The Depictions of Sibyl as Representative of Oracle Woman in Western Painting

Year 2020, Issue: 29, 171 - 199, 30.06.2020

Hilal Susamcı

Abstract

The theme of the Sibyls, which has an important place in Western painting, is encountered in their many depictions in various fields. Sibyl is a general name used for female oracles who were thought to have prophesied directly by the inspiration of God. At first, only one Sibyl was mentioned, but they increased in the course of time. The depictions of a Sibyl occupying a significant part in Western paintings, and play an important role in various religious themes in Christian art, as well as in scenes related to mythological stories, including the figures of the female oracle in the pagan era. Because they were thought to have made various prophecies about Jesus, they were respected as prophets at the beginning of Christianity, and they were used frequently in Christian art, either alone or together with prophets. Consequently, we see these oracle women, who are also given great importance by Christians, in a wide range from walls to altars, and from books to canvas. This study, which first gives information about the identity of the Sibyls and the collection of the so-called Sibylline Books, then tries to examine and interpret iconographically the depictions of the Sibyls in different periods and fields, as considering mythological and religious scenes.

Keywords

Sibyl, Sibylline books, Divination, Ancient Age, Western painting, Iconography

Batı Resminde Kâhin Kadının Temsili Olarak Sibyl Betimleri

Abstract

Batı resminde önemli bir tema olan Sibyller’in farklı alanlarda gerçekleştirilmiş pek çok betimiyle karşılaşılmaktadır. Sibyl, Antik Dönem’de belli bir tapınağa bağlı olmayıp doğrudan tanrı esini altında kehanet verdiği düşünülen kadın kâhinler için kullanılan genel bir addır. Başlarda tek bir Sibyl’in varlığından bahsedilirken zamanla bu sayı artar ve farklı yerlerde farklı zamanlarda yaşamış, bulundukları kentin adıyla anılan çeşitli Sibyller ortaya çıkar. Batı resminde kayda değer bir alan işgal eden Sibyl betimleri, pagan dönemin kâhin kadın figürleri olarak mitolojik hikâyelerle ilgili sahnelerin yanı sıra Hristiyan sanatı içinde çeşitli dinsel konulu sahnelerde de kendilerine büyük yer bulur. Zira onların da, tıpkı peygamberler gibi İsa ile ilgili çeşitli kehanetlerde bulundukları düşünülmüştür. Dolayısıyla pagan figürler olmalarına rağmen Hristiyanlığın başlangıcında adeta peygamber gibi saygı görmüşler ve Hristiyan sanatında tek başlarına ya da peygamberlerle birlikte olmak üzere sıkça kullanılmışlardır. Nihayetinde Hristiyanlar tarafından da büyük önem atfedilen bu kadınlar duvarlardan altarlara, kitaplardan tuvallere kadar geniş bir yelpazede karşımıza çıkmaktadırlar. İlk olarak Sibyller’in kimliği ve Sibyl Kitapları olarak adlandırılan kehanet koleksiyonu hakkında bilgi veren bu çalışma, sonrasında mitolojik ve dini sahneler üzerinden farklı dönemlerde ve alanlarda gerçekleştirilmiş Sibyl betimlerini incelemekte ve ikonografik olarak değerlendirmeye çalışmaktadır.

Keywords

Sibyl, Sibyl kitapları, Kehanet, Antik Çağ, Batı resmi, İkonografi

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