• Sign up or login, and you'll have full access to opportunities of forum.

Art reviews by Zephyros

Go to CruxDreams.com

Zephyros

Magistrate
In this thread some more female (crucified) Christian Martyrs are presented ... there are only a few accounts concerning their lives and martyrdom, though they are venerated in tradition …

Martha & Maria of Egypt

The Holy Virgin Martyrs Martha and Mary were sisters who lived in Asia Minor, and fervently desired to suffer for the Lord Jesus Christ. Once, a pagan military commander marched past their house. The sisters went out to him and loudly declared that they were Christians. At first the commander paid no attention to them, but they persistently shouted after him, repeating their confession.
They were arrested together with their brother, Lykarion. All three were crucified
The circumstances of Martha's and Maria's martyrdom are not clear; neither the year nor the location is certain. Some sources claim that it happened in Egypt. Martha and Maria suffered together with a young man whose name is given as Lycarion or Bycarion, and who is in some sources called “a boy”, in others their younger brother or a novice monk.
But all sources, agree that, during one of the Roman persecutions, the two Christian virgins Martha and Maria gave themselves up to the Roman authorities. The governor had them crucified. They did not die quickly. In the end, the guards dispatched them with their swords, either out of mercy or impatience.
The sisters' memorial day is February 8th.

Martha and Maria of Egypt.jpg

Hieronymus Wierix, c. 1570 - 1609

Febronia of Nisibis

It must be frankly admitted that the virgin martyr St. Febronia is in all probability a purely fictious personage, but she is venerated by all the churches of the East, including that of Ethiopia, and in the West by such towns as Trani in Apulia and Patti in Sicily. She is supposed to have suffered at Nisibis in Mesopotamia, somewhere about the year 304, in the persecution under Diocletian. No genuine records of her life and passion are available but the legend attributed to her survives in the form of an attractive romance purporting to have been written by Thomais, a nun of her convent who is said to have witnessed the events she describes.
Febronia was a nun of exceptional beauty living in Nisibis, a town in Mesopotamia.

Febronia also known as Febronia of Sebapte, was a nun at Nisibis, Mesopotamia. She suffered persecution under Diocletian, who offered her freedom if she renounced her faith and married his nephew, Lysimachus, who had been leaning towards conversion to Christianity. Febronia refused and was tortured, suffered mutilation and death. Lysimachus, witnessing her suffering, converted.
Febronia is one of the 140 Colonnade saints which adorn St. Peter's Square. She is known as a Holy Virgin Martyr.

Febronia - Wierix.jpg Febronia - N. N. 1607–08 (icon).jpg Febronia - fresco.jpg Febronia - Collaert.jpg Febronia - Chiesa S. Marco, Novara, Italy.jpg Febronia - A. BaunBraun.jpg

Hieronymus Wierix, c. 1570 - 1609

Augustinus Braun, c. 1600–40: Febronia after breast amputation, pressing a cloth against her wounds; a soldier preparing to kill her with his sword
(Wallraf-Richartz-Museum, Cologne, Germany)

Adrian Collaert, 1608 (from P. Bartoloméo Ricci SJ, “Triumphus Jesu Christi Crucifixi”; also Pedro de Bivero, “Sacrum sanctuarium crucis et patientiae crucifixorum et cruciferorum”, 1634): foreground: Febronia suspended over a fire, belly down, and roasted; background: nailed almost naked to a cross and tortured with the “cat's paw”
(Kirishitan Bunko, Sophia University, Tokyo, Japan)

N. N., 1607–08 (icon): (left side:) Febronia before the judge, hanging at a pillar and treated with torches, losing her tongue, having her hands amputated, (right side:) lying belly-down in a fire and beaten on the back, streched over a wheel, having her breasts cut, and finally beheaded
(Monastry of Gračanica, Serbia)

N. N. (fresco): Febronia tortured with candles

N. N., 17–18th Century
(Chiesa S. Marco, Novara, Italy)

and other ...

