Another Look at the Disappearing Christ: Corporeal and Spiritual Vision in Early Medieval Images

Returning to the remarkable image of Christ disappearing from sight at the Ascension, analyzed half a century ago in a classic article by Meyer Schapiro, this study introduces additional texts and images to advance a new interpretation. In contrast to Schapiro, the author situates the innovation firmly in eleventh-century theology and image theory. He also identifies significant variants within the tradition, traces the diverse sources of the concept in older pictures and texts, and demonstrates that the conceit of Christ shown only from the waist down marked the limits of corporeal sight as an instrument of spiritual practice.