In the lower left corner of this image stands St. Stephen, one of the seven men of good repute, and the most highly exalted deacon among the saints. He is identified by his dalmatic and the stones he holds, the instruments of his martyrdom. The text is that of a liturgical antiphon for his feast:
The Apostles chose Stephen, a Levite, full of faith and the Holy Spirit, whom the Jews stoned as he prayed and said: Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. Alleluia.Within the large capital E that begins the text appears an angel blowing a trumpet. This refers to a passage in the Rationale Divinorum Officiorum, a 13th century liturgiological encyclopedia compiled by William Durandus, Bishop of Mende. In his chapter explaining the mystical significance of the deacon, he wrote: In the New Testament, this order was instituted by the Apostles, who chose seven men of good repute, filled with the Holy Spirit, to be deacons.... In the Apocalypse, they are called seven angels blowing trumpets, since they are charged with making the highest mysteries resound through divine inspiration. The upper and lower arms of the capital E each split into three trumpets, making seven total. A seven-tongued flame emerges from the middle trumpet, which refers to the sevenfold grace of the Holy Ghost.
In the ornamental border that stretches around the text appear a number of newts. Although these are somewhat uncommon as decorative elements in religious art, they do have a traditional symbolism. The Bestiary, a popular medieval book of animal symbolism, states: The newt is such an enemy of scorpions that the very sight of it strikes terror into them and they are transfixed, and also: The scorpion signifies the devil or those who serve him. Thus, the significance of newts is that of the enemies of the devil and his servants; this is fittingly applied to the clergy.
The print is about one and a half times larger than the original artwork.
Dimensions: 7" × 10"
An open-edition giclée print is available for $30. You may use the button below to pay via PayPal, debit card or credit card. Be sure to confirm the shipping address.
See this page for additional ordering instructions and general information. If you want to pay via a check or money order, please e-mail me at danielmitsui@danielmitsui.com.
