Entre épopée biblique et typologie sacramentelle. Images vétérotestamentaires dans les livres de l’Antiquité tardive

Abstract Between Biblical Epic and Sacramental Typology: Old Testament Imagery in Late Antique Books The Old Testament images held in Late Antique biblical manuscripts witness visual experiments in which the historical and narrative aspects of the text play a major role in terms of decorative strategies. They also correspond to a specific reading of the Old Testament, whose figuration reflects its typological interpretation: all biblical books illuminated during Late Antiquity originate in Christian circles. The scientific interest aroused by these works and their implications is long-standing and has contributed to structuring the methodological frames to study painted manuscripts. More broadly, Old Testament images are considered as the foundation of Christian narrative in art, rooted in the Greco-Roman melting pot. A few historiographical remarks will therefore precede the sketch of a reflection on the spatial layout of painted Old Testament books. This paper will then move on to consider the kind of visual exegesis that can be produced by narrative images in this context.