Early Christian, Late Antique, Byzantine, Early Medieval and Islamic Visual and Contextual

Catacomb of Priscilla Visual

man made underground passageways
burial places for Christians
5 miles and over 40,000 tombs
made from tufa, soft volcanic stone
syncretic image is an image that can be interpreted in multiple ways
Christians were hiding so they wanted to disguise their art
Christ the shepherd looks like Apollo, hid from the Romans this way
shows woman in an orant pose, a form of prayer
shows her marriage on the left, and child on the right (motherhood)

Catacomb of Priscilla Contextual

worshiping Christianity was illegal
Emperor Constantine passed Edict of Milan in 313 to legalize Christianity
non-practicing wealthy Romans used sarcophagi, the poor were cremated, the Christians were buried to rest and wait until Christ is resurrected
Priscilla was rich woman who donated her land for the burial of Christians
early Christian art is limited because Christians did not want to draw attention to themselves
avoided making art
popes and martyrs also buried there
later, their bones were used for relics for people to see and worship
relics in churches, inspired pilgrimages

Santa Sabina Visual

plain building with large clerestory
flat wooden roof
supposed to be bare on the outside, not too prideful
the interior has mosaics and marble to reflect a beautiful soul
arcade is a row of arches supported by columns
Corinthian columns from a pagan temple
spolia is when Christians used old pagan art for new god (Christianity)
nave is middle of church
aisles on side
narthex is where you enter church
apse is semicircle at eastern end
worshippers sit in the nave
this is a basilica without a transept
basilica/axial/longitudinal plan

Santa Sabina Contextual

supposed to be bare on the outside, not too prideful
the interior has mosaics and marble to reflect a beautiful soul
Corinthian columns from a pagan temple
spolia is when Christians used old pagan art for new god (Christianity)

Rebecca and Eliezer at the Well, Jacob Wrestling the Angel, from the Vienna Visual

tempera is made from egg (egg-based paint)
oldest surviving manuscripts
made of vellum, animal skin (deerskin or catskin)
dyed purple originally, associated with royalty
lettering was originally silver but turns black over time (if not polished)
continuous narration
Rebbeca is woman in pink coming out of a city and is going to the well
she meets Eliezer, an old camel driver, and offers him water
colonnade is example of Classic influence
nude water goddess combines pagan with Christianity

Rebecca and Eliezer at the Well, Jacob Wrestling the Angel, from the Vienna Contextual

6 points that deal with manuscripts
teach and convert
monks made these in scriptoriums
portable (good!)
religious purpose
visuals for the illiterate
made of tempera
pagan art was realistic, Christian less
realistic
Eliezer has been sent by Abraham to find his son Issac a wife
he thought Rebecca would be a good wife
Issac and Rebecca marry and have Jacob and Esall
Jacob steals Esall’s birthright
Jacob travels with his family and encounters the Angel and wrestles with the Angel
Angel blessed Jacob and gives him a new name, Israel

Church of San Vitale Visual

outside is symmetrical with plain exterior not too prideful
central plan with narthex
shape of octagon with ambulatory, area where you walk in a church
filled of mosaics, Justinian Panel and Theodora Panel
all mosaics are made from tesserae, small pieces of glass/stone
figures in mosaic are stylized, gold background creates a mystical vision
Justinian has a nimbus around his head (like a halo), emperor not a saint, but is given power of nimbus
Justinian is holding a Eucharist, a Christian ceremony representing the Last Supper, wine and bread are consumed
he also has a chi rho/christogram (shield thing)
form of first two letters of X and P of Greek word for Christ
Bishop Maximus on right is Bishop who consecrated the church
Theodora was Justinian’s wife, before wife, she was courtesan and actress
she is holding the communion cup, asserts devotion to religion of Christianity, the magi are bringing in gold, frankincense, and myrrh at the birth of Jesus

Church of San Vitale Contextual

Byzantine mosaics have 3 Fs and one G
flat, frontal, floating, and gold
built by Justinian, but he probably never visited San Vitale
mosaic is testament to Justinian’s religious, administrative, and military power

