Sarah Kennedy Image Annotation 2

This seal shows Justinian giving the Hagia Sofia as a votive offering to the Blessed Virgin. It has a particular emphasis on Justinian's power and wealth. In Basset's article on San Vitale, she argues that motifs like this one offer a "manipulation of form that is itself a corollary to late antique rhetorical theory" (52). Much of what Basset says is highly theoretical about the meaning of rhetoric, but it does seem that this piece is carefully making a deliberate narrative about the purpose of the Hagia Sofia itself and Justinian's role in the empire. He is the supreme leader, submitting only to the Mother of God.

Reading Connection

In his chapter "Architecture of the Sacred" Wescoat notes that after the Nika riots, "Justinian emerged secure in his imperial power" (287). He states that "s a potent visual symbol of the sacred character of the city, it acted as a magnificent stage for the intersection of imperial and religious ceremonies that underscored Byzantine social order" (289). The seal shows the Hagia Sofia, and it also shows the power of the Hagia Sofia as cementing the relationship of the emperor with the church. If the Hagia Sofia is one of the most important churches in the world, then the man who built it must also be one of the world's most powerful people.

Reading Connection

This objects challenges cannonic conceptions of Medieval art as Western. It is a fusion between Western imperial symbolism, and a type of Eastern luxury and oppulence. It also relates to Christianity, which at the time was far from a settled question in the West. Finally, it shows the fusing of systems of justice. We talked in class about how the original basilicas built by Constantine were places of law. Despite the Christian veneer, that function persisists, and was likely what this seal was used for.

Global Connection

1. What does it show about gender in the Byzantine period that Justinian is offering the church to a female figure (Mary) rather than a male one, such as Jesus? 2. Who would have recieved papers sealed with this seal? What would it have meant to them? 3. In his article, Ousterhaut describes the other churches of Constantinople that were named for concepts rather than saints (286). Did have seals like this? Why or why not?

Questions