Transcript Document
Gardner’s Art Through the Ages,
12e
Chapter 11
Pagans, Christians, and Jews:
The Art of Late Antiquity
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Europe and the Near East in Late Antiquity
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Goals
• Understand how Roman art and architecture is changed
as a result of Christianity and the decisions of
Constantine
• Understand the concept of “synchonism” in early
Christian art.
• Understand the different media used to create early
Christian art.
• Know and cite artistic and architectural terminology
from the period.
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Late Antiquity: Duros Europos
Why was the town of Duros-Europos important?
• It was a Roman garrison town in Syria with both Jewish
and early Christian communities.
– The Synagogue: Narrative wall paintings: [246-256 CE]
• How do they get around the proscription against
“graven images”? [2nd commandment]
• “Yaweh” is shown as only a hand.
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Late Antiquity: Duros Europos
Moses and the
Burning Bush
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The Christian community
house: [240-256 CE]
** A modest secondhand house -- Meeting
area, baptistery and
upstairs dining room.
** persecuted until
Constantine; often the poor of
society.; wouldn’t even pay lip
service to official Roman gods.
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Catacombs [3 & 4th cen. CE]
• Subterranean networks of galleries and chambers
designed as cemeteries for the Christian dead, many
of them sainted martyrs. [They also housed the graves of
Jews and other groups, to a lesser extent.]
• Placed outside the city walls, hollowed out of “tufa”
bedrock. “ad catacumbus” – “in the hollows”
– May have run for 60-90 miles underground.
– Source of early Christian paintings.
– Elements: Galleries, loculi [shelves], cubicula
[chapels/house of the living]
– Would build a new gallery when the first was full
etc…
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Catacombs [3 & 4th cen. CE]
• Similar to painting in
“spoke-wheel” vault
at Ostia.
• Lunettes contain story of
Jonah? Why?
– Prefiguration of
Christ’s resurrection.
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Jewish Subjects in Christian Art
• Why are there so many Old Testament references?
– Jesus was a Jew.
– Used as prefiguration of the coming & life/death of
Jesus
– Jesus himself used these stories in his parables.
• Examples:
– Jonah: prefiguration of Christ’s resurrection.
– Abraham & the 3 angels: taken to symbolize Holy
Trinity
– Sacrifice of Isaac: Prefiguration of sacrifice of
God’s only son for us.
– Daniel: A salvation tale, precursor of Christ’s
triumph over death.
– Adam & Eve: “Original Sin” led to Christ’s sacrifice.
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The Changing Image of Christ
Period of Persecution:
• “The Good Shepherd,” a youthful and loyal protector
of the Christian flock.
• A teacher or learned philosopher.
Period of Recognition:
• Halo
• Purple robe
• Throne.
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Sarcophagus of Junius Bassus: ca. 359
Identify the stories …
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Christ Seated ca. 350-375
• What is unusual about this
statue?
– Retained Greco-Roman
habits – “idols” or
statues of the gods.
– Early & rare “in the
round” statue.
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Architecture: From Basilica to Church
• Once Constantine recognized Christianity, the need for
churches arose. Located on outskirts to avoid conflict with
the official religion.
• The early
churches
took over
the form
of the
Roman
basilica or
meeting hall.
Old St. Peter’s
Rome, ca. 320
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Santa Constanza, ca 337-351
How does the Church of Santa
Costanza differ from basilican
churches?
• It has a central plan, where the
building’s parts are all of equal
dimension around the center; in
this case round.
• Byzantium takes over this model
and develops it fully.
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Santa Constanza, ca 337-351 -- MOSAICS
• Christ as Sol Invictus.
[pagan sun god]
represented in a vineyard –
another pre-Christian
reference to harvest
festivals.
• From Bacchus to the
Eucharist
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Abraham & Lot: Santa Maria Maggiore
ca. 432-440
• Part of an Old
testament cycle– first
major church in the
West dedicated to the
Virgin Mary after the
Council of Ephesus
that named her “Mother
of God”
• Departure of
Abraham’s son, Lot
for Sodom.
– Uses “head cluster”
and unambiguous
gestures and glances.
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Ravenna’s Mosaics
• After founding of Constantinople in 324, the empire
begins to fall apart.
• After Constantine’s death, Christianity grows and in 380 is
named as state religion.
• Under threat of barbarian invasion, capital of the West
Empire moved from Milan to Ravenna.
Mosaic: First made from beach pebbles.
• Romans used marble; creating complex volumes and
images.
• Christians used glass “tesserae” [Latin for cubes or dice] to
imitate the brilliance of paintings.
– Size could be adjusted as desired.
– Color was placed, not blended.
– Larger pieces because viewed at a distance.
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Mausoleum of Galla Placida ca. 425
• Cruciform [cross shaped] structure; barrel-vaulted “arms”
and a tower at the crossing.
• Fusion of central and longitudinal plans.
• Mosaics cover the interior.
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Mausoleum of Galla Placida ca. 425
• Above the entrance: Christ, The Good Shepherd
– What elements of Christian iconography do you see?
– What is still rooted in the Greco-Roman tradition?
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Sant’Apollinare Nuovo, 504
• Theodoric’s Palace-Church: Upper two zones of
Mosaics date from his time.
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Sant’Apollinare Nuovo, 504
Loaves & Fishes: Stylistic changes from Galla Placida:
• No details of event – focus has shifted to the holy
character, the power of Christ’s divinity
• A “miracle” takes
it out of time and
events.
• Almighty power
rather than narrative
is the focus
• Least number of
figures.
• Placed in a shadow
box, no landscape
• Heavenly gold, not
sky blue
• Roman illusionism is
gone. [cf. less folds]
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Illuminated Manuscripts – Luxury Goods
• Vienna Genesis is the
oldest well-preserved
manuscript. [early 6th
cen.]
– Made from calfskin,
dyed with rich purple;
Greek text is written
in silver ink.
• Rebecca & Eliezer:
– Used Roman
conventions; water is
personified.
– Simple yet convincing
details.
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Vienna Genesis
• The Temptation of
Joseph [Potiphar’s wife]
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Rossano Gospels: Greek, early 6th cen.
• Jesus being brought
before Pilate:
– Christian
iconography is
more developed by
now.
– Christ as a bearded
adult.
– Presented as a
continuous
narrative. [multiple
events placed in the
same frame]
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Ivory Carving
• A century before The
Rossano Gospels ivory
panels were made with
carved scenes from the life
of Christ, most often placed
on boxes.
• Suicide of Judas &
Crucifixion: What message
would you get viewing this?
How is Christ represented?
• The two Marys and two
soldiers at the open door
of the Tomb.
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Yet the pagan gods endured …
Diptych ca. 400:
• possibly
commemorating a
marriage.
• Woman on right is
sacrificing at an
altar to a pagan
god.
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Discussion Questions
Why are the wall paintings at Dura Europos
important to understanding the art of the Late
Antique (Roman) and Early Christian time
periods?
What visual characteristics of earlier pagan
funerary art are seen in Christian art from this
period? Does the context change?
What might one speculate as reasons for the
absence of a crucified Christ in Early Christian
art?
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