Hagia Sophia Visual

they increased the height of the dome and added pendentive (triangular pieces)
triangular sections created by arches
dome looks like it is floating because the clerestory on the bottom of the dome makes it look like it’s floating
beautiful and heavenly
many mosaics in Hagia Sophia
some were destroyed because of iconoclasm
iconoclasm banned icons (images)

Hagia Sophia Contextual

Justinian and Theodora commissioned the rebuild of the church after Nika revolt
revolt against Justinian lasted for 5 days
gets 2 mathematicians to rebuild
they combine a basilica plan with central plan
they increased the height of the dome and added pendentive (triangular pieces)
1453 - Ottomans take over, and they turn Hagia Sophia into mosque
they add 4 minarets
Islamic art has no images of people
1935 - became museum
2020 - government of Turkey turns back to Muslim control, turns back into a mosque

Virgin (Theotokos (God Bearer)) and Child between Saints Theodore and George Visual

heavily contoured images (heavily outlined)
image is in shallow space (no foreground, right at front)
virgin Mary has eyes to side, only saints face the viewer
the angels are looking at the hand of God
virgin = purity, cause she had an immaculate conception
angel halos are lighter due to source of light from God’s hand
earliest representation of Madonna and child
encaustic painting - beeswax and pigment

Virgin (Theotokos (God Bearer)) and Child between Saints Theodore and George Contextual

Theotokos is image of baby Jesus and virgin Mary
influenced by late antique Egyptian funerary portraits
found in St Catherine’s Monastery in Mount Sinai in Egypt
monastery was built during reign of Justinian
place where God appeared to Moses at the burning bush
according to Quran, protection was given to this site by Mohhamad
only Christian site spared by Arab armies in 7th century
still a Christian site

Merovingian Looped Fibulae Visual

fibula is the singular, fibulae is plural
zoomorphic with a fish in the center
used cloisonne where the fish is outlined and colored glass is put inside

Merovingian Looped Fibulae Contextual

fibulae function as a pin or brooch to fasten a cloak (no buttons at the time)
made popular by Roman military campaigns
only the rich could afford them, so they were considered a status symbol
found in a wealthy woman’s grave in France
after fall of Rome, Europe becomes nomadic until Charlemagne (742-814 CE)

Lindisfarne Gospels St. Matthew Cross Carpet Page Visual

6 points of illuminated manuscript:
portable
made in scriptorium by monks
made of tempera and vellum
had visuals for illiterate
portable
used to teach and convert
served as divider page for different pages of a book
has stylized snakes in a repetitive celtic knot
zoomorphic
stylized birds
incorporation of indigenous tribal designs
very similar to metalwork in Celtic art

Lindisfarne Gospels St. Matthew Cross Carpet Page Contextual

when Christians reached British isles, they saw many different indigenous tribal designs
they incorporated indigenous styles of tribal designs for new religious meanings
they were doing that to spread Christianity and make it more relevant

Lindisfarne Gospels St. Luke Portrait Page Visual

shows Luke sitting on a red cushion stool writing with a quill in his right hand and a scroll on his lap
gold halo indicates his divinity
there is a flying blue winged calf above his head
it is holding a green book
the green book is a reference to the Gospel
blue winged calf is a symbolic representation of Luke
no illusion of space
stylized drawing, less realism
first illuminated manuscript in British Isles

Lindisfarne Gospels St. Luke Portrait Page Contextual

Christians thought Greek and Roman art was too realistic, aka worshiping false idols/icons
iconoclasm made Christian art more stylized
they didn’t want to worship false idols

Lindisfarne Gospels St. Luke Incipit Page Visual

opening text of the gospel
the interlacing is Celtic knots and stylized animal forms
reflective of indigenous people of the British isles
ornamental treatment of written text and language, new!

