Medieval mosaics Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

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- Medieval Glasses (Archaeology), Medieval mosaics
- by Alessio Monciatti
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- Art History, Medieval Wall Paintings, Medieval mosaics

Pope Leo III (795-816) built two monumental representative rooms for banquets, court hearings and ceremonies in the Lateran. These, called triclinia, were inspired by ancient and byzantine models, rich in imperial symbolism.
The interiors of these buildings were decorated with marbles, paintings and, above all, mosaics in the main apses. The first celebrated the role of the pope as successor of Peter, vicar of Christ and medium for the transmission of the secular power from Constantine to Charlemagne. In the latter, the pope was usually represented taking part in a banquet with eleven diners in the central apse, where Christ, Peter and Paul were depicted, so that the pope become part of the group of the apostles, whose stories were represented on the walls. These magnificent buildings are unfortunately destroyed, so this paper offers a reinterpretation of these monuments by reviewing the literary and figurative evidences and taking new elements into account. It reveals that the choice of architectural models and iconographic programs was designed to build an iconic image of the papacy which emphasized the legacy of the ancient word, the pope’s role as an intermediary with Christ and his leadership over the temporal power.

- by Gaetano Curzi
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- Charlemagne, Medieval Rome, Medieval mosaics, Pope Leo III
- by Josemi Lorenzo Arribas
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- Romanesque Art, Romanesque, Medieval mosaics, Medieval Painting

The 'Cosmati Pavement' at Westminster Abbey is unique in being the largest and most important example in England of the medieval 'marmorari romani'. Much has been written about the pavement's meaning, its geology, and of its inscriptions which appear to predict the date of the end of the world. But what of its maker Petrus Odoricus, who was he, and how was the design laid out? This research looks at the pavement from the point of view of a designer experienced in the practices of measuring up, setting out, and getting things made.

- by Chris Eckersley
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- Measurement, Medieval mosaics, Westminster Abbey, Cosmati
- by Alessio Monciatti
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- Norman Sicily, Medieval Art, Medieval Wall Paintings, Medieval mosaics

The late Antique mosaic of Orpheus decorated a small room, approximately 18 m2 in area, connected with two even smaller ones, in 4 m2 and the other 2 m2 in area, belonging most likely to a small funerary chapel (or tomb) discovered in the ancient necropolis by the Damascene Gate in Jerusalem; it was discovered in 1901 by H. Vincent.
The author proposes a new interpretation of the iconographic program of the Orpheus myth used by wealthy Christians in a sepulchral context (see Olszewski M.T. «Orphée endeuillé de la mosaïque funéraire de Jérusalem», in Rey Mimoso-Ruiz, B. ed., Actes du colloque «Orphée entre Soleil et ombre», à l’Institut Catholique de Toulouse du 16 au 17 novembre 2007, Inter Lignes, numéros spécial – mars 2008, pp. 205-214, 226). He also proposes a new interpretation of the role Orpheus played in Roman funerary art, concentrating on the importance of the play on words and the visual and textual punning that was popular in ancient art and especially in funerary art. He rejects the popular interpretation of Orpheus as Christ in the Roman catacombs and proposes to interpret the image as that of Orpheus, bard of the departed souls, without any ahistorical connection with Christ. The program of the mosaic from Jerusalem is thus explained as a play on the words Orpheus-orphanos and Chiron (Chi-Rho) and Pan [Παν(τοκράτωρ)].The frequently used Christian funerary formula of resting in peace, Christ or the Lord corresponds
perfectly with the mood created around the mythical bard.
Orpheus’ universal role as singer and musician moving even the most stony of hearts, extolling the beloved departed, is absolutely justified in the context of a 6th-century Christian tomb. Orpheus is a popular and neutral figure, meaning that in effect it does not constitute a threat to Christian theology and can be tolerated by the educated Christians of Jerusalem.

