A Graffito Scene of ‘Deesis’ at Hagia Sophia, Constantinople (modern Istanbul)
A Graffito Scene of ‘Deesis’ at Hagia Sophia, Constantinople (modern Istanbul)

Summary/Abstract: The paper deals with a rare example of а whole graffito scene in the middle bay of the south gallery in the church Hagia Sophia. In view of the posture, clothing and headgear of the figures, most likely the anonymous author has intended to present the theme of Deesis in which the Virgin with a halo around her head is a focal point of the drawing and where it is emphasized her supreme role as intercessor, as mediatrix between the two supplicants by the side and below her and an imaginary Christ. A remarkable and somewhat surprising detail is the adornment of the woman’s headdress that looks like a band or diadem (stephanos) with a small square projection in the front. The diadem leaves no doubt that the image is of a noblewoman. The concern of the anonymous author was to present the persons in his drawing in such a way as if they look toward the Mother of God from the mosaic Deesis in the south gallery of Hagia Sophia and not to follow the iconographical scheme. The hypothetical time span for the drawing’s creation is between the 1261 and 1453.

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