Spolia from Constantine to Charlemagne: Aesthetics versus Ideology Flashcards
What is Spolia?
It is derived from the Latin “spolium,” which means “removed hide of an animal” and, in a more general sense, “a soldier’s booty” or “spoils of war”
Currently it means: the reused parts of
architectural constructions that are taken from a demolished building
What does the author mean by a cannibal with Spolia?
When someone removes part of a building, they resemble a cannibal
They do this to acquire their destroyed enemies strength (so destroy and repurpose a building resembling them)
- He does this for ideological reasons
ideology plays a far
greater role with cannibals than aesthetics, and thus we have reached our theme.
Why is this referred to as “ideology without text”?
None of the architects of Early Christian and medieval times explained why they reused construction materials from destroyed buildings.
In other words, there are no texts clarifying the ideology of despoliation (plundering)
So we are assuming their ideology without explicit confirmation from them (without text)
Two main reasons for Spolia use? (Deichmann)
- The change in aesthetic attitudes
- increasing economic weakness of late Antiquity
How does Krautheimer interpret the spolia of roman churches?
proof of a “renascence of classical antiquity”
What are the two new points on Spolia the author introduces?
- the problem of the origins of despoliation in the era of Constantine
- transport of spolia over long distances as opposed to the local reuse of construction materials.
When was the Lateran Basilica started?
313
Why was the Lateran Basilica started?
an ex-voto ( religious offering given in order to fulfill a vow)
to Christ who had granted Constantine victory
Lateran Basilica was the first church and _____?
the first sacred structure built by an emperor where spolia were used extensively as part of the construction.
In the arch of Constantine, he has taken over art from previous rulers.
What is significant about the way it was constructed?
There were other talented artists in the city he could have commissioned, yet he wanted to use spolia. Spolia would not have been cheaper either.
this triumphal arch was commissioned by someone who clearly intended to use spolia. The arch, therefore, is not precipitous patchwork but a prominent monument of imperial propaganda.
What kind of statement was intended from the arch of Constantine?
Political propaganda
With this monument, as a whole, Constantine placed himself in the midst of a venerable line of Roman emperors
He Reused triumphal reliefs, remodeled to fit his person, expressed his desire for sovereign legitimacy
What purpose does the Spolia serve in the Lateran serve?
Not to show sovereign legitimacy, instead to show
a new artistic medium which by the character of tradition and time- honored norms could be transmitted to a building: a new aesthetics, operating not with the concept of the brand-new but rather with the concept of
reuse.
What is the brief summary of Spolia used in Christian basilicas?
in general, mainly for aesthetic reasons
Constantine did not bring in new art style, but Spolia instead
Started a tradition in the papal basilicas of Rome
The spolia in them are evidence of a conservative, traditional, retrospective mentality
Was Spolia easier then original works? What can this say on why he used it?
Often harder and inconvenient to work with spolia than with newly made, homogeneous building materials.
He did not use it to save money
How were people allowed to tear down old monuments to build new stuff?
Did this apply when building S. Sabina?
Usually exclusively by order of the emperor, but after Constantine, people were not granted permission exclusively by emperors and kings (Private individuals and Bishops were doing that)
But S. Sabina can have been procured only by imperial consent
What does Theodoric (a king) think about art and history?
compares himself to the Roman emperors, whose building fervor he aimed to imitate
About placing paintings in on marble wall he says: “Let us not lag behind the ancients’ desire for adornment”
What does Theodoric think about Spoila?
Wants to build new stuff without “despoiling” the old
If old stuff is lying around “useless and dishonored” we should repurpose it and make it pretty again
Theodoric also requests long distance transportation of Spolia, why?
Unsure, maybe he wanted stuff specially from rome? Maybe he wanted to spread roman antiquity?
What are m Theodoric’s potential motivations in moving spolia that far? (would be super expensive)
reverence for Roman
history!
(In any event, spolia can be considered neither a cheap nor a particularly convenient material
to work with)
Is it common to find spolia in surviving buildings today?
No, it is rare
Did Charlemagne use Spoila?
Yes, he imported it from Rome and Ravenna
What was weird about Charlemagne and how he wanted to use Spoila?
- He was not authorized to import it
- He wanted to have spolia from Theodoric’s palace at Ravenna, whose building material itself, as we have seen, came from Rome
What is the Authors hypothesis on why Charlemagne wanted to repurpose Theodoric’s spolia?
bold enough to venture a hypothesis to the
effect that Charlemagne did not recognize, on his own, the Roman origin of the spolia in Theodoric’s palace, but possibly knew of their Roman origin from his reading of Cassiodorus’ Variae (compilation of letters and documents)
that is, he probably wanted to imitate Theodoric
How is Charlemagne different from Constantine and Theodoric?
In contrast to Charlemagne,
Constantine and Theodoric had used spolia for the purpose of protecting monuments
Charlemagne intended to place himself in the midst of the Roman imperial succession
