LATE ANTIQUITY

1. LATE ANTIQUITY GARDINER 11-3 PP. 301-308

2. 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

3. MAUSOLEUM OF GALLA PLACIDIA • Mausoleum of GallaPlacidia, 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

4. MOSAICS • Christ as the Good Shepherd, mosaic from the entrance wall of the Mausoleum of GallaPlacidia, 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

5. SANT’APOLLINAIRE NUOVO • Interior of Saint’ApollonaireNuovo, 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

6. Miracle of the loaves and fishes, mosaic from the top register of the nave wall (above the clerestory windows) of Sant’ApollonaireNuovo, Ravenna, Italy, 504 • Sharp contrast w/the 80 yr earlier mosaics of GallaPlacidia • 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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