- by Thomas Dale
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- Medieval History, Medieval Studies, History of Venice, Medieval mosaics

The analysis of two Renaissance drawings offers the occasion for a discussion of light in ecclesiastical architecture.
The first exemple considers the well-known drawing – drafted on parchment by Giovanni di Gherardo Gherardi da Prato in competition with Filippo Brunelleschi for the dome of Santa Maria del Fiore – which constitutes both the first fifteenth-century graphic testimony concerning the natural illumination of the church’s interior, and the only drawing contemporary to its construction that has survived and is datable to 1425.
The second drawing is a “studio dal vero” by Baldassarre Peruzzi of Santo Stefano Rotondo in Rome, dating from the beginning of the sixteenth-century. It offers a perspective view of the interior of the monument, portraying a system of artificial lights as evinced by the sharp double-shadows on the pavement, and which remind one of the contemporary studies of Leonardo da Vinci. Because of the importance it attributes to light, this drawing is an unicum among those depicting ancient structures all along the Renaissance. It is precisely with the depiction of light, with the irregularity of its reflections and of its shadows, that this study gives the impression of a captivating and suggestive space, actualizing ancient architecture as if it were visible to the present. And it is also thanks to the pictorial sensibility of Peruzzi, who knew how to combine a philologic spirit with an unsurpassed expressive naturalism in the Renaissance’s corpus of architectural drawings

- by Iman R. Abdulfattah and +1
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- Mamluk Studies, Medieval Cairo, Mamluk Cairo, Mamluk Archaeology

Los 11 conjuntos eclesiales de la Antigüedad Tardía en el archipiélago balear. LAGARDA MATA, Ferran (2012). Las Basílicas Paleocristianas de las Baleares. Sobradiel: 2012. 232 Pàgines A4 amb 237 Il·lustracions en color i B/N. Idioma:... more

Los 11 conjuntos eclesiales de la Antigüedad Tardía en el archipiélago balear.
LAGARDA MATA, Ferran (2012). Las Basílicas Paleocristianas de las Baleares.
Sobradiel: 2012.
232 Pàgines A4 amb 237 Il·lustracions en color i B/N. Idioma: Castellano. PVP: 50,00 €
ISBN: 9788496810242

- by Ferran Lagarda Mata
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- Christianity, Archaeology, Medieval History, History of Christianity
- by Devis Valenti
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- Venice, Byzantine Mosaics, Medieval mosaics, San Marco, Venice, Mosaics

Depuis les débuts de l’art chrétien, l’Ancien Testament a reçu une place singulière dans le décor des églises comme dans l’illustration des manuscrits. Certaines formules conçues aux IVe-Ve siècles se sont imposées durant tout le Moyen Âge, comme celles de Saint-Pierre de Rome, et une influence encore plus large a longtemps été attribuée à la Genèse Cotton ou à son modèle. Les œuvres médiévales ne reproduisent toutefois presque jamais servilement celles qui les ont précédées. Les concepteurs les ont constamment réélaborées pour des raisons probablement multiples : adapter la composition au cadre imposé par l’architecture ou le découpage du folio, optimiser les ressorts de la narration pour en faciliter la lecture ou toucher plus efficacement la sensibilité du spectateur, enchaîner les scènes pour entraîner le regard dans le sens de la lecture ou relier sémantiquement deux épisodes voisins, induire un sens spécifique inspiré par la théologie ou la liturgie, ou encore exprimer visuellement des ambitions institutionnelles voire politiques.
Les quinze articles réunis dans cet ouvrage développent ces questionnements en les appliquant à des ensembles peints ou en mosaïque représentatifs de la période envisagée : les œuvres conservées ou perdues des premiers siècles, Saint-Pierre de Rome, Saint-Paul-hors-les-Murs et leurs avatars médiévaux, les bibles carolingiennes de Tours et celles de Ripoll, Galliano, les autres ensembles lombards, Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe, Château-Gontier, Palerme et Monreale. Pour enrichir cette réflexion, le champ d’investigation a été étendu aux cycles néotestamentaires des églises médiobyzantines et aux mosaïques de Saint-Marc de Venise. Dans la conclusion, Herbert Kessler propose en effet une mise au point stimulante sur la délicate question de la Genèse Cotton en nuançant son influence sur le cycle vénitien. L’ouvrage offre ainsi un panorama très complet de la représentation de l’Ancien Testament et une réflexion foisonnante sur les stratégies de la narration.
Marcello Angheben est maître de conférences habilité à diriger des recherches en histoire de l’art médiéval à l’Université de Poitiers et membre du Centre d’études supérieures de civilisation médiévale. Il a publié chez Brepols deux ouvrages respectivement consacrés aux chapiteaux romans de Bourgogne et au Jugement dernier, et il en prépare actuellement deux autres qui traiteront des portails romans de Bourgogne et des peintures de la nef de Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe.

