Sacred Spaces
Comparative Study of Ancient Egyptian and Byzantine Ritual Illustration
Seyed Fazlolah Tabatabai
Reprinted from: Honar Nameh, University of Art, Tehran, No. 8, 2000 (A brief of the article)


In order to compare ritual illustration in ancient Egypt with Byzantium, the two civilizations' rituals should be compared first.

In each one, the coexist ritual elements in their civilizations. In every civilization, drawings are adhered to. Composition and color are elements that best reveal the different worldviews of their creators. The artist interprets existence as he sees it.

The Egyptian painter removes volume, gender, three dimensional space and all natural signs, and thus, he provides a lifeless picture of the world around him, according to the teachings of his own religion.

The Byzantine artist uses symmetric placement of elements within the picture frame. He eliminates the horizon and creates two-dimensional spaces, according to the teachings of Byzantine church.

Both artists attempt to create harmony between the ritual content and ritual form, thus conveying the idea that each content requires a sacred form, in order to provide a sacred space.