Ancient Rome, Early Christian, Byzantine Flashcards
Define mosaic and tesserae.
Tesserae - chunks of stone w/ tinted colors.
Mosaic - a picture or pattern produced by arranging together small colored pieces of hard material, such as stone, tile, or glass.
Define pendentives.
Dome with its sides shaved off creating triangular corners (= supporting arches). Smaller dome sits on top to add more height. Entire arched structure sits atop a square base.
Define agnuit.
Tiny stones added into concrete.
What style and images characterize Byzantine architecture, mosaics and icons?
The architecture of the Byzantine Empire was based on the great legacy of Roman formal and technical achievements.
Images of Jesus Christ and Mary, and the angels and saints characterize the Byzantine icons.
Exclusively concerned with Christian art, though derived (in particular) from techniques and forms of Greek and Egyptian art, this style spread to all corners of the Byzantine empire, where Orthodox Christianity flourished.
Define iconoclasm.
“breaking of icons” because venerating icons violated 2nd commandment (“Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the
earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth”); destruction of religious images for fear that people were worshipping images as god-like.
Define icon.
from the Greek ikones (statutes of athletes) mentioned by Pliny, but in the Christian epoch the term refers to a painting of sacred people that viewers prayed to or venerated.
Define iconoclasts.
destroyer of icons.
Define iconophiles.
worshippers of icons; people who valued icons and opposed their destruction.
Mosaics from San Vitale (church), Ravenna, Italy, 547 CE
Big shift from Roman floor mosaics (dull, colored stones) -> Byzantine mosaics on wall (bright, golden stones). 2 aspects of power - secular and egalitarian (spiritual).
Mosaic of Emperor Justinian: halo behind head = saint-like; holding round case supposedly to hold bread (body of Christ); guards on left = secular; bishops (Maximianus) on right = egalitarian; Bishop is the governor; Justinian consecrated the church; The round shield has a pattern of Christ’s monogram; created Justinian code = justice system/law.
Mosaic of Empress Theodora: halo behind head = saint-like; dressed in purple/jewels = color of royalty/power; holding large chalice with wine (blood of Christ); fountain on left symbolizes baptism = egalitarian; retinue on right = secular.
Byzantine icon of Virgin and Child between Sains Theodore and George, early 7th c.
Virgin Mary sits on throne of wisdom. St. George on right (in red) and St. Theodore on left (in white) - both warrior saints. 2 angels in the back looking up to divine hands. Gold leaf hammered onto wood panel with encaustic image on top.
Hagia Sophia, Constantinople, Turkey, 532-537 CE
“Church of sacred wisdom.” Built by geometricians Isidorus of Miletus + Anthemius of Tralles. Utilizes pendentives and mosaics.
Sarcophagus of Junius Bassus, Rome, 359 CE
Sculptural Christian art focused on legibility; naturalism fell away. People portrayed with big heads and squashed bodies.
Detail of top left scene = story of Abraham almost sacrificing son Isaac -> sacrifice of lamb.
Detail of top center scene = Christ sitting on top of Roman God to show superiority; seated with Saints Peter and Paul.
Fresco from Catacomb of Saints Peter and Marcellino, 300 CE
On ceiling. Image of Christ (The Good Sheperd) at center with images of the Story of Jonah, the Story of Orants, etc. radiating four points from center.
Old Saint Peter’s Church, Rome, 319 CE
basilica structure. clear entrance with steps. large open garden area in front. large inner seating in back.
What are the Byzantine icons like and why did they lead to periods of iconoclasm?
Icons (from the Greek eikones) are sacred images representing the saints, Christ, and the Virgin, as well as narrative scenes such as Christ’s Crucifixion. They could be ranged in size from miniature to monumental.
The Iconoclastic debate centered on the appropriate use of icons in religious veneration, and the precise relationship between the sacred personage and his/her image. Fear that the viewer misdirected his/her veneration toward the image rather than to the holy person represented in the image lay at the heart of this controversy. Old Testament prohibitions against worshipping graven images (Exodus 20:4) provided one of the most important precedents for Byzantine Iconoclasm. The immediate causes for this crisis have been hotly contested by scholars. Among the many suggested causes are the rise of Islam and the emperor’s desire to usurp religious authority and funds.