Lindisfarne Gospels St. Luke Incipit Page Contextual

Christians are trying to focus on the text to spread Christianity
Christians are expanding and traveling from Italy
as they expand, they encounter new artistic styles and incorporate it into their style

Great Mosque of Cordoba Visual

large hypostyle prayer hall has lots of columns and a flat roof
the columns are from the Romans
spolia
made the Corinthian columns into double tiered symmetrical arches, made of white and red stone
double tiered to create rhythm and repetition
extra height created by higher roof allows for more light and air into the hall
arches were called horseshoe style arches, common under Visigoths
Islamic art spreads through North Africa, Morocco to Egypt
famous horseshoe styled arched mihrab, a prayer niche in mosques used to identify the wall that faces Mecca
Mecca = birthplace of Islam
mihrab is a part of the qibla wall, had gold tesserae, dark blues, and reddish brown colors
spectacular dome above mihrab, can see the ribs
dome created pointed arches, later used in gothic cathedrals
calligraphy using black pigment is regarded as a fine art

Great Mosque of Cordoba Contextual

before, the original was a Roman
temple for the god Janus
then, the Visigoths come in 572 and
turn it into a church
goes under Muslim rule, Umayyads
make it into a mosque
King Ferdinand conquers in 1236 and
turns into a church
Muslims face Mecca in daily prayer

Pyxis of al-Mughira Visual

pyxis is a cylindrical box used for perfume
royal ivory carving predominant in Islamic Spain
4 medallions carved on in form of figures and animals
8 loaved medallions
surrounded by animals, falconers, wrestlers, peacocks, birds, goats
shows men taking eggs from nests of falcons
falcon eggs are associated with Umayyad dynasty

Pyxis of al-Mughira Contextual

this was a gift to al Mughira
al Mughira was son of Caliph, a Muslim civil and religious ruler
not government or religious related, so figures of people is ok!
exception
show to express political power of the Umayyad Caliph since he is using figures
example of horror vacui
fear of empty spaces
deep relief
emphasizes volume of figures, etc
al Mughira is executed because he is seen as a political threat

Golden Haggadah Visual

images depict people in modern (not Pre-Christ) clothing
people were shown in current style of fashion to seem relevant to the time
more relatable
contained 56 miniature paintings (only 12 are shown here)
called Golden Haggadah due to the gold leaf background

Golden Haggadah Contextual

not Islamic, but is Jewish
in Spain during this time, Christians, Muslims, and Jews all lived together for many centuries
Haggadah is the text read during the Jewish festival of Passover
6 points of an illuminated manuscript (portable, vellum and tempera, visuals for the illiterate, teach and convert, NOT made in a scriptorium)
Hebrew text was written by Jewish scribe, but artwork was done by Europe Christian artists for hire
Passover is telling the story of the liberation of the Jewish people by God from slavery in Egypt
Israelites were led by Moses
only the wealthy Jewish owned the miniature paintings, gold paintings are expensive, also a sign of status, wealth, etc

Golden Haggadah The Plagues of Egypt Visual

boils occur (skin disease)
swarm of frogs
pestilence kills the domesticated animals
wild animals invade the city

Golden Haggadah Scenes of Liberation Visual

plague of the firstborn
Pharaoh orders the Israelites to leave
Moses parts the red sea
after the Israelites pass over the sea, the sea closes up
prevents the Egyptians from following them

Golden Haggadah Preparation for Passover Visual

getting ready for the big celebration!
cooking, eating feast, etc

Alhambra Court of Lions Visual

has water features at center
12 stone lions with a marble basin at top
arched covered patio that encircled the courtyard
slender columns supported the arched covered patio
Islamic art focuses on idea of oasis pools in Arabian deserts
spiritual paradise

Alhambra Hall of Sisters Visual

2 story hall
geometric arabesque designs without any figures
dome has muqarnas, a type of ornamental vaulting
creates a honeycomb effect
reflects the light
Islamic calligraphy was found (a fine art)

Alhambra Contextual

Nasrids are last Muslim rulers of Spain
originally built as a fortress due to increasing conflict with Christian European Monarchs
1492 was when Ferdinand and Isabella conquered the area