Gravestone, coptic, limestone, dove, foliage, carved

Upper portion of a gravestone made of limestone, in the form of a niche, carved with a dove and scallop shell-like flutes and a border design of foliage.

The gravestones of Coptic Egypt have their roots in the 'stele' of the pagan Greco-Roman pagan world; many of these stele were produced and are still to be seen in Egypt, since Egyptian culture was especially concerned with the rituals of birth, death and rememberance. The basic shape and appearance of the stele did not change dramatically with the advent of Christianity, but new symbols and iconography found its way into their decoration. This upper portion of a gravestone features a dove as its point of focus. The dove is the Christian symbol of the Holy Spirit, one third of the Blessed Trinity, from the words of St John the Baptist, 'I saw the sprit coming down from heaven like a dove and resting upon him' (John 1:32). In this funeral context, a dove is suggestive of the deceased's journey up to heaven, and of the deceased being now in the care of the Holy Spirit.

The shell-like background against which the dove is depicted is interesting, and seems to be signifcant. Could it be more than merely 'a fluted fan-shaped back' as an early label puts it, and be instead the scallop shell, the attribute of St James? The Copts are a Jacobite sect of Monophysites, and so the inclusion of a scallop shell would be a clear reference to James. And yet, James's attribute of a scallop is due to the popularity of the pilgrimage to Compostela, where the shells can be found in abundance on the beach. The association of James with a scallop is associated, thus, with pilgrimage, and only appears, as a piece of iconography in about the early 12th century. But the scallop-shell is also the symbol of all pilgrims to the Holy Land, since it abounds on the shores of Palestine - nonetheless, if it is a significant motif and not simply an attractive shape, this does beg the question: is this gravestone really late antique?

After the Arab conquest of Egypt, Coptic art adopted aspects of Islamic art, while its own Christian imagery became more repetitive - Christian Coptic art is still produced today and is remarkably unchanged from a thousand years ago. The dating of this object to 7th or 8th century, as given on the most recent (1973) label therefore is puzzling, since this overlaps with the time of the conquest. But a later date than previously suggested is also possible - perhaps ca. 800-900 would be a better date to propose.

The Copts are the native Christian population of Egypt. The heyday of Coptic art, was from the period when the first Coptic Christian images appear in the 2nd century AD until the Arab conquest of Egypt in 640-42. Darawing on a rich mix of Egyptian, Hellenic and Christian imagery, Coptic art developed into a style characterised by stylised depictions of Biblical scenes and also secular themes, with a keen interest in abtract styles. People and animals, such as the dove here, are flattened into geometrical shapes, in a manner similar to that seen in Byzantine art.

Significantly, this period was a time when Alexandria was the most important market for African ivory during the late Roman and pre-Arab conquest era, and the Coptic world was a confluence for an exchange of trade materials and ideas from Africa, Asia Minor, Europe, the Middle East and Byzantium. Consequently, Coptic artists excelled in all manner of fine and decorative arts, turning out very fine wall paintings, painted icons, manuscripts, textiles, woodwork, ceramics, pottery, ivory and bone carvings, mosaics, metalwork in gold, silver, copper, bronze and iron, stone sculpture and blown glass.

This object forme the upper portion of a gravestone. It is carved from limestone, in the form of a niche, and has a dove and scallop shell-like flutes and a border design of foliage.

442-1898