The Baptistery, with the Baptism of Christ painted on the wall, over the arch. He is represented standing in the River Jordan up to His waist in water, in which fishes are swimming, and at which a hart is drinking; the Holy Dove is over His head. S. John Baptist is standing on the bank, and pouring water on His head, or perhaps only holding out his hand to touch it. On the opposite side is another figure in a white dress, hiding his face. All the three figures have the nimbus.
AN AGAPE.
An Agape, or love-feast, is a common subject of the paintings in the catacombs, and sometimes seems to be evidently a representation of the family gatherings that were held on the anniversaries in these tombs, in the same manner as they were in the painted tombs in the Via Latina or the Via Appia. These paintings are often supposed to be the Last Supper, and sometimes may be so, but the one before us can hardly be intended for Christ and his Apostles.
CHRIST AND THE CHURCH.
These two figures, one on either side of a small table, on which are two dishes, one with a fish upon it and the other with bread, are supposed to represent our Lord after the Resurrection, and the Christian Church in the form of a woman, with the hands uplifted in the Oriental attitude of prayer, such as is usually called in the catacombs an Orante. This explanation is of course conjectural only, but seems not improbable. The painting is so much damaged that it is difficult to tell to what period it belongs. A part of this great catacomb is as early as the second century. In this passage stravit may mean covering the walls with slabs of porphyry also, as well as the floor. It is evident that in several instances the word platonia is applied by Anastasius to a chapel lined with marble plates for inscriptions, as at S. Sebastian's.
CHAMBER OF A CATACOMB. (With head of Christ, etc., of the first century.)[ToList]
HEAD OF CHRIST IN AN AUREOLE.—MARY, MOTHER OF
CHRIST, AND MARY MAGDALENE.—ST. MARK,
ST. PAUL AND ST. PETER.