Febronia - ancient church fresco.jpg 220px-BGattiParma.jpg Martirio-di-s.-Agata-Prata-da-Caravaggio-Brescia.jpg
N. N., 20th Century (ancient church fresco recently partially restored): an executioner opening Febronia's breasts with a knife
The assignment is not certain; some sources assume that the saint is Agatha.
(Eremo di Santa Febronia, Palagonia/Sicily, Italy)
 
Last edited:
Firmina of Amelia

Firmina lived towards the end of the 3rd Century in Amelia, a town in Umbria (today: Italy). Firmina was born in Rome in the 272 AD, daughter of Calpurnio Pisone, prefect of the Eternal City. Converted to Christianity in her early age, at 15 years old she had to flee to escape the persecution of Christians by the Emperors Diocletianus and Massimianus.
When the persecution of Emperor Diocletianus began, she could have stayed in her rather remote home town and led an untroubled life. Instead, she chose to go to Rome and to support the Christian community there. Firmina was especially well remembered by those who had been sentenced to forced labour in the Roman quarries.
Then, however, Firmina was arrested as a Christian herself. As the Christians refused to make sacrifices to the god-emperor, they were thought to be illoyal subjects or even traitors. However, the judge presiding over Firmina's trial was a just man and allowed the young woman to defend herself. She did this so well that the judge acquitted her; later he became a Christian himself.
But the persecution was still going on. In 303 Firmina was arrested again. This time her judge was a cruel and arrogant man who let her be tortured in order to make her renounce her faith. But she remained steadfast, and in the end the judge gave up and had her martyred.
Firmina's memorial day is November 24th.

Firmina - Wierix.jpg Firmina - N. N., 17th Century - Rome.jpg Firmina - Pagani.jpg Firmina - Tempesta1.jpg Firmina - Tempesta2.jpg

Hieronymus Wierix, c. 1570 - 1609

Luca Pagani, 1999 (after the lost painting of Lavinia Fontana: Firmina tied naked to a pillar, torturers singeing her body with torches; one torturer even lifting her loincloth, presumably in order to slip his torch under it
(Civitavecchia, Italy)

Antonio Tempesta, 1605 (illustration for Antonius Gallonius, “Historia delle sante vergini Romane”): Firmina suspended naked, the torturers holding torches under her breasts and between her legs
(Pitts Theology Library, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA)

Antonio Tempesta: Firmina suspended from a beam, two men playing torches over her body
(Istituto Nazionale per la Grafica, Rome, Italy; British Library, London, United Kingdom)Firmina suspended from a beam, two men playing torches over her body
(Istituto Nazionale per la Grafica, Rome, Italy; British Library, London, United Kingdom)

N. N., 17th Century (from Rome): the torturers stripping Firmina

Tarbula

Tarbula, the sister of bishop St. Simeon, lived in Persia under the rule of King Sapor (Shapur) II. At that time, the early IVth Century, more and more people became Christians, which dismayed the pagan priests and magicians, who were afraid of losing their followers. When the queen fell seriously ill, the court magicians gave her the idea that her suffering was caused by witchcraft — practised by the Christians. She persuaded her husband to suppress the Christian faith, and this led to a bloody persecution. The leaders of the Christian community, among them Tarbula, were arrested and executed.
Accused of practicing witchcraft and of causing sickness to befall the wife of the ardently anti-Christian Persian king Shapur, she was condemned, strapped naked to a bench and sawn in two.
Tarbula is also known as Tarba, Tarbo, or Pherebutha. Her memorial day is May 5th.

