens its doors
An ancient ritual bath and graffiti left by Australian soldiers during the WWII were exposed at Ha-Ela Junction
Christie's New York announces highlights from its Prints & Multiples Sale
On the 5th anniversary of the death of Craigie Aitchison, Lund Humphries publishes comprehensive survey
With 200,000 visitors a year, Belgium comic museum marks 25 years of high art
ContiniArtUK announces that celebrated master sculptor Igor Mitoraj dies at age 70
Exhibition comprised of two pivotal works by Dan Flavin and Alex Israel opens at Nahmad Contemporary
The Mart in Rovereto tackles the hardest, most afflicted and thorny of issues: War
The Huntington enriches British paintings collection with 'The Three Witches' by Fuseli
ROSPHOTO: State Museum and Exhibition Centre for Photography opens Martin Parr's 'Life's a Beach'
On point: The 4th Annual Arts of the Samurai Auction set to engulf Bonhams New York
Russians praise 'Herculean' Putin on birthday
University of Richmond Museums opens 'Minna Citron: The Uncharted Course From Realism to Abstraction'
Waterhouse & Dodd announces a retrospective exhibition of work by Maurice Cockrill
'Another Life, Another World - Paul Nash: Watercolours, 1910-1946' opens at Piano Nobile
FotoFocus launches the FotoFocus Biennial 2014: Photography in Dialogue
Turps Art School finds new premises; Keith Coventry donates painting
Sotheby's Hong Kong Fine Chinese Paintings Autumn Sale 2014 achieves US$60 Million
Kinetica Art Fair to be held 16th-19th October at The Old Truman Brewery, London
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