Identification of John and Matthew in Some Nubian Paintings of Twelve Apostles

Abstract

This paper aims to show how, in certain Nubian paintings depicting apostolic colleges, the evangelists John and Matthew can be identified by the attributes they hold, namely books. Theoretically, a book is an attribute that can define many figures involved in writing or preaching, such as saints (especially bishops in Nubian paintings), apostles, evangelists and Christ. However, in these particular paintings I am describing, only two of the apostles are holding books and these are the evangelists John and Matthew. The other apostles hold rotuli, while Peter is singled out through the key. My argument is based not only on the attributes, but also on an analysis of other elements such as the position of the apostles in the whole college, their physiognomic types, and finally the surviving inscriptions. However, we should remember that not all Nubian paintings are preserved intact. In many cases, large fragments of figures, including their faces, are missing. Therefore, several elements must be taken into consideration during the interpretation of the content of the paintings. The research I have carried out can be helpful in identifying the individual figures that make up the apostolic college. It also shows how Nubian iconographers consciously used the language of symbols by differentiating between the earthly and heavenly hierarchies.