Tarbula - Wierix.jpg tarbula - Hogg.jpg Tarbula - Foxe - 1830.jpg Tarbula - Collaert.jpg

Hieronymus Wierix, c. 1570 - 1609

Adriaen Collaert, 1608 (illustration for P. Bartoloméo Ricci SJ, “Triumphus Jesu Christi Crucifixi”; also Pedro de Bivero, "Sacrum sanctuarium crucis et patientiae crucifixorum et cruciferorum”, 1634): Tarbula and another nude Christian woman sawn in two
(Kirishitan Bunko, Sophia University, Tokyo, Japan)

Alexander Hogg, c. 1780 (illustration of an edition of Foxe's Book of Martyrs): Tarbula and one of her sisters undergoing the ordeal of the saw
(Wellcome Library, London, United Kingdom)

N. N., 1830 (illustration for an edition of Foxe's Book of Martyrs): Tarbula tied naked to a table or box and sawn in two
While the saw is rather impressive, sawing through the back will quickly paralyze and then kill the victim. Better craftsmenship can be found in the illustration of Adriaen Collaert.

[eod]
 
Firmina of Amelia

Firmina lived towards the end of the 3rd Century in Amelia, a town in Umbria (today: Italy). Firmina was born in Rome in the 272 AD, daughter of Calpurnio Pisone, prefect of the Eternal City. Converted to Christianity in her early age, at 15 years old she had to flee to escape the persecution of Christians by the Emperors Diocletianus and Massimianus.
When the persecution of Emperor Diocletianus began, she could have stayed in her rather remote home town and led an untroubled life. Instead, she chose to go to Rome and to support the Christian community there. Firmina was especially well remembered by those who had been sentenced to forced labour in the Roman quarries.
Then, however, Firmina was arrested as a Christian herself. As the Christians refused to make sacrifices to the god-emperor, they were thought to be illoyal subjects or even traitors. However, the judge presiding over Firmina's trial was a just man and allowed the young woman to defend herself. She did this so well that the judge acquitted her; later he became a Christian himself.
But the persecution was still going on. In 303 Firmina was arrested again. This time her judge was a cruel and arrogant man who let her be tortured in order to make her renounce her faith. But she remained steadfast, and in the end the judge gave up and had her martyred.
Firmina's memorial day is November 24th.

View attachment 282071 View attachment 282067 View attachment 282068 View attachment 282069 View attachment 282070

Hieronymus Wierix, c. 1570 - 1609

Luca Pagani, 1999 (after the lost painting of Lavinia Fontana: Firmina tied naked to a pillar, torturers singeing her body with torches; one torturer even lifting her loincloth, presumably in order to slip his torch under it
(Civitavecchia, Italy)

Antonio Tempesta, 1605 (illustration for Antonius Gallonius, “Historia delle sante vergini Romane”): Firmina suspended naked, the torturers holding torches under her breasts and between her legs
(Pitts Theology Library, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA)

Antonio Tempesta: Firmina suspended from a beam, two men playing torches over her body
(Istituto Nazionale per la Grafica, Rome, Italy; British Library, London, United Kingdom)Firmina suspended from a beam, two men playing torches over her body
(Istituto Nazionale per la Grafica, Rome, Italy; British Library, London, United Kingdom)

N. N., 17th Century (from Rome): the torturers stripping Firmina

Tarbula

Tarbula, the sister of bishop St. Simeon, lived in Persia under the rule of King Sapor (Shapur) II. At that time, the early IVth Century, more and more people became Christians, which dismayed the pagan priests and magicians, who were afraid of losing their followers. When the queen fell seriously ill, the court magicians gave her the idea that her suffering was caused by witchcraft — practised by the Christians. She persuaded her husband to suppress the Christian faith, and this led to a bloody persecution. The leaders of the Christian community, among them Tarbula, were arrested and executed.
Accused of practicing witchcraft and of causing sickness to befall the wife of the ardently anti-Christian Persian king Shapur, she was condemned, strapped naked to a bench and sawn in two.
Tarbula is also known as Tarba, Tarbo, or Pherebutha. Her memorial day is May 5th.

