LATE ANTIQUITY

GARDINER 11-3PP. 301-308

RAVENNA 324 -> founding of Constantinople, the new

Rome in the East

327 -> the death of Constantine -> pace of Christianization of Roman Empire quickens

380 -> Emperor Theodosius issues edict establishing Christianity as the state religion

391 -> ban on pagan worship

394 -> Olympic Games abolished

404 -> capital is moved from Rome to Ravenna

410 -> Rome falls to Alaric and the Ostrogoths

476 -> Ravenna falls -> first German king of Italy

493 -> Thoedoric, king of the Ostrogoths, establishes his capital at Ravenna

539 -> Ravenna falls to the Byzantine emperor Justinian

MAUSOLEUM OF GALLA PLACIDIA Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, Ravenna, Italy,

ca. 425

CRUCIFORM (cross shaped) chapel w/ barrel vaulted arms and a tower at the crossing

Arms are of unequal length = longitudinal orientation, but emphasis is on the tall crossing tower w/vault resembling a dome

Fusion of the two basic Late Antique plans -> longitudinal + central

Unadorned brick exterior

Interior -> rich ensemble of mosaics

MOSAICS Christ as the Good Shepherd,

mosaic from the entrance wall of the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, Ravenna, ca. 425

Jesus sits among his flock -> haloed and robed in gold and purple

Landscape and figures cast shadows and have three-dimensional bulk -> still rooted in the naturalistic classical tradition

SANT’APOLLINAIRE NUOVO Interior of Saint’Apollonaire Nuovo,

Ravenna, Italy, dedicated 504

Three aisled basilica constructed by Theodoric as his palace-church

Rich mosaic decoration on the nave walls -> divided into 3 zones

Old testament figures stand between clerestory windows -> above them are scenes from Christ’s life

Miracle of the loaves and fishes, mosaic from the top register of the nave wall (above the clerestory windows) of Sant’Apollonaire Nuovo, Ravenna, Italy, 504

Sharp contrast w/the 80 yr earlier mosaics of Galla Placidia

Beardless Jesus in imperial dress of gold and purple -> cross inscribed nimbus (halo) signifies divinity

No attempt to supply details of the event -> it is a miracle removed from time -> the blue sky has given way to the otherworldy splendor of heavenly gold

Weightless figures with flat curtain like garments

LUXURY ARTS

“MINOR ARTS” = jewelry, metalwork, cameos, ivories, and other “crafts”

“MAJOR ARTS” = sculpture and painting These terms refer to size not importance or quality Luxury Arts = another term for the minor arts

ILLUMINATED MANUSCRIPTS – VATICAN VERGIL

The old farmer of Corycus, folio 7 verso of the Vatican Vergil, ca. 400-420, tempera on parchment

The oldest surviving painted Latin manuscript is a collection of the poet Vergil’s works

This page includes part of the text of the Georgics and a pastoral scene reminiscent of Roman landscape murals

ILLUMINATED

MANUSCRIPTS – VIENNA GENESIS

Rebecca and Eliezer at the well, folio 7 recto of the Vienna Genesis, early 6th century

Tempera, gold, and silver on purple vellum

Sumptuously painted book is the oldest well preserved manuscript containing biblical scenes

Two episodes of the Rebecca story appear in a single setting filled with classical motifs

MEDIEVAL MANUSCRIPT ILLUMINATION

CODEX = type of book that replaces scrolls

VELLUM (calfskin) and PARCHMENT (lambskin) replace papyrus

ILLUMINATED MANUSCRIPTS = luxurious painted books produced before the invention of the printing press

ROSSANO GOSPELS

Christ before Pilate, folio 8 verso of the Rossano Gospels, early 6th century, tempera on purple vellum

The sources for medieval manuscript illiustratrions were diverse

The way people form an arch around Pilate on this page suggests that the composition derives from a painting in a church apse

Below – Jesus and the bound Barrabas

IVORY CARVING

Ivory has been prized since earliest times

Ivory sources were the elephants of India and Africa

Carved ivories found at Mesopotamian, Egyptian, and ancient Aegean sites

Most often for household items – votive offerings and gifts to the deceased

Ivory was rare and costly Only highly skilled artists capable

of working w/ivory

In Late Antiquity and early medieval -> used for book covers, chests, boxes, and diptychs

DIPTYCH = pair of hinged tablets w/a wax layer on the inner sides for writing letters and other documents

Diptychs made of ivory were created for ceremonial and official purposes

IVORY CARVING – CRUCIFIXION OF CHRIST

Suicide of Judas and the Crucifixion of Christ, plaque from a box, ca. 420, ivory

This plaque from a luxurious ivory box is the first known representation of the Crucifixion

Christ is a beardless youth who experiences no pain

DIPTYCH OF THE SYMMACHI

Woman sacrificing at an altar, right leaf of the diptych of the Nicomachi and Symmachi, ca. 400, ivory

This displays the endurance of pagans themes and patrons and the classical style

Idealized human beauty is the focus

The classical tradition lives on and was never fully extinguished in the Middle Ages

Contrast this w/ the non-naturalistic Late Antique aesthetic featuring wafer thin frontal figures