Byzantine ARTH114

CONTEXT & SUBJECT This piece is the mosaic panels of Emperor Justinian and his wife, Theodora, in the San Vitale Basilica in Ravenna, Italy Justinian's mosaic portrays him amongst members of the Imperial court and of the clergy. He is dressed in a rich deep purple color with red shoes - very decadently dressed compared to those around him. Troughout history, the color purple has always represented nobility and status, as the dye was rare. Theodora's mosaic shows her gathered with her ladies-in-waiting, also wearing the rich purple color. However, these two images are contrasting; Justinian appears in the foreground atop a plain background, emphasizing his position, whereas Theodora and her ladies almost "blend in". The positioning in Justinian's mosaic feels more intentional - your eyes are drawn to him first, representing might, whereas Theodora's mosaic seems almost to be more "graceful."

CONNECTION TO READINGS One of this week's readings was "Style and Meaning in the Imperial Panels at San Vitale" by Sarah Basset. This was an analytic paper that dove in depth about the mosaic tile panels present in the San Vitale Basilica in Ravenna, Italy. Not only is this piece connected to the reading, by literally being about the piece itself, the reading describes many of the same things that would be noted on and described in our object annotations. Basset analyzes these panels, what she calls two of Byzantine's "most familiar images" in great detail, not just in their direct imagery, but in what the small details symbolize, such as usage of certain colors.

SUBJECT & STYLE