View attachment 282076 View attachment 282074 View attachment 282073 View attachment 282072

Hieronymus Wierix, c. 1570 - 1609

Adriaen Collaert, 1608 (illustration for P. Bartoloméo Ricci SJ, “Triumphus Jesu Christi Crucifixi”; also Pedro de Bivero, "Sacrum sanctuarium crucis et patientiae crucifixorum et cruciferorum”, 1634): Tarbula and another nude Christian woman sawn in two
(Kirishitan Bunko, Sophia University, Tokyo, Japan)

Alexander Hogg, c. 1780 (illustration of an edition of Foxe's Book of Martyrs): Tarbula and one of her sisters undergoing the ordeal of the saw
(Wellcome Library, London, United Kingdom)

N. N., 1830 (illustration for an edition of Foxe's Book of Martyrs): Tarbula tied naked to a table or box and sawn in two
While the saw is rather impressive, sawing through the back will quickly paralyze and then kill the victim. Better craftsmenship can be found in the illustration of Adriaen Collaert.

[eod]
Another great day in Professor Zephyros's crux history class.
 
Martha & Maria of Egypt...Once, a pagan military commander marched past their house. The sisters went out to him and loudly declared that they were Christians. At first the commander paid no attention to them, but they persistently shouted after him, repeating their confession.
They were arrested together with their brother, Lykarion. All three were crucified.
These historical accounts are always fascinating and provide a lot of fodder for story ideas.

There must be some more backstory on Martha and Maria. I mean, why did they feel compelled to confess? This account makes them out to be a bit crazed, even going so far as to say that the commander tried to ignore them, much as one might try to ignore a street preacher. When he doesn't "take the bait", they shout after him until he can't ignore them. They sound extremely annoying. If I was the commander, I'd probably have had them crucified as well. :devil:

On the other hand, maybe there isn't any back story and their "confession" is simply to be seen as what a righteous Christian maid would have done, taunting the heathen, in which case, my crucifixion of them would be seen as proof of my apostasy. I think I can live with that because, damn, they really sound irritating. :p
 
This account makes them out to be a bit crazed

To be honest, many of the stories about the martyrs are inconsistent and the kind of torture seems to be overdrawn.

The stories about «why-they-got-suffering« and the descriptions of »how-to-be-killed« demonstrate simply the faith of people in the starting centuries of Christianity - this was a kind of proclamation of the new Christian religion.

Further more, »violence« is virtually synonymous in the popular imagination with the period of the Later Roman Empire-a time when waves of barbarian invaders combined with urban mobs and religious zealots to bring an end to centuries of peace and serenity. All of these images come together in the Visigothic sack of the city of Rome in A.D. 410, a date commonly used for the fall of the entire empire.

Many stories are based on the »martyrologium romanum«. The martyrology, or ferial, of the Roman Church in the middle of the fourth century still exists. It comprises two distinct lists, the Depositio martyrum and the Depositio episcoporum, lists most frequently found united.
The most influential of the local martyrologies is the martyrology commonly called Hieronymian, because it is (pseudepigraphically) attributed to St. Jerome. It was presumably drawn up in Italy in the second half of the fifth century, and underwent recension in Gaul, probably at Auxerre, in the late sixth.

If you take a modern Catholic edition of this ... read it ... in many cases you will think you got the »annals of a loony bin« but never forget it was the same thought like the proclamation of Paulus: »The folly of the crucified Son of God«

So i do not really care about historical authentication (you will hardly get anyone) , i am fascinated in the strength, perseverance and constancy told by these stories and many of them are referring to women and telling about their dignity ... and that is really great.
 
So i do not really care about historical authentication (you will hardly get anyone) , i am fascinated in the strength, perseverance and constancy told by these stories and many of them are referring to women and telling about their dignity ... and that is really great.

Yes, I realize that - I am not personally convinced that most of the early martyrs were actually historical figures, but that is hardly important. I take your point regarding the constancy and perseverance of the martyrs, which is really the point of the story. Read in a devotional context, the story would have had great meaning to the faithful.
 
