HEAD OVER HEELS
How visionary Alessandro Michele created his very own sacred pseudo-cephalophores for his Fall 2018 Gucci runway… A cephalophore, literally a ‘head-carrier’ in Greek, is a Saint depicted toting their own severed head. Historically, in religious art, this signifies that the Saint had been martyred via decapitation. Martyrdoms by beheading were quite common in hagiographic narratives. In 8th century Francia, the beheading of Saint Denis became the most notable of the cephalophoric legends, inspiring art in the form of statue and canvas alike. After Denis’ martyrdom, he was raised from the dead and carried his head in his hands some distance to the location where his basilica would be constructed. Though Saint Denis, the patron saint of Paris, may be the most recognized of the head-bearing saints, there are many other beheaded martyrs, of both sexes, towering over entrances and adorning church walls throughout the globe, as a symbol of religious devotion.
Saint Denis holding his severed head • Circa 1430 - 1440 • Master of Sir John Fastolf • The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles
So it was rather fitting when out came “a procession of transhumans, walking in trancelike step through a suite of operating theaters: Bolted together from the clothing of many cultures, they were Alessandro Michele’s metaphor for how people today construct their identities—a population undergoing self-regeneration through the powers of tech, Hollywood, Instagram, and Gucci. “We are the Dr. Frankenstein of our lives,” said Michele. “There’s a clinical clarity about what I am doing. I was thinking of a space that represents the creative act. I wanted to represent the lab I have in my head. It’s physical work, like a surgeon’s.” quoted Sarah Mower in her Vogue review of the collection. Michel expounded that he had been inspired by feminist philosopher Donna Haraway’s 1984 “A Cyborg Manifesto: Science, Technology, and Socialist-Feminism in the Late Twentieth Century”… After generations of cultural and emotional sacrifice, and an ongoing tradition of losing one’s head to conformity, it’s reassuring to know that Michel is optimistically attempting to put the pieces back together after a much needed deconstruction of self. • All runway images courtesy of Vogue
Backstage at the Gucci Autumn / Winter 2018 presentation • Giacomo Cabrini • Image courtesy of Dazed Digital
Jesus accompanied by Felix, Regula & Exuperantius, the patron saints of Zürich, each with their own severed head in hand • Circa 1506 • From the altarpiece in the chapel of Spanweid • Landesmuseum, Zürich
Christopher of Lycia carrying the Christ Child upon his shoulders, followed by Nicasius of Reims cradling his severed head • Book of Hours • Circa 1450 - 1460 • Belgium • The Morgan Library & Museum, New York City
Backstage at the Gucci Autumn / Winter 2018 presentation • Giacomo Cabrini • Image courtesy of Dazed Digital
Saint Denis, the first bishop and patron of Paris, walking with his head in his hands after his execution • Book of Hours of Charles VIII • Circa 1475 - 1500 • Jean Bourdichon • Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Paris
Sainte Valérie • Circa 1700 • Jaques Laudin II • Musée des Beaux-Arts de Limoges, Limoges
Statue of the beheaded Saint Denis • Crypt of the Basilique Sacré-Coeur, Paris
Saint Nicasius depicted as a cephalophore on the Portail des Saints • Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Reims, Reims
Christ overlooking Felix, Regula & Exuperantius, the patron saints of Zürich, each with their own severed head in hand • Circa 1470 - 75 • Zürich • Universitätsbibliothek Heidelberg, Heidelberg
Saint Denis depicted as a cephalophore on the Portail de la Vierge • Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris, Paris
Martyrdom of St. Denis • Circa 1759 • Corrado Giaquinto
Detail of La Crucifixion du Parlement de Paris depicting Saint Denis • Circa 1452 • Musée du Louvre, Paris
Detail of La Crucifixion du Parlement de Paris depicting Saint Denis • Circa 1452 • Musée du Louvre, Paris
La Crucifixion du Parlement de Paris • Circa 1452 • Musée du Louvre, Paris
Saint Alban of Mainz • Circa 1500 - 1525 • Tyrolean • National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.
An Episode From the Life of Saint Denis • 17th Century • Roman School • Image courtesy of Sotheby’s
Jared Leto wearing Gucci at the 2019 Met Gala
Felix, Regula & Exuperantius, the patron saints of Zürich, each cradling their own head…
