"The Bosom of Abraham": Genesis and Evolution of Iconography in Christian Art from the 9th to the 13th Centuries

The present study is devoted to the issues of origin and development of the iconographic type "Bosom of Abraham" in the monuments of Christian medieval art of the IX-XIII centuries. The main problem of the study is to ascertain how exactly the scheme of the studied iconographic type changed over time in different cultural traditions, and in what thematic contexts it was included. The objective of this study is to clarify the origin and evolution of the iconographic type and to organise its historical development. Having considered the texts and visual images that may have influenced the formation of the iconographic type, we have analysed the history of the development of the “Bosom of Abraham” scheme, its key elements, and their transformations. The thesis also considers those schemes that may have been influenced by the “Bosom of Abraham” itself.