»veiled Truth« Cappella Sansevero In Naples

The experience is hard to describe. Entering this space, full to the brim with works of art, you might almost feel assaulted by beauty, a beauty you cannot escape, filling every detail of your field of vision. The crucial difference here, in respect to any other baroque art collection, is that some of the works exposed inside the chapel do not offer just an aesthetic pleasure, but hinge on a second, deeper level of emotion: The mysteries of Sansevero Chapel ... wonder(s)

»Veiled truth« is one of the masterpieces of Venetian sculptor Antonio Corradini (1688-1752), which he created for Naple’s Cappella Sansevero (formally known as Chapel of Santa Maria della Pietà, and nicknamed by the locals »Pietatella«).

The iconography of the chapel, located near Piazza San Domenico Maggiore, stemmed from the exoteric fancy of Raimondo di Sangro (1710-1771), an alchemist, freemason and intellectual of the Age of Enlightenment.

Cappella Sansevero - (2).jpg Cappella Sansevero - (1).jpg

The nobleman’s plan was to renovate a church from the early 17th century into his family’s burial chapel, to celebrate the valor, virtue, and aristocratic standing of his stock. Moreover, he used the sacred building to convey his secret message, sparking a wide range of interpretations.

The three most important works that Di Sangro had made for his chapel are the »Veiled Christ« by Giuseppe Sanmartino, the »Release from deception« by Francesco Queirolo, and the abovementioned »Veiled truth« by Corradini.

The statue is an allegory of Knowledge, dedicated to Di Sangro’s mother Cecilia Gaetani dell’Aquila d’Aragona, who had died before his first year of age.

The »veil« covering the statue’s lithe body was sculpted with extraordinary skill.

It hides the pain of an orphan child, as well as many other secrets of his that we may never discover.

Some of these are seemingly »impossible« sculptures, much too elaborate and realistic to be the result of a simple chisel, and the gracefulness of shapes is rendered with a technical dexterity that is hard to conceive.

The Chastity (La Pudicizia) by Corradini, with its drapery veiling the female character as if it was transparent, is another “mystery” of sculpting technique, where the stone seems to have lost its weight, becoming ethereal and almost floating. Imagine how the artist started his work from a squared block of marble, how his mind’s eye »saw« this figure inside of it, how he patiently removed all which didn’t belong, freeing the figure from the stone little by little, smoothing the surface, refining, chiselling every wrinkle of her veil.

campania2.jpg 6dKqgapWkV8.jpg Antonio Corradini LaPudicizia - (1).jpg Antonio Corradini LaPudicizia - (3).jpg Antonio Corradini LaPudicizia - (2).jpg Antonio Corradini LaPudicizia - (4).jpg Antonio Corradini LaPudicizia - (5).jpg

More under:
http://daily-norm.com/2014/02/04/natale-italiano-naples-day-2-diamonds-in-the-rough/
 
Last edited by a moderator:
It's magnifiscent, Zephiros : I like so much the drapery, concerning the dresses, but there, we could only be ovrwhelmed of admiration in front of such sculptures ...
I see now better why our kings ( mainly François I) had ask for Italian'artists to work in France at the Renaissance'time !
A day, I'll do to visit these marvels !
Thanks to share, Zephiros ...:clapping:
 
It's magnifiscent, Zephiros : I like so much the drapery, concerning the dresses, but there, we could only be ovrwhelmed of admiration in front of such sculptures ...
I see now better why our kings ( mainly François I) had ask for Italian'artists to work in France at the Renaissance'time !
A day, I'll do to visit these marvels !
Thanks to share, Zephiros ...:clapping:
Can't get my 'like' to save... But I liked!!!
 
The experience is hard to describe. Entering this space, full to the brim with works of art, you might almost feel assaulted by beauty, a beauty you cannot escape, filling every detail of your field of vision. The crucial difference here, in respect to any other baroque art collection, is that some of the works exposed inside the chapel do not offer just an aesthetic pleasure, but hinge on a second, deeper level of emotion: The mysteries of Sansevero Chapel ... wonder(s)

»Veiled truth« is one of the masterpieces of Venetian sculptor Antonio Corradini (1688-1752), which he created for Naple’s Cappella Sansevero (formally known as Chapel of Santa Maria della Pietà, and nicknamed by the locals »Pietatella«).

The iconography of the chapel, located near Piazza San Domenico Maggiore, stemmed from the exoteric fancy of Raimondo di Sangro (1710-1771), an alchemist, freemason and intellectual of the Age of Enlightenment.

View attachment 282511 View attachment 282512

The nobleman’s plan was to renovate a church from the early 17th century into his family’s burial chapel, to celebrate the valor, virtue, and aristocratic standing of his stock. Moreover, he used the sacred building to convey his secret message, sparking a wide range of interpretations.

The three most important works that Di Sangro had made for his chapel are the »Veiled Christ« by Giuseppe Sanmartino, the »Release from deception« by Francesco Queirolo, and the abovementioned »Veiled truth« by Corradini.

The statue is an allegory of Knowledge, dedicated to Di Sangro’s mother Cecilia Gaetani dell’Aquila d’Aragona, who had died before his first year of age.

The »veil« covering the statue’s lithe body was sculpted with extraordinary skill.

It hides the pain of an orphan child, as well as many other secrets of his that we may never discover.

Some of these are seemingly »impossible« sculptures, much too elaborate and realistic to be the result of a simple chisel, and the gracefulness of shapes is rendered with a technical dexterity that is hard to conceive.

The Chastity (La Pudicizia) by Corradini, with its drapery veiling the female character as if it was transparent, is another “mystery” of sculpting technique, where the stone seems to have lost its weight, becoming ethereal and almost floating. Imagine how the artist started his work from a squared block of marble, how his mind’s eye »saw« this figure inside of it, how he patiently removed all which didn’t belong, freeing the figure from the stone little by little, smoothing the surface, refining, chiselling every wrinkle of her veil.

View attachment 282513 View attachment 282514 View attachment 282515 View attachment 282516 View attachment 282517 View attachment 282518 View attachment 282519

More under:
http://daily-norm.com/2014/02/04/natale-italiano-naples-day-2-diamonds-in-the-rough/


Zephyros

Stupendous!

Top Cat
 
The experience is hard to describe. Entering this space, full to the brim with works of art, you might almost feel assaulted by beauty, a beauty you cannot escape, filling every detail of your field of vision. The crucial difference here, in respect to any other baroque art collection, is that some of the works exposed inside the chapel do not offer just an aesthetic pleasure, but hinge on a second, deeper level of emotion: The mysteries of Sansevero Chapel ... wonder(s)

»Veiled truth« is one of the masterpieces of Venetian sculptor Antonio Corradini (1688-1752), which he created for Naple’s Cappella Sansevero (formally known as Chapel of Santa Maria della Pietà, and nicknamed by the locals »Pietatella«).

The iconography of the chapel, located near Piazza San Domenico Maggiore, stemmed from the exoteric fancy of Raimondo di Sangro (1710-1771), an alchemist, freemason and intellectual of the Age of Enlightenment.

View attachment 282511 View attachment 282512

The nobleman’s plan was to renovate a church from the early 17th century into his family’s burial chapel, to celebrate the valor, virtue, and aristocratic standing of his stock. Moreover, he used the sacred building to convey his secret message, sparking a wide range of interpretations.

The three most important works that Di Sangro had made for his chapel are the »Veiled Christ« by Giuseppe Sanmartino, the »Release from deception« by Francesco Queirolo, and the abovementioned »Veiled truth« by Corradini.

The statue is an allegory of Knowledge, dedicated to Di Sangro’s mother Cecilia Gaetani dell’Aquila d’Aragona, who had died before his first year of age.

The »veil« covering the statue’s lithe body was sculpted with extraordinary skill.

It hides the pain of an orphan child, as well as many other secrets of his that we may never discover.

Some of these are seemingly »impossible« sculptures, much too elaborate and realistic to be the result of a simple chisel, and the gracefulness of shapes is rendered with a technical dexterity that is hard to conceive.

