The Justinian and Theodora Mosaics
Title of work: The Emperor Justinian and His Attendants, San Vitale, Ravenna, Italy c. 547
Name of artist: Byzantine artists.
Date created: between 544 and 546. It was completed in 546 CE.
Current Location and provenance of work:
the reign of Emperor Justin marked the end of the Roman Empire, and that is when the Byzantine Empire started. Justinian’s general took over the town of Ravenna, and its arts mostly portray the transition from the Early Christian Rule to the Byzantine style. The art is found at one of the most spectacular buildings in Ravenna, which is the Church of San Vitale. The church had been dedicated to San Vitalis, considering it was the place he had suffered martyrdom at. For various reasons, the church was seen as the spiritual head of Ravenna. Its decorations are among the most monumental pieces of art from the medieval period.
The church is exceptional, considering the high complexity it has and the rich diversity it gives to the different visitors that visit the church. From the windows, the arches, and the glittering mosaics, the church has been exceptionally built, and the glowing marble just produces a sumptuous effect on the building. Mosaics’ interior of the church creates some form of uniformity and matches the theme, which is the justification off the ruling of the Justinian empire. The central mosaic depicts Christ, who extends his glory to Saint Vitalis and Bishop Ecclesius, who had begun the construction of the Church. The mosaic of Justinian and his attendants is found to the left of the Mosaic of Christ. Directly across, it is the mosaic of Empress Theodora and her attendants. Empress Theodora was Justinian’s spouse and his most trusted advisor.
Techniques and media
Byzantine mosaics are mostly made of glass, stone, ceramic, and tesserae. It was during this period that the artists began to include other materials such as precious stones and gold to perfect the art.
- Size or dimensions of the work the overall dimensions of the painting is 104 inches or 264.2 cm in length, 144 inches or 365.8 cm in width and 5inches, and 12.7 cm in height.
- Style or Movements associated with the work
the portraits have been placed in the lower walls of the church facing each other across the space of the apse. On the northern side of the wall, Justinian’s image has been placed at the center against the neutral green and gold ground. Justinian is seen carrying a gold paten and the sartorial insignia of his office. There is also the presence of the diadem, purple chlamys, and a gold tablion as well as the jewel-encrusted red boots. The members of the clergy are standing to the left. In the far left, two of his attendants are wearing white, and the deacon’s robes are marked with clavus. The two are seen carrying objects meant for the eucharist celebration as well as a censer and codex studded with a gem.
Standing to the left of the emperor, Justinian is Bishop Maximian, who is seen carrying a jeweled processional cross. Members of the imperial court are standing right behind the emperor and are dressed in white robes as well. The soldiers are also standing behind with large green shields that have decorated with labarum. The insignia has also been used as a monogram for Christ’s name Hayes, A. (2008).
on the other side of the apse, the pendant has been used to portray the empress and other members of her household. The empress herself, Theodora can be identified by the nimbus, crown as well as the purple chlamys. She is placed at the center of the image and is carrying a chalice in her right hand. All the ladies in the picture can be identified by their different costumes and pose. On her right side, there are two courtiers. One is wearing a white garment while the other is in gold and purple and is raising his arm towards the doorway beckoning empress Theodora to pass.
Rectangular borders hold the images while each individual in the image is placed in a frontal manner and appears to be static. Little emphasis is placed on the physical weight and bulkiness of the individuals. The bodies also overlap and are placed ambiguously, and the style used can be said to be a period style. The only difference between the two portraits is that in the Justinian portrait, the images have been placed on the neutral ground. In contrast, in the Theodora portrait, the images have been placed on an elaborate backdrop.
As far as composition is concerned, the images in the Justinian portrait appear to be bigger as compared to those in Theodora’s portrait. This makes the image on the emperor’s painting to be more dominating while the other appears to be delicate and thus occupy the middle ground. The men also wear simple garments that are alike with a limited color while the ladies have different poses, different garments that have more colors. This brings a rhythm that breaks the visual field and gives a contrast when compared to Justinian’s panel. The contrast is mostly brought about by the contrast in severity and elaboration. The differences are mostly brought about by the different sexes and fashion. the lack of variety in Justinian’s panel was purposeful and can be said to be in the form of a visual analogy.
Noteworthy Information about the work
Justinian played a significant role in world history. Besides the focus on mosaic art, Justinian was also known to be a great architect, and his parents were Slavic. Justinian as later adopted by his uncle Justin I, who was the emperor of Constantinople. His uncle later made him a co-ruler, and he took over as a sole emperor when his uncle died. the mosaic art was created as visual Christian imagery to establish the authority and legitimacy of emperor Justinian’s rule. Justinian is depicted as a wise ruler with a dignified demeanor. Several symbols are used to show his divine right to rule, his association with Christ as well as authority over the Byzantium empire. Th placement of his feet and arms are also used to emphasize his importance.
The portraits also include the depiction of Christ in the apse attended by the angels, Vitalis, who is the church’s saint, the evangelists, prophets, and other old testament narratives. These portraits were completed in around 544 and 545. It is, however, important to note that recent autopsy reveals that recent adjustments have been made the portraits immediately after they had been completed. The specific adjustments that could have been made include the reconfiguration of the bishop’s head as well as the dignitary standing between the emperor and the bishop. The fact that his name is inscribed on his forehead was aimed at making his identification easier. The lower part of his body had not been altered since it has been made with the same glass paste tesserae that had been used for the other hands in the panel.
Considering these alterations were made in the next phase, the bishop’s garb that was originally in the picture might have belonged to the earlier bishop of Ravenna.
