Yet another proto-comic: The hagiographical Christian icon with “scenes of the life”

Abstract

When discussing the history and form of comics, many theorists contextualize modern comics by discussing various proto-comics and historical precedents that share structural and formal features with what we now call comics or sequential art. In Understanding Comics, Scott McCloud discusses such examples as the Bayeux Tapestry, the pre-Columbian Codex Zouch-Nuttall, and William Hogarth’s “A Harlot’s Progress.” This presentation will explore another type of proto-comic, a specific genre of Eastern Christian icons. Religious icons depicting Christ, the Virgin Mary, angels, and saints have been an essential part of Eastern Christianity since its early centuries. These murals, mosaics, or, most commonly, paintings on wood typically represent a single figure or scene. However, some icons include a central figure surrounded by smaller images depicting pivotal scenes from the life of the icon’s subject. For instance, a 16th-century “Icon Praising the Mother of God” consists of a large central image of Mary surrounded by smaller panels depicting scenes from her life, including the annunciation, the nativity, the flight into Egypt, and Christ’s crucifixion. I will analyze this genre of Christian icon, several specific examples, and how the general type and the particular examples conform to standard definitions of comics and sequential art.