Coptic Art and Architecture

I

Introduction

Coptic Art and Architecture, the artworks generally associated with the Copts, or Egyptian Christians, dating from about the 3rd to the 12th century, but by no means entirely Christian in content or application. Coptic art drew inspiration from many sources: the forms and motifs of ancient Egypt—classical and Hellenistic—and Near Eastern art; and contemporary life in the Nile Valley. Although Coptic art is generally associated with Christianity, many of its motifs are distinctly non-Christian, such as Dionysiac scenes, bucolic compositions inspired by classical poetry, and groups of nereids and maenads frequently represented on textiles. In sculpture and relief, the figure of Aphrodite appears often. Until recently archaeologists were not concerned with Coptic material; the date and provenance of much of Coptic art is therefore difficult to determine. Most of the art is usually dated to the 5th through the 7th centuries and, as far as can be established, the primary artistic centers were at Ihnāsiyat al Madīnah in the Al Fayyūm, Antinoë in Middle Egypt, or Akhmīm in Upper Egypt. Among the few works that can be assigned to a specific time and place are the great frescoes from the monasteries of Apa Jeremias at Şaqqārah (in Lower Egypt) and Apa Apollo at Bawit (in Middle Egypt), both of which date to the latter half of the 5th century. Whether in two or three dimensions, Coptic art is characterized by less than elegant renditions of the human figure, in sharp contrast to the conventions of ancient Egyptian art: huge, staring eyes; long, attenuated torsos; and, most of all, a marked frontality. Textiles, sculpture and relief in both stone and wood, and frescoes are the most common forms of Coptic art, although metalwork, glass, ceramics, ivories, and manuscript illuminations are also important categories. After the Arab conquests (641-643), Coptic art became less common, although it still persisted for several centuries.

II

Architecture

The chief remains of Coptic architecture are monasteries and churches, scattered throughout the country, built of unbaked brick on the basilica plan inherited from the Greco-Roman world. They usually have heavy walls and columns (of which the architraves are the most common of all Coptic architectural remains), often with vaulted roofs, and end in a tripartite apse. Such churches were left plain outside, to escape attention in a Muslim country and, after a destructive Persian invasion in the 7th century, were heavily fortified. Inside, however, the churches are richly decorated with murals and relief carving.

III

Sculpture

Coptic sculpture was usually reserved for tombstones or for church decoration. It consists chiefly of deeply carved, boldly painted reliefs in stucco or limestone on walls and capitals. Meanders, scrolls, acanthus leaves, vines, animals, and figures from classical mythology show classical, Hellenistic, Near Eastern, and Byzantine influences, but were rendered in a stiff, frontal, linear manner. Decorative carvings in wood and ivory were also sculpted, and crosses were fashioned of stone, wood, and especially metal.

IV

Painting and Other Arts

Coptic painting includes murals in monastic churches and cells, wood panels, and manuscript illumination. The chief mural motifs are bands of Old Testament figures or warrior saints focusing on an enthroned Christ. Other motifs are plants, animals, and classical figures with or without added Christian symbolism. Figures are stylized and frontally posed, often with wide, staring eyes. Colors tend to be flat, heavily outlined areas of strong ocher, red, blue, and purple.

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The Copts excelled in woolen textiles with figural and geometric motifs. These include tapestry hangings and tapestry-woven bands and medallions for trimming tunics. Coptic artisans also made the first leather bookbindings and produced fine metalwork and glass.

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