Sundials in Roman and Byzantine Mosaics (1st – 9th Century AD). A scientific monograph. The sundials on ancient mosaics have not been the subject of scientific studies so far. The author has gathered together in this publication the sundials already known (Torre Anunzaiata, Sarsina, Trier, Saint-Romain-en-Gal, Antioch and Brading; Figs. 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 9) and those which have not previously been identified. Thanks to the author’s new identifcations, the catalogue has been enlarged by six new sundials (Grand,Tarsus, Antiochia – interpreted by H. Pamir; Figs. 3, 6, 8, and 10. Tayibat al-Imam, Jerusalem and Umm al-Rasas (Sebastis); Figs. 10, 11, 12) and three monumental gnomes-columns with multiple functions that were used as monumental sundials [Madaba (Jerusalem), Umm al-Rasas (Kastron Mefaa) and Rome (Jerusalem); Figs. 13–15]. In addition, recognizing fully John H. Humphrey’s interpretations, the author enriches the catalogue by eight ancient mosaic representations of obelisks in circuses (Lyon, Barcelona, Volubilis, Piazza Armerina - two mosaics, Girona, Carthage and Gafsa; Figs. 16–23). They performed the roles of monumental sundials. In this way, the catalogue includes twenty-three mosaics with the representations of sundials. They come from the Western and Eastern Provinces of the Roman Empire. The first mosaic is dated to the beginning of the 1st century AD and the last dates to the 9th century AD. The author, after a short description of each monument, summarizes the issue discussing the role of sundials in Roman and Byzantine society, their complex signifcance and symbolic dificult linked with the progress of time on which nature and human life are dependent. See Pdf : https://www.academia.edu/22653583/

Sundials in Roman and Byzantine Mosaics (1st – 9th Century AD). A scientific monograph. The sundials on ancient mosaics have not been the subject of scientific studies so far. The author has gathered together in this publication the sundials already known (Torre Anunzaiata, Sarsina, Trier, Saint-Romain-en-Gal, Antiochia and Brading; Figs. 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 9) and those which have not previously been identified. Thanks to the author’s new identifcations, the catalogue has been enlarged by six new sundials (Grand,Tarsus, Antioch – interpreted by H. Pamir; Figs. 3, 6, 8, and 10. Tayibat al-Imam, Jerusalem and Umm al-Rasas (Sebastis); Figs. 10, 11, 12) and three monumental gnomes-columns with multiple functions that were used as monumental sundials [Madaba (Jerusalem), Umm al-Rasas (Kastron Mefaa) and Rome (Jerusalem); Figs. 13–15]. In addition, recognizing fully John H. Humphrey’s interpretations, the author enriches the catalogue by eight ancient mosaic representations of obelisks in circuses (Lyon, Barcelona, Volubilis, Piazza Armerina - two mosaics, Girona, Carthage and Gafsa; Figs. 16–23). They performed the roles of monumental sundials. In this way, the catalogue includes twenty-three mosaics with the representations of sundials. They come from the Western and Eastern Provinces of the Roman Empire. The first mosaic is dated to the beginning of the 1st century AD and the last dates to the 9th century AD. The author, after a short description of each monument, summarizes the issue discussing the role of sundials in Roman and Byzantine society, their complex signifcance and symbolic difficult linked with the progress of time on which nature and human life are dependent.

"Sommaire:
1. LES PÈRES DE L'ÉGLISE
2. RÉPERTOIRE FIGURÉ DU DÉCOR
3. EXPLICATION DES IMAGES AUX CATÉCHUMÈNES
4. LES SYMBOLIQUES DU PRINTEMPS
5. A L'IMAGE DE LA PERFECTION DIVINE
6. MÉTHODE D'INTERPRÉTATION PAR ANALOGIