Bath and Bathing in the Early Modern European Art

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K00172
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 01060:History of arts-related
• Research Institution: Kanazawa College of Art
• Principal Investigator: YASUI AYUMI 金沢美術工芸大学, 美術工芸学部, 教授 (30275086)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 水 / 入浴 / 聖血 / ディアナ / アクタイオン / カリスト / スザンナ / バトシェバ

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Taking into consideration the symbolic significance of water, this study paid attention to the ritualistic bathing, from an everyday act to a rite of passage, and analyzed iconographically the bathing figures represented in art, in particular.　First, the history of bathing in Europe was reviewed, and then, focusing on the blood of Christ, or the Holy Blood, in Christianity, an analysis of the representation of bathing in the Holy Blood was conducted. Furthermore, we analyzed the story of "Diana" in ancient Greek mythology, which is well known as a subject of art, and the Christian stories of "Susanna's Bath" and "Bathsheba and David".
The results of the study revealed that, in particular, narrative themes can be classified into several patterns, although their expression became almost standardized in Europe in the early modern period, and that transition in expression during the medieval period and early printed books are important.

Free Research Field

版画史、北方美術史

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究は、単なる図像分析ではなく、社会背景や当時のモラルに照らして考察を行ったことに意義がある。またきわめてプライヴェートな行為である入浴は、主に女性の表象が行われるが、そこに覗き見という他人、とくに男性の視線が存在しているということも重要である。また、女性を誘惑する者として悪とするミソジニー的な含意も、入浴主題に含まれることが判明した。