The Chastity (La Pudicizia) by Corradini, with its drapery veiling the female character as if it was transparent, is another “mystery” of sculpting technique, where the stone seems to have lost its weight, becoming ethereal and almost floating. Imagine how the artist started his work from a squared block of marble, how his mind’s eye »saw« this figure inside of it, how he patiently removed all which didn’t belong, freeing the figure from the stone little by little, smoothing the surface, refining, chiselling every wrinkle of her veil.

View attachment 282513 View attachment 282514 View attachment 282515 View attachment 282516 View attachment 282517 View attachment 282518 View attachment 282519

More under:
http://daily-norm.com/2014/02/04/natale-italiano-naples-day-2-diamonds-in-the-rough/
Amazing photo set, Zephyros, wonderful to see some sculpture here. Thank you
 
Those statues are incredible! In particular the way he managed to sculpt a woman covered by a diaphanous veil and give an illusion of translucence with solid stone would seem to be impossible. And the way he made the fabric drape over her form is so realistic! Thanks for sharing.
 
Do you remember 1973 - »Kanashimi no Belladona« aka »Belladonna of Sadness«?

The story follows the peasant woman Jeanne, who has just been Happily Married to Jean when the village nobility demands an absurdly high marriage tax. The couple can't pay, so the baron sees fit to have his way with the bride. Tragically, he claims his feudal deflowering right of jus »primae noctis«, at which point he turns the ravaged Jeanne over to his lecherous court.
When she returns home, Jeanne is seduced by a demon and finds herself gradually turning to witchcraft to find empowerment and freedom. Initially, Jean tries to comfort her, but henceforth they can never truly be happy together.
At first, she and her husband are prosperous, but as famine, war, and the bubonic plague strike the rest of the village, suspicion grows and Jeanne is eventually cast out of the village. She wins the villagers over when she offers a miracle cure for the plague, but then the nobility catches wind of her power... She is granted considerable magical powers, and uses them to lead a rebellion in the village.

To put it short: A wonderful film from 1973, translated as »Belladonna of Sadness«. Though created by an anime studio it’s closer to western psychedelic art with a soundtrack to match. The visuals are simply stunning, some of very beautiful art. It’s a combination of still images and animation, and though the swirling flowing hair and smoke were beautifully done, I mostly love the still watercolour paintings.

Some still frames of watercoloured femal crucifixions … and other scenes ...

BoS1.jpg BoS2.jpg BoS3.jpg BoS4.jpg BoS5.jpg BoS6.jpg BoS7.jpg

Crucifixion scene as »Gif«

Belladonna of Sadness Crucified.gif

two scenes: Just at the beginning and at 00:03:18


and here the trailer ...


Belladonna is an adaptation of La Sorcière, the 1862 novelized history of satanism and witchcraft in the late middle ages. The book was written by feminist, freethinker, and Frenchman Jules Michelet, who, like many other post-revolution French intellectuals, was eager to condemn the barbaric European forces of the prior few centuries. In Michelet's story, the practice of witchcraft is not simply the leftover trace of ancient pagan traditions, but an active rebellion against an oppressive church and system of government. While the church expected serfs to suffer and slave away during their time on earth with only the promise of a better afterlife to console them, witchcraft provided a glimpse of happiness in the here and now. Where the church feared the imperfections of nature, witchcraft embraced them. Where the church could only respond to ailments with prayer and holy water, witchcraft offered painkillers and psychoactive potions from datura plants. According to Michelet, the spirit of rebellion and experimentation found in 14th century witchcraft was a progenitor of the enlightenment values yet to come. Furthermore, this was a movement led by women, those who likely suffered the most at the hands of the church and the feudal system. He insinuates that society's emancipation from oppression is contingent on female liberation and sexual empowerment. It's easy to imagine how these ideas must have resonated with the revolutionary leftist Japanese filmmakers of more than a century later (yes, they were working in animation too).
 
Last edited:
Back
Top Bottom