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| longitudinal floor plan church. atrium connects to the nave and apse by the narthex. the aisle follows the nave on either side, with the gallery on the second floor (an addition in later basilicas). separate secondary aisles can extend outward from the nave floor. the clerestory is a series of windows or openings at the top of the building that line the nave (and the apse in later cathedrals) |
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| headquarters of a bishop (no particular size or shape) |
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11-11 basilica: Santa Costanza
ca. 337-351
Rome
Circular basilica burial site for one of Constantine's daughters. Main chamber is a circular vaulted room where the sarcophagus was kept (center). Originally the walls would have been colorfully painted to accentuate the natural light coming in from the clerestory windows (around the vaulted ceiling). Originally part of a larger basilica that existed before the RE fell, which was rededicated. Ambulatory surrounds the center vault. |
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11-11 plan and section: Santa Costanza
ca. 337-351
Rome
sectional view is of the burial chamber to the right of the main vault (third room from the left) |
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11-9: Old Saint Peter’s Basilica
begun ca. 319
Plan and section
Rome
Built/commissioned by Constantine in Rome as he started to move the center of the HRE to Constantinople. First instance historically of a large building being built for mass worship for any organized religion (Christianity). previous basilicas were used for mostly civil purposes before this one. the long narrow space of the basilica was meant to visually/mentally signify the entrance into a house of god. post and lintel foundation. |
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11-13 ambulatory vault: Santa Costanza
ca. 337-351
mosaic
Rome
mosaic decorated roof of basilica dedicated to St. costanza. mosaics like the one decorating this space were meant to be slightly irregular, this was because in many cases, the only light in the room was a lamp or candle, so the mosaic would catch the light of the lamp and flicker with the flame. the irregular look also allowed for the blending of certain images |
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11-13 detail: Santa Costanza
ca. 337-351
ambulatory mosaics: winemaking
Rome
this ambulatory mosaic depicts child figures picking grapes and preparing them to be made into wine (wine/blood of christ was a popular iconographic reference to jesus/god in late antiquity art). the act of wine making or drinking symbolizes the Eucharist. both pagans and christians participated in the eucharist, making this scene appropriate for both religions, as they both would have been practiced at this time (syncretism: deliberate blending of belief systems/icons) Constantines daughters (for which the basilica was built) were both converted christians.
Compare the three youths squishing grapes to 11-7: JPP niche of sarcophagus of junus bassus
-both would have been built around the same time (337-359)
-both incorporate the icon of the putti, though in 11-13, they seem to be fully developed putti, with the icon of grapevines and wine
-both images portray the figures similarly: stocky, larger heads and upper bodies (this suggests some hierarchal scale of the head/mind as important)
-both images set the figures in a fairly small, compact space (11-7: the niche and 11-13: the columned hut) |
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11-19: The old farmer from Corycus, page of the Vatican Vergil
ca. 400 – 420
Tempera on parchment
1’ ½” high
Rome
the image is an illustration for a poem about working on the farm. the transition of shadows from the forefront to the background and light to dark colors show the understanding of perspective and spatial recognition. this suggests that if a work doesnt show this understanding, it is likely on purpose to express some other idea |
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11-23: Woman Sacrificing
ca. 400
Ivory diptych leaf, height 11
¾”
Rome
this diptych was likely a gift marking the marriage between two of the last powerful pagan families in rome. in the image, the altar the woman approaches is at an angle, and she appears to be mid-stride based on the way her robes are moving. this shows awareness of relative objects in a physical space. parts of the image are intentionally illusionary, indicating either some symbolism or decoration. the great detail in the womans hair, tree, etc suggest the artist was very skilled and the piece was very expensive/important. |
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11-22: Suicide of Judas and Crucifixion of Christ
ca. 420
Ivory plaque, 3 x 3 7/8”
Rome or Northern Italy
the figures in the sculpture have a very 'late empire' look to them, with blocky features and square heads. the figures are thick and broad in physique, suggesting hierarchal scale to the head and upper body. earliest surviving crucifixion image.
