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Writer's pictureVineet Puranik

AP Art History: Early Christian & Byzantium Lecture Notes


Late Antique and Early Christian Art


Christian Iconography - Starts with the old testament


Old Testament


Adam and Eve- Eve is tempted by a snake to eat the fruit from a tree, convinces Adam to do the same thing, covered themselves,


Moses and The Ten Commandments - Israelite, in Egpyt, Israelites moved to Egypt during the famine, Moses was saved by mother because Pharoah decided that there were too many newborns, put in a basket and floated in the Nile, grew up as a second son to the Pharoah, Ramses is the brother of Moses, Ten Commandments given to Moses from God, rays of light from the head, horns, white beard


The sacrifice of Isaac - Isaac’s father is Abraham, Abraham and his wife had no children for a long time, his wife is really old, Sara will have a baby magically which makes no sense, Isaac is born, Ishmael is the second son, Isaac is the legitimate son of Abraham, Abraham takes Isaac into mountains and is about to sacrifice him, but an angel stops him, sacrifices a lamb instead, Isaac is a prefiguration of Christ, prefiguration represents something that happened to Christ


Jonah and the Whale - Prefiguration of god, receives word from God, but decides not to spread it, hides from the voice of a god, jumps on a fishing boat and leaves into the Mediterranean, thrown overboard and swallowed by a whale, decides to listen to god, spends three days in the whale


David & Goliath - David is youngest son, instead of batting, 2 best warriors are pitted against one another, Goliath is chosen and is extremely ripped, David volunteers but is a Shepard with not that much experience, good with a slingshot, stones are good, David smacks Goliath int he faces with a slingshot, David decapitates him


David and the Lion’s Den - Daniel is in the fertile crescent, put in a den full of lions that aren’t fed anything but humans, put in because he doesn’t want to renounce his religion, an angel is sent and closes the mouth of all lions


The judgment of Solomen - King of Israelites prior to David, wise king, 1 woman had a dead baby while the other had a live baby, both claim that the live baby is theirs, one woman says to not do it, the one who doesn’t want the baby to die reaches out the island is the real one


Judith and Holofernes - invading army that is attacked Israelites, Judith is beautiful, Judith sneaks into camp to seduce general, gets him drunk, decapitated by Judith and takes Holofernes head to the Israelites


New Testament - starts with Jesus


Annunciation to Mary - told she is pregnant even though she is a virgin, Mary is often surrounded by innocence, lily of the valley, the angel tells her, tells Joseph who freaks out, god talks to Joseph as well, cousin is pregnant with John the Baptist, governor of Israel wanted to take a census, this required everyone to go to the city of Husband, this is Bethlehem, Jesus is born in the staples, King Herod was a puppet king


Presentation in the temple


Flight to Egypt - Jesus and his parent’s leave to Egypt


Baptized by John the Baptist - believes in starting over, which is baptism


3 is the number of days in which Jesus is dead


Raises Lazarus from dead


12 apostles


Peter tries to walk on water


If the house wasn’t marked, the son would be sucked


The Last Supper shows Jesus with Apostles, announce that this is the last dinner, one will betray him, Peter would betray him, wine is his blood


First Communion


Barabus is a bad guy


Jesus doesn’t claim he the son of god, then crucified, nails drilled through him, cross, Jesus and Nazareth, the crown of thorns



St. Matthew is an angel


Reconstruction of Christian Community House - Dura Europos, Syria - ca. 240 - 256 - Christians no accepted by Romans because Romans were polytheistic, early Christians couldn’t practice is a temple or Jewish synagogue, houses were hidden or underground, one of the first areas in the civil war, a house converted to a Christian house of worship, the room turned into the meeting hall, baptistry has well of water where baptism happens


Baptistery from Christian Community House - Dura Europos, Syria, ca. 240 - 256, tempera paintings, Christ Healing the Paralytic and Christ Walks on Water, Christ heals paralyzed dude, Jesus, and Peter walking on water like some jet skis


Catacomb showing Ioculi - Rome - 3rf-4th centuries, built down in tufa, loculi are chambers that are carved into the sidewall, these chambers are where the bodies would go, outskirts of town, miles of catacombs with up to 4 million Christian bodies, on private property


Story of Jonah - Catacomb of Pietro and Marcellino, Rome, Italy, early 4th century, fresco, Jesus represented as a Shepard, Christianity steals from other cultures, Orants figure is apraying figure, has his arms out spread and is looking up at presence of god, center are of shepard is a the center medallion, lunet is half moon,