Maximian’s immediate predecessor was Victor. The most likely reason for Maximian altering the mosaic was to establish his authority in Ravenna. His insecurities stemmed from the fact that the archbishop had been barred from entering the city after he objected to supporting the Justinian’s edict of the Three Chapters. The alterations thus communicated that Maximian was being backed up by the emperor, Theodora, as well as the chief officers of Justinian.
The six court figures that appear must also belong to a group of close associates to Justinian and Theodora. They also might have had some influence in Ravenna. Maximian also qualifies to appear considering Justinian had appointed him, and he was the one who had finished building and decorating that particular church of San Vitale. Other figures that could be identified is to the emperor’s right and Theodora’s left. These are people who belonged to the second rank and could be the commander in chief of Italy Belisarius and his wife, Antonina. This is mostly accurate because Belisarius was the only commander between 540 and 545 (Folgerø 2009).
A close examination of the Mosaic art shows the ambiguity in the positing of Justinian and Maximian. The images are slightly overlapped, and Justinian appears to be closer to the viewer. Still, a closer analysis shows that Maximian’s feet are on the lower lane of the picture, meaning that he is closer to the viewer as compared to Justinian. This indicates the tension that existed between the emperor’s authority and the church. The mosaics of San Vitale was centered on religious and political concerns.
Other analyses of the portraits claim that visual imagery has been used because Theodora was dead at the time of the painting. The fact that she was about to pass through the doorway is symbolic and shows the transition from one life to the next. Just like other symbolic arts, the mosaics were produced specifically for a certain occasion, and its significance is intended only for that occasion.
Subject Matter or Content, and Message of the work
The mosaic art serves as a representative of one of the complete mosaics that is still surviving to date. Interestingly, it was created during an exciting period of historical circumstances. The Justinian and Theodora procession has been made to depict a visual movement to partake the eucharist. Emperor Justinian is holding the golden bowl while the empress is holding the golden cup that carries the wine. These two are symbolic while taking the eucharist. Even though the two mosaics appear similar, Theodora is standing in another part of the atrium waiting to be led by the emperor’s procession. An attendant is beckoning her to pass through the doorway. The fact that she is outside symbolizes the fact that the emperor has more powers (Bassett 2008).
The mosaics have thus been made to follow the ceremonial protocol.
The mosaic of Emperor Justinian symbolizes his dual power as both the head of the state and the head of the church. This has been depicted by placing the emperor in the center of the mosaic, which also emphasizes him as the most crucial figure while the rest are his attendants. It also portrays his domination in the Byzantine Empire. The fact that it was also placed next to the Christ mural and that they appear united visually. It is symbolical that they both wear purple, as well as their halos, are the same. While 12 disciples have only accompanied Christ, the emperor is accompanied by a dozen attendants. This underscores the two roles of the Byzantine empire, which are both religious and political.
Another significance of the art is the fact that it was placed at San Vitale, although both Theodora and Justinian had never visited Ravenna. Their participation, as depicted by the image, is merely fictional and had never happened. It is also because the mosaics are mostly used as proxies for absent leaders. The emperor was only placed in the church to demonstrate that he was the head of the Byzantine Empire, and his presence was used to illustrate the fact that his authority also spread beyond his territories to the west. Theodora’s presence is also amusing and portrayed her superiority and unique position in Justinian’s leadership. Her presence in San Vitale also showed that her power extended beyond Constantinople up to Ravenna. Usually, when such a procession by a ruler entered the city, the people would come out to show respect to the ruler.
In the broader sense, the images are seen to glorify the imperial autocracy not only in Italy but in the whole world. At this particular time, emperor Justinian was expanding his territories and had already acquired the eastern Mediterranean. Apart from Theodora and Justinian and Maximian, the rest of the images in the picture are precisely unidentifiable besides the two or three suggestions that have been made. The pictures also attempt to depict the relationship between the royal couple, Maximian, the church, Italy, and the whole world. It is important to note that the Maximian held a prominent position after the emperor and can be identified clearly in the portraits (Andreescu-Treadgold & Treadgold 1997).
These mosaics can also be said to celebrate the victories of Christ as well as those of the emperor. It also portrays that the emperor has a share in Christ’s power and that Justinian’s imperial authority is minimized as compared to that of the Bishop. Despite the panel giving the bishop some control, it is contradictory since he is not given a chance to lead the procession and is instead driven by Justinian. The fact that the emperor’s elbow overlaps the bishop’s despite the bishop’s feet being ahead of his means that the emperor is more prominent.
Bibliography Links:
Andreescu-Treadgold, I., & Treadgold, W. (1997). Procopius and the Imperial Panels of S. Vitale. The Art Bulletin, 79(4), 708-723. doi:10.2307/3046283
Bassett, S. (2008). Style and Meaning in the Imperial Panels at San Vitale. Artibus Et Historiae, 29(57), 49-57. Retrieved March 16, 2020, from www.jstor.org/stable/20067180
Folgerø, O. (2009). THE LOWEST, LOST ZONE IN THE ADORATION OF THE CRUCIFIED SCENE IN S. MARIA ANTIQUA IN ROME: A NEW CONJECTURE. Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes, 72, 207-219. Retrieved May 1, 2020, from www.jstor.org/stable/4059376
Hayes, A. (2008). Echoes of Medieval Women in an Early Byzantine Church: The Basilica of San Vitale, Ravenna, Sunday, 6 July 2008. Anglican and Episcopal History, 77(4), 429-437. Retrieved March 16, 2020, from www.jstor.org/stable/42612845