ABSTRACT
Similar themes and subjects appear in the art of most civilizations. Representations of the family, the mother and child, animals, and music-making are found on objects around the world and have been the subjects of scholarly interest. The recurrent theme of the procession, however, has received little attention from historians and art historians, even though, over time, it can be found in the arts of Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas. The procession portrays rituals and ceremonies, celebrates civil and religious authority, and illustrates social activities. It therefore reflects a civilization's social structure and its political and religious power in depictions of marriages, funerals, births, coronations, religious activities, pageants, military parades and maneuvers, tribute-bearing, and triumphal entries:
From the Panathenes or funeral marches of antiquity to the demonstrations of the labor unions, political parties, and “groupuscles” of May 1968 in Paris, from the Corpus Christi procession of the High Renaissance to the Red Square parades during the anniversary celebration of the October Revolution, we can see that order is an essential means for getting across the “message” be that message religious, civic, political, philosophical, or social. Often the intended message becomes complex due to the participants’ reciprocal relationships and relative positions within the parade. 1
