Mandaean Symbolic Art
Sandra van Rompaey
- Pages: iv + 358 p.
- Size:216 x 280 mm
- Illustrations:89 b/w, 125 col., 8 tables b/w., 2 maps b/w
- Language(s):English
- Publication Year:2024
- € 175,00 EXCL. VAT RETAIL PRICE
- ISBN: 978-2-503-59365-4
- Hardback
- Available
Dr Sandra van Rompaey is an honorary research associate at La Trobe University. Her research interests focus on the illustrated manuscript art of the Mandaean religion and on the photographic documentation of current Mandaean ritual practices in Sydney, Australia.
Mandaean Symbolic Art examines the structure, function, and symbolic associations of the artwork within the major Mandaean religious scrolls. It acknowledges the artwork itself as a fundamental component of nine scrolls, in some instances occupying over half of the manuscript. Acting in conjunction with the Mandaic text, the illustrations are designed to communicate a complex body of religious knowledge.
The organization of the study is primarily iconographic in that it is structured around an investigation of the three most dominant motifs: the figure, the drabša (or ‘banner’) and representations of plants. This structure allows for the systematic examination of symbolic associations which are crucial to the functioning of the scrolls as an instructional tool for priests. Investigation of the figure is focused predominantly on the major ‘Lightworld’ beings, including representations of Adam and key female identities. The central icon of the Mandaean religion, the drabša, is discussed in terms of its hidden symbolism, and also in relation to its possible development in the Mesopotamian region. As well as the image of the cosmic tree and the date palm, the final section looks at a range of plants whose ritual use is integral to the functioning of the religion.
Analysis of the artwork is informed by a study of both the accompanying text and the wider tradition of Mandaean religious literature. Additionally, documentation of Mandaean ritual practices in present-day Australia, photographed by the author over a ten-year period, has been drawn on extensively to explain aspects of the iconography.
Preface
Introduction
Chapter 1. The Figure as Symbol
Chapter 2. The Two Faces of Adam
Chapter 3. The Drabša of Radiance
Chapter 4. The Drabša and the Vexillum
Chapter 5. The Tree Šatrin
Chapter 6. The Great First Date Palm
Chapter 7. The Sacred Treasure of Celestial Plants
Appendix 1: Tables
Table 1. Illustrated Named Male Lightworld Figures in Mandaean Manuscripts
Table 2. Illustrated Named Female Lightworld Figures in Mandaean Manuscripts
Table 3. Illustrated Named Prominent Female Figures from the Worlds of Light and Darkness in Mandaean Manuscripts
Table 4. Illustrated Drabšia in Mandaean Manuscripts
Table 5. Illustrated Named Drabšia in Mandaean Manuscripts
Table 6. Items Associated with Illustrated Drabšia in Mandaean Manuscripts
Table 7. Illustrated Plants in Mandaean Manuscripts
Table 8. Illustrated Personified Trees in Mandaean Manuscripts
Appendix 2: Glossary
Appendix 3: Compendium of Lightworld and Darkworld Beings
Bibliography
Index