Jacqueline Lafontaine-Dosogne | |
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Born | 23 November 1928 ![]() |
Died | 21 May 1995 ![]() |
Occupation | Art historian, curator, Byzantinist, university teacher ![]() |
Jacqueline Lafontaine-Dosogne (23 November 1928, in Braine-l'Alleud - 21 May 1995, in Brussels) was a Belgian researcher, curator of the Royal Museums of Belgium, and a specialist in the Byzantine Empire and, more broadly, in the history of Christian art.
A prolific scientist, she produced more than 120 publications in her fields of study.
She was born on 23 November 1928, in Braine-l'Alleud. [1] She studied at the Free University of Brussels, where she earned a degree in art history and archaeology (1955), before pursuing a doctorate in philology and classical literature, which she obtained in 1961. [1] The subject of her thesis was later published in two volumes, titled "Iconography of the Childhood of the Virgin in the Byzantine Empire and the West". [1] She was an accomplished polyglot, which aided her in her research and travels, and spoke French, English, and Italian fluently, and had a very good understanding of German, Dutch, Modern Greek, and Russian, with some knowledge of Turkish, Bulgarian, Romanian, and Spanish. [1]
Lafontaine-Dosogne has been involved in research since the 1950s. [2] She began by studying the artistic representations of the narratives of Jesus' childhood. [2] [3] [4] In the course of this research, she highlighted the connections between apocryphal literature on the childhood, such as the Protoevangelium of James and Byzantine hymnography, like the Akathist Hymn. [2]
The researcher joined the National Society of Antiquaries of France in 1978, on the recommendation of André Grabar and with the sponsorship of Louis Grodecki. [5] She had a particular interest in the art of Pisidia, the region of Antioch, [6] the art of Cappadocia, [7] and the art of the Caucasus through Georgian art. [2] [8] She also compiled lists of Byzantine objects in Western Europe that came from the plundering of the Crusades. [2] [8]
It is estimated that she produced over 120 different publications. [1] She died on 21 May 1995, in Brussels. [1] [9]