The Iconography of the Sarcophagus of Junius Bassus (review)

The subject of this handsomely produced monograph is what is probably the single most famous piece of early Christian relief sculpture. It is an iconographically complex and stylistically exquisite sarcophagus, carved to receive the body of Junius Bassus, a vir clarissimus who—as we learn from one of the two inscriptions that was incised on the front of this marble container—had occupied the honoured position of praefectus praetorio. He had been baptized shortly before he passed away on the 25th of August 359 C.E. (neofitus). Because this sarcophagus has been known since 1597, it is not surprising that it has been the focus of scholarly interest for several centuries. Not only the older monographs by A. de Waal (1900) and Fr. Gerke (1936), but also the more recent discussions by N. Himmelmann (1973) and G. Daltrop (1978/80) testify to the continued interest in the rather complicated iconographic program that decorates the front and sidepanels as well as the recently rediscovered lid of this extraordinary piece.

The purpose of Malbon's book is not merely to critically review previous scholarship on the subject (ch. 2), but rather to come to a well-balanced or, as the author (p. 38) calls it, "holistic" interpretation of all the scenes represented on the different parts of the sarcophagus. Such a project is no easy task. Whereas Roman art had only known representations of an allegorical or symbolic nature, in early Christian art a new type of figural composition was created, known as typological. In it stories from the Old Testament (typoi) were selected because they were believed to be allusions to events in the New Testament (antitypoi). Thus, for example, the sacrifice of Isaac could easily be seen as prefiguration of the crucifixion of Jesus, while later events in Church history were in turn regarded as postfigurations of Jesus's life and sufferings. Since this process of arriving at a concordia veteris et novi testamenti is often associative and not bound by strict exegetical rules, present-day conclusions as to exactly what connections between various representations may once have existed in the eyes of Late Antique patrons must remain open-ended. It is to Malbon's credit that she remains sensitive to this important issue throughout her book (e.g., pp. 21, 136).

Unlike some of the previous scholarship on the sarcophagus of Junius Bassus, Malbon pays great attention to all the elements of its decoration, including the intercolumnations (ch. 3), the spandrels (ch. 4), the ends (ch. 5) and lid (ch. 6) and finally the still remaining compositional and ornamental elements (ch. 7). In a last chapter (8) the broader question of how the sarcophagus "illuminates" other fourth-century art is addressed. Three diagrams as well as 45 black and white pictures at the end of the book are very useful in helping the reader follow the arguments and interpretations put forward.

Although it is impossible in this short review to address all the issues raised by Malbon, several brief observations must nevertheless be made. Those who have long been familiar with the problems surrounding the iconography of the sarcophagus of Junius Bassus, may argue that much of the ideas formulated here could have been condensed into an article rather than presented in the form of a lengthy book. For the specialist, chapters 1 and 2 would seem superfluous, while ch. 8 stands out for its lack in referring to German scholarship in the field (such as T. Klauser's articles in JbAC 1950-1967, several articles by J. Engemann, not to mention H. Brandenburg's remarks on the Junius Bassus sarcophagus in RM 86 (1979) and JbAC 24 (1981); for a short discussion of the use of the problematic word "putto," see J. G. Deckers in id. et al., Die Katakombe Santi Marcellino e Pietro. Repertorium der Malereien [Città del Vaticano-Münster 1987] 29). Furthermore, there is also a certain redundancy to the many literal citations of...