Sarcophagus with Old and New Testment Scenes- from Roma, Italy, ca. 270, marble, bottom left shows Jonah and whale, above are lambs, calf-bearer, orants figure, scholar, some heads are unfinished, late Roman style is the plebians tyle, same thing in sarcophagus


Sarcophagus of Junius Bassus - from Rome Italy, ca. 359, marble, adam and eve, entrance into Jerusalem, influenced by Roman styles and are typical of Roman artists, changed to match Christian iconography, Christ Enthroned


Christ Enthroned - ca. 350 - 375, marble, dressed like philosopher, dressed like someone who is intelligent and is high standing


Old Saint Peters Basilica - Rome, Italy, ca. 320, before crucifixion he asked to be curicifed upside down so that it didnt seem like Jesus death?tfff built bu Constantine, Constantine built this church, first are is an Atrium, separation of space, stairs, walk into vestibular, center area is nave, areas on side are side isles, repurposes into religious building, semicuricular area is apse, chancel arch separates apse from the nave, trancept is an arm that crosses in a perpendicular to nave, nave arcade, separate baptistry, Baldacchino is a canopy that marks where the holiest place is, high priest would enter there, Narthex


Santa Sabina - Rome, Italy, ca. 422 - 432, plan is bullet-shaped, nave, chancel arch, apse, nave arcade, clerestory in top, series of indies that let in light, early churches are easy to pick out, one side isle, flat wooden woof, decorative floor, spandrel has Christanography, 12 disciples on the chancel arch, many Chrisitans were illiterate, Didactic, images taught the bible


Santa Costanza - Rome, Italy, ca. 337 - 351, central plan church, popular wiht Byzantine structures, originally a Mosoleum and held dead vody of Constantina, Isle around nave, clerestory in middle, allows light only in middle, lacked sculptural decoration, Ambulatorry, aide isles have arches, barrel vaults are decorated, small windows, tessera mosaic, small pieces of glass, decorated using traditional romans style decoration, vines. Christanography, harvesting of grapes to make wine

Christ as Sol Invictus - from the Mausoleum of the Julii - Rome, Itay, late 3rd century, tessera mosaic, Christ as Apollo, pulled in chariot, halo, cross, beams of light from the head, individual tessere, gold, extremely expensive


Santa Maria Maggiore - Rome, Italy, 432- 440, tessera mosaic, head group, Drowning of the Egyptians in the Red Sea, Israelites are shown in Roman Clothes, color is placed and not blended, Mosese out staff in the Red Sea and split in half like freaking goat, staff drowns all Egyptian army, shield floating, horses butt, soldiers and warriors in Sea, Hospitality of Abraham, after she has Isaac becomes Sarah, 3 guests are angels, continuous narrative, Abraham talking to Sara, gives food to guests


Mausoleum of Galla Placidia - Ravenna, Italy, ca. 425, the hand of God, light reflects of the tessera, glowing interior space, cruciform


Christ as the Good Shephard - from the entrance wall of the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, Ravenna, Italy, ca. 425, tessera mosaic, Christianity repurposing the calf bearer, only rich people could wear purple fabric, waves that separate lunate, vaulted barrel vault, marks tomb,


Dome Mosaic of Heaven - Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, Ravenna, Italy, ca. 425, tessera mosaic, domed, Latin style cross, corners have 4 evangelists, emphasis on the tower, a fusion of Roman and Early Christian Iconography


Saint Apollinare Nuovo - Ravenna, Italy, dedicated 504, 3 different zones, nave, aisles, nave arcade, apse, flat wooden ceiling, chancel arch, the wooden roof is coffered, the top zone has patriarchs and prophets, the middle zone has figures from Christain Iconography, bottom shows procession leading to the apse, Raising of Lazarus, Miracles of Loaves and Fishes, Jesus gives his listeners food, gold background, picture box- framed picture, shoved into the foreground, stepping on picture border, frontal, Jesus is an Orants figure, Christ foretelling Peter’s DEnial, Depicted in purple, Ascension of Christ, figures in the foreground, an attempt at depth, not that successful


Pilate Washing his Hands, Christ Carrying the Cross, Denial of Peter - from a casket, ca. 420, ivory, precious commodity, easy to carve into, skilled artisans, curved, Peter denies Christ three times, Christ with a cross, Pilate washing hands, Joseph of Arimathea helps Jesus carry Cross


Suicide of Judas nad Crucifixion - from a casket, ca. 420, ivory, Crucified Jesus, Judas is fully clothed, tuned him into Romans, killed him self, got 30 pieces of silver from Caiaphas






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