Justinian Attendants

The style and iconography of the sarcophagus reflects the transformed status of Christianity. Before the time of Constantine, the picture of Christ was never used directly by important members of the Roman Emperor. In this sarcophagus, Christ represented directly and delivered from Roman Imperial Art perspective. Peter

On the lower half is an organization of geometric forms. However, the most important mosaic is the representation of Emperor Justinian and Emprise Theodora. Justinian is presented holding a bowl of Eucharistic bread as Theodora carries a chalice or vessel of Eucharistic wine. Due to the orientation of these figures and the ones that surrounds them, it could be suggested that they represent bringing Eucharistic elements into the church. Perhaps even as an offering to christ which is reinforced by the three magi bearing gifts on Theodora's rob.

Byzantine Emperor Justinian was the bold architect of a revitalized Byzantine Empire that would leave a lasting legacy for Western Civilization. As much of Europe entered the Dark Ages, Justinian 's vision of a restored Roman Empire would reverse the decline of the Byzantine Empire and lay a firm foundation that would allow the Byzantine Empire to survive for centuries to come.

1. The Christ as the Good Shepherd mosaic located on the entrance wall of the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia in Ravenna, Italy was made circa 425 AD. A mausoleum is a monumental tomb, usually meant for entombing the dead above ground. The mosaic is displayed in a lunette-a semi-circular wall of a vaulted room. Even though the image of Christ as the Good Shepherd was a common one in catacombs in previous centuries, the way that Christ was shown in art had changed since Christianity had been adopted as Rome's official religion and the image of Christ in the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia was no different. Previously Christ had been shown as a simple carpenter, but in the Christ as the Good Shepherd mosaic he is shown in a fine Roman wear. At the time, Greeks thought that they could create order within their environments and thus create statues that were "perfect." This is what they believed they were doing with the way Christ was shown in the mosaic at the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia; creating a more worldly, powerful image of Christ. Christ is shown with a large golden nimbus (halo), a royal purple mangle over a golden tunic and holding a tall cross. Also depicted in the mosaic at the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia is a set of three sheep on each side of Christ, with him touching one on the nose.

Justinian, whose name was Petrus Sabbatius, was born in 483 C.E. to farmers in the Roman province of Illyria. He may have been in his teens when he came to Constantinople. Under the sponsorship of his mother's brother, Justin, Petrus acquired a superior education. However, thanks to his Latin background, he evidently always spoke Greek with a notable accent. At this time, Justin was a highly-ranked military commander, and Petrus was his favorite nephew. The younger man climbed the social ladder with a hand up from the older, and he held several important offices. Justinian arranged to marry Theodora, thereby acquiring an important helpmate and also giving his age one of its most striking personalities. The reign of Justinian was significant in many ways.

This paper will analyze the iconography of the mosaic, Good Shepherd (lunette, Oratory of Galla Placidia, c. 425-26, Ravenna, Italy), that is located on the lunette over the north doorway of the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, Ravenna. The iconography has been one of the most recognized and admired works of art since the 3rd century AD. In the mosaic, the artists present a depiction of Christ symbolic and traditional of Byzantine art during the conversion of Christianity in Roman provinces.

Justinian Mosaic is a Byzantine mosaic located in the apse of San Vitale, Ravenna in 540 AD. It was made from gold and glass mosaic tesserae. The artists painted or covered the glass with gold first and then pressed into the plaster background. The artists manipulated the space which was to utilize the illumination of the candles in the church to cause the sparkle of the glass. The overall looking of this piece is luxurious and magnificence. In this piece, Justinian is surrounded by his priests and his military. He is placed in the center of the whole piece, wearing jewelry-crown, jewelry-accessory and gold cloths with a halo behind his head. He offers a gift called Pater which contains the bread used for the Eucharist would be held. The main

The Justinian and Attendants is a mosaic which was created by an unknown artist in the Byzantine period dating back to 547 CE. The work measures 8' 8" X 12' and is located in Ravenna, Italy inside the Church of San Vitale. This landscape format mosaic depicts an outdoor scene with eleven figures that are at least partially visible, if not entirely visible, within the scene. The figures are all very different from the stocky large-headed figures in the art of the 4th and 5th centuries. These figures are all very tall, however; they all have eye-levels that are more or less precisely the same. Their bodies are slim, faces are all fairly similar and they all have petite feet. The figure in the middle wears a crown and appears to be holding a basket, while the figure directly to the right is holding a cross in his right hand, the one to his right is cradling

