Final Flashcards

Hagia Sophia
Constantinople (modern Istanbul)
Early Byzantine
532-537
Hagia Sophia was built during the reign of Justinian. Pendentive contruction made possible the logy dome which seems to be suspended. Penditive and Squinches transfter the weight from the great dome to the piers beneath, rather than to the walls.

Monastery of St. Catherine
Mt. Sinai, Egypt
Early Byzantine (Justinianic)
6th century
The Monastery was dedicated to the Virgin Mary and served to protect the hermit-monks and house pilgrims during their visits. Features christ pantekos, virgin and child, and the transfiguration of christ. The artist chose to create a completely gold background devoid of landscape and shadow.

Barberini Diptych showing Justinian
Constantinople (modern Istanbul)
Early Byzantine
mid-6th century
This diptych honoring classical style looks back to portraits of Roman leaders on horseback (marcus orelius). The leaders are depicted in a position of power and mercy.

San Vitale
Byzantine (Justinianic)
Ravenna
525-578
San Vitale is centrally planned like Justinian’s churches (hagia sophia). It features two concentric octagons, a dome crowns the taller, inner octagon providing clerestory lighting. San Vitale’s mosaics are proxies for the absent sovereigns (Justinian and Theodora).

Mausoleum of Santa Costanza (Constantine’s daughter)
Rome
Early Christian
ca. 338-350
Basilican church design was a favorite of the Western Christian world, but they also adopted a central-plan (building parts are of equal or almost equal dimensions around the center). This structure was a tomb for Constantine’s daughter. Roman architecture such as the Pantheon influenced this type of building. It has a brick exterior and many of the mosaics that decorated the interior are now lost.

Ivory diptych of the Nicomachi and Symmachi: Priestess celebrating rites of Bacchus
Rome
Early Christian
ca. 400
Exhibits the endurance of pagan themes and patrons and the classical style. The ivory either commemorates the marriage of the two prominent families or the passing of members within the family. The woman is sacrificing at an altar and the imagery focuses on the idealized human beauty.

Sarcophagus of Junius Bassus
Rome
Early Christian
ca. 359 AD
Wealthy Christians favored elaboratly decorated sarcophogi. Features scenes of Old Testament instead of faces of the deaceased.

Catacomb of Saints Peter and Marcellinus
Rome
Early Christian
early 4th century
Catacomb painting mixed old and new testament themes. Jonah was a popular subject because he prefigured Christ Resurrection. Christians had to be buried outside of city’s walls on private property.

Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, Lunette: Good Shepherd
Early Christian
Ravenna
425-426
Christ lead sheep (souls) into heaven.

House-Church (Domus Ecclesiae) of Dura Europos
Dura Europos, Syria
Early Christian
ca. 240-256
A private residence remodeled into a Christian community house. The hall had a raised platform at the end where the leader of the congregation stood. Another room was meant for baptism. It was a modest house compared to those of Roman temples since Christianity was not yet approved by the state.

Sarcophagus with philosopher, Jonah, Baptism and orant
Rome
Early Christian
ca. 270
Depicts the salvation of Jonah, Christ as the GOod Shepherd and the baptism of Christ. Featured motifs borrowed directly from contemporary pagan sarcophogi. The black faces were to be filled in as the faces of the deceased.

Old St. Peter’s
Rome
begun by Constantine
Early Christian
ca. 320-337
Erected by Constantine, the first imperial patron of Chistianity. The buildings plan resembles those of Roman basilicas, not pagan temples. Wide central nave, flanking aisles and an apse.

Santa Sabina
Early Christian
Rome
422-432

Paintings from the Synagogue of Dura Europos
Dura Europos, Syria
Jewish/Early Christian
ca. 245-256
Converted private house with a central courtyard. The sacred Torah is at the center of one long wall adorned with paintings depicting Old and New Testament scenes. Portrays different narrative scenes from biblical history. The Torah shrine is in the middle with wall murals all around. God does not appear in the paintings except for his hand. These paintings are not as interested in a sense of space and depth. The facial expressions are emotionless and the figures often stand in frontal rows. Compare to Bishop Bernward Doors.

Merovingian Brooches
Jouy-le-Comte, France
Migrations
mid-6th century
Part of a larger collection of the jewelry from when Merovingian Kings ruled France today. They were buried with a wealthy Merovingian woman. They resemble the plain fibule in the apse mosaic of San Vitale in Ravenna. These fibulae were emblems of office and prestige.

Chi Rho Iota Page, from Book of Kells
Migrations (Hiberno-Saxon)
ca. 800
Described as the greatest achievment of Hiberno-Saxon art. The painter transformed the biblical text into abstract pattern, literally making God’s words beautiful. The intricate design recalls early medieval metalwork (fibulae and purse lid).

Doorway panels from Parish Church at Urnes
Urnes, Norway
Migrations
ca. 1050-70
Even though much of Scandinavia had become Christian, Viking artistic traditions persisted. This is evident in the decorations of the door panels that feature elongated animal forms entertwining with plants in spirals.

Cross page and page with St. Matthew, from Lindisfarne Gospels
Migrations (Hiberno-Saxon)
ca. 698-721
An example of the combination between early medieval abstraction and Early Christian art. The ornamental patterning is much more intricate than that of The Book of Durrow. The exquisite patterns are held in check by the all important symbol of imported religion.

Page with Man (Frontispiece to Matthew), from Gospel Book of Durrow
Migrations (Hiberno-Saxon)
ca. 660-680
The Book of Durrow combines the abstraction of early medieval personal adornments with Early Christrian pictoral imagrey. Each page is dedicated to the evangelist who wrote the gospel. Compare to purse lid and fibulae of Suton Hoo Ship Burial.

Oseberg ship burial
Oseberg, Norway
Migrations
ca. 800
A great wooden ship that exemplifies how the Vikings were master wood carvers. The post combines in one composition the head of a roaring beast with surface ornamentiation in the form of tightly interwoven writing animals.

Purse lid from Sutton Hoo ship burial
Sutton Hoo, England
Migrations
ca. 615-25
One of the many treasures found in the Sutton Hoo ship burial. The combinaton of abstract interlace ornament with animal figures is the hallmark of early medieval art in western Europe.

Anastasis fresco, from funerary chapel of the Monastery of the Chora (Kariye Camii)
Constantinople (modern Istanbul)
Late Byzantine
ca. 1315-1321
Christ is depicted as a white appartition surrounded by blue mandorla as he raises adam and even a one, smooth, graceful motion. Byzantine artists were not concerned ith the systematic observation of material nature. The source of their visions were unconventional spiritual world unsusceptible to change.

Crucifixion mosaic, from Church of the Dormition
Daphni, Greece
Middle Byzantine
ca. 1090-1100
Combination of Hellenistic (emotional) style and the ore abstract Byzantine. The Virgin Mary and Saint John point to Christ as if a devotional object. Christ is displayed with a sagging body curved like an S. Not overtly in pain though blood and water spurt from his wounds.

Christ Pantokrator mosaic, from Church of the Dormition
Daphni, Greece
Middle Byzantine
ca. 1090-1100
The image of Christ gazes down from the central dome of the building. Pantokrator means ruler of all, applied to Christ in his role as Last Judge of humankind. It is like a giant icon that serves to connect the worshipper with Heaven through Christ. Below are hierarchical scenes from the New Testament.













































































