abstract: This paper is devoted to the history of portrait painting and, more specifically, to the visual graphic articulation of portraits within monumental church decorations of the Early Middle Ages.Portraits of the time were often marked by the presence of a square or rectangular framing singling out the heads and the faces of donors or historic figuresa phenomenon known as the "square nimbus".While this tradition has a long history of development spanning from at least the sixth to the twelfth centur
journal: HSE University Journal of Art & Design