Early Christian, Byzantine, and Early Medieval Sculpture - AP Art History

This sarcophagus, like most extant decorative pieces from the Christian period of Roman world, is marble.

The figures are made by removing the areas around them, which is relief carving. It is high relief because the figures are carved so far away from the marble setting that they are almost free.

The figures are done in a Roman style, but reflect images of Christ and other Christian peoples, suggesting a blending of cultures.

The Christian motif is clear on the work, indicating it would have been on display in a Christian burial place. A sarcophagus would not have been placed in the ground, and this one is not pagan in nature.

The sarcophagus was made in the middle of the fourth century, just as Chrisitanity began to reshape the Roman Empire and split it into two conflicting Christian worlds.

The figures appear in a Roman style of dress and appearance, although their Christian elements, like the naked Adam and Eve, suggest it is a later Roman style.

The Corinthian columns and stylized pediment are orginially from pagan temples and would have been introduced to the Romans by the Greeks.

The work is from the middle of the fourth century and would have predated the height of Byzantium.

The columns sport the leaves of an acanthus plant, which is stylistically representative of the Corinthian order.

Junius Bassus was a powerful senator, and the owner of this work. He must have had enough wealth and influence to commission such a work for his death, and he must have been Christian to justify the imagery. He was not a Roman Emperor, and certainly not an "ancient" one, which typically refers to a period about a thousand years before Bassus lived.

Female figures have been nude almost since the beginning of figurative art. They are not new to the Romans, although they are seen less often.

Byzantine art evolved from ancient Roman art, although this transition is not superficially obvious. It is important to remember that the Byzantine Empire is at times referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire, and that the Byzantine people considered themselves to be Romans through the Fall of Constantinople in 1453. The evolution of style of Byzantine art occurred due to the fact that the Byzantine Empire and Constantinople were considered the bridge between Eastern and Western European cultures. The clash and intermingling of these cultures and religions is what created the unique style and appearance of Byzantine art.

Pilgrimage type churches housed large crowds on their journey to Compostela or other pilgrimage destinations. Thus, the churches were expanded to accommodate these crowds. The naves were extended; radiating chapels and tribunes were added to house the extra worshippers. Side aisles were doubled, and everything was built on a larger scale.

"Reliquaries" are the containers of relics, or the fragmented body parts (usually the bone(s) or bodily object(s)) of a saint or other religious figure. "Reliquaries" varied in size and shape, and could range from a small amulet containing a pinkie finger to a large box containing a leg bone. Touch relics -or objects that had come in contact with a saint or other religious figure, such as a piece of clothing- might also be held within a reliquary.

Mosaics are one of the most important legacies of Byzantine art, and remained the envy of Western European artists for centuries to come. Mosaic art included patterns, abstract symbolism, and more realistic images.

A "mandorla" is an oval of light, typically surrounding the figure of Christ. "Leviathans" (sea monsters) were sometimes depicted in Romanesque Last Judgment scenes, ready to swallow up the condemned. The vertical stone between the portal doors is called a "trumeau."

The is a sarcophagus, which is an ancient casket meant to hold the remains of the dead.

This sarcophagus, like most extant decorative pieces from the Christian period of Roman world, is marble.

The figures are made by removing the areas around them, which is relief carving. It is high relief because the figures are carved so far away from the marble setting that they are almost free.