Compare to 11-23: diptych
-the figures in this image vs 11-23 are quite blocky and unnatural whereas the woman in the other image is mostly naturalistic
-both images are ivory sculptures
-11-22 shows little spatial perspective and the figures are quite compressed, whereas in 11-23 the figures are separated with attention to perspective and spatial recognition
-subject matter in 11-22 is more precise/explicit than 11-23
11-22, 11-23, 11-7 all have similar style (look), ivory cut 'niches' that hold figures alluding to christianity/christian practices. |
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11-10: Basilica of Santa Sabina
422-432
nave to apse
Rome
arcade: row of arches and columns
the interior of the basilica walls would have been covered with colored stones or mosaics. arcade style walls were meant to visually dissolve the wall face and make the marble shimmer in the light from the clerestory windows. an outer view of the basilica is quite plain, so it's all about the inside decorations/architecture. mosaics would also line the walls from the apse to the nave (like 11-14). columns and heads would have been taken and reused from other defunct buildings in rome. the aisle was covered (though no gallery yet) |
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11-14: Parting of Abraham and Lot
432-440
Mosaic
Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore
Rome
mosaics like this one would line the walls of basilicas leading from the nave to the apse.
shows Abraham and Lot leaving each other as Lot moved his family to Sodom. Abe is facing forward, while Lot is turned to walk away, symbolizing his depart. on Abe's side of the image, there is a sanctuary to his side and on Lot's, there is a city-further symbolism. both men are guarding their respective children, though Isaac would not have been born yet, suggesting the importance of the families to the story told in the image. The figures in the image are fairly naturalistic, similar to the diptych (11-23). there is little effort to create a sense of natural space with the buildings and church. also, there is a clear comparison of the two families with the colors used for the men and the people on either side of them.
-at this point in time, artists could choose which style (blocky or natural) they wanted to use in their images, though they had to pick one and stick with it. |
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11-1: Mausoleum of Galla Placidia
ca. 425
Ravenna, Italy.
originally part of a larger church/castle. floor plan is shaped like a cross, with a domed, vaulted roof at the intersection. |
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11-16: Christ as the Good Shepherd
ca. 425
Mosaic
Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, Ravenna
lunettes: half circle wall area
foreshortening: shape condensed to a flat surface
depicts jesus as both a shepherd (leader of men) and an important/emperor figure (king of heaven). He is shown in a pasture with a flock of sheep but is dressed in the colorful gold and purple robes that would be worn by an emperor or someone important. his seated posing reaching out to a sheep emphasizes his shepherd qualities, while the cross he holds (like a scepter) emphasizes his royal/ruler qualities
-similar style to 11-14 |
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11-1: cupola
Mausoleum of Galla Placidia,
ca. 425
Ravenna, Italy.
vaulted roof right above the space separating the 3 sarcophagi. the blue and gold are both used heavily in christian iconography. the 4 golden figures at the corners of the roof where the niches come together represent the 4 evangelists (matthew, mark, luke and john) |
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11-17: Basilica of Sant’Apollinare Nuovo
dedicated 504
Ravenna
Gothic
originally the palace church of King Theodoric, who was trying to rebuild the old RE with Gothic influences. nave to apse is similar to 11-10 (st sabina) though smaller. the clerestory windows are smaller than other basilicas in order to make more room for decorative mosaics, which run the length of the nave and even the ceiling. |
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11-18: Miracle of the Loaves & Fishes
ca. 504
Mosaic
Sant’Apollinare Nuovo, Ravenna
part of a mosaic band in the 11-17 basilica, represents the story of jesus feeding a large group of his followers with a small amount of fish and bread. the robes of jesus and the apostles suggest roman influence (they wouldnt have worn them and were likely out of style by this time ~500). use of royal colors gold and purple. though there is some overlapping (this was used to express importance of figures) each figure exists as a 2-D picture, with outlining of the figures to make them easily recognizable.
around this time, the norm in basilica mosaics began to move toward this blend of natural/cartoony figures.
-has similar style to 11-16 and 11-14, though more pictoral, portait-like |
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11-21: Christ before Pilate, page in the Rossano Gospels,
early sixth century.
Tempera on purple vellum, 11” high.
Eastern Roman Empire.
this illustration depicts jesus' sentencing to crucifixion by pilates and imprisonment by roman soldiers.
this painted illustration is another demonstration of the move of roman artists toward the blending of natural and cartoonlike depictions of figures - all the main features see mostly normal, but the body parts (legs in the bottom image, posture of jesus and the downvoting romans in the top) are fairly unnatural. the figures seem diagrammatic because of the symmetry of the images. |
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