Gestures and their functions in the late medieval images of the Passion: from narration to meditation

Abstract

The article analyses peculiarities and functions of blasphemous gestures in the late medieval images of the Passion of Christ. The scope of these gestures, compared with gestures mentioned in the Gospels, was significantly expanded. Blasphemous gestures were depicted not only in narrative but also in meditative images (primarily in the iconographic type “Arma Christi”). The idea to use the history of the Passion in meditative images could be borrowed from the “Mirror of Human Salvation”, theological work very popular in the late Middle Ages. This work served not only as a source for late medieval iconography, but also as a guide to understanding visual images, in particular blasphemous gestures depicted in the scenes from the Passion. In the “Mirror...” blasphemous gestures, together with other acts of mockery, are mentioned in the retelling the Gospel narrative as well as in meditative parts, where they have several functions, being weapons (“arma”) of sinners who cause the ongoing sufferings of Christ; weapons of Christ himself, who conquered the devil by suffering; weapons with which the Mother of God armed herself in order to defeat the devil with compassion.Blasphemous gestures in visual meditative images remind every sinner (including the viewer of the image) of his participation in the Passion of Christ,which, according to the “Mirror of Human Salvation”, has not ended, but will continue until the complete disappearance of sin.