The book The Clash of Gods: A Reinterpretation of Early Christian Art reevaluates fundamental pieces of Late Antiquity art, facing off with what author Thomas F. Mathews dubs the “Emperor Mystique,” an inclination to link images of Christ in this period to imperial iconography. In the first chapter, author Thomas Mathews makes a lofty claim: Late Antiquity art blanketed under the Emperor Mystique must be reassessed since art historians have tawdrily abused the theory to oversimplify Jesus’ iconographic identity. The author structures his chapter one argument into three points. First, he criticizes the idea of an unbroken art narrative consisting of a gradual flow from pagan art to Christian art, resulting in the Emperor Mystique mix of imagery as a key transition point. Then, he considers the Emperor Mystique’s prevalence in Late Antiquity. Finally, he moves on to the art historians chiefly responsible for the theory—Ernst Kantorowicz, Andreas

The composition is built on the simple geometry of a pyramid, common among Renaissance artworks. The viewer’s attention is drawn immediately to Christ not only because He is located in the center, but the empty spaces surrounding him also serve as an emphasis. In addition, it gives off a sense of loneliness and isolation, knowing He is about to be betrayed. The twelve apostles are separated into four groups of three, with Christ as the central axis. Leonardo Da Vinci maintained the balance and symmetry within the space of the pyramid, dividing the four groups of apostles equally on both sides. The linear placement of the groups of apostles provides a balance and prevents overemphasis and attention on the center.

This was the beginning of Justinian’s famous rule, which lasted from 527 A.D. through 565 A.D. (The Reign of Justinian). The reign of

The Christ Pantocrator, the base is made of a special wood board., In this Mosaic art, numerous materials are used to developed colors, styles and outlines, mostly, small pieces of painted stone. The artist of this piece of work also used a lot of rare minerals, colored glass, handmade tiles, and/or seashells. Just like in this painting, blemish types of technique painting was used in many of the Byzantine arts. The artist will normally start with geographical lines, into the gesso, or paint the lines, taking special care of detailing with the facial features to get the right emotions. The wood is covered with the plaster and the image is formed by arranging small colored stone or glass pieces and affixing them to a hard, stable surface

When examining and comparing The Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius and Justinian as world conqueror it is important to examine the iconography and visual motifs of both pieces before comparing and contrasting them. The Equestrian Statue of Marcus is an example of a Imperial Roman made from gilded bronze, and Justinian as world conqueror is a panned from the Barberini ivory which is a diptych from the Byzantine Empire

Leonardo’s scientific studies resulted in the paintings of rocks, plants, light and atmosphere. We can see hills, fields and the sky in the tree windows behind Christ. This is in a classical style, shown by the coffered ceiling which was introduced by ancient Greek and Romans and re-introduced again by Alberti. The orthogonals run from the coffered ceiling, the table and windows and from the disciples and their gestures which all then centres on Christ. The use of foreshortening in this painting is to emphasize the drama of the scene and to keep the figures in harmonious groups. As we can see on the third figure on the right, St Philip tries to deny that he would be the betrayer and to show this, his arm is foreshortened. While St Matthew, the fourth figure on the right, has his arms outflung which was made by foreshortening. This gesture was to help portray his horror, as well as his mouth opened talking to the 3 men to the left of him. There are other gestures that helped depict the idea of betrayal, as we can see on the left side of the painting where St Peter whispers to St. John’s ear while pushing Judas forward. All these gestures lead the viewers’ attention to the centre, where Christ is positioned. Behind Jesus, we can see the window where the natural light comes in which frames Christ’s head, like a halo. Christ’s position in the centre allowed him to be in front of the three windows, which symbolizes the Trinity. As well as that, we can see that he

walls, there are paintings of the Life of the Virgin. On the bottom of the walls there are images of the seven ecumenical councils. The song “The Last Judgement” is painted on the west wall. Numerous figures of martyrs are painted on the pillars, and there are also many icons. There used to be an icon of “Our Lady of Vladimir,” but later on the icon was moved to St. Basil’s Cathedral so it wouldn’t be stolen because it was so expensive. There are icons of the Virgin Hodegetria, Saint George, Trinity. There is a large iconostasis, which is a screen bearing icon that separates the sanctuary from the nave, that occupies the whole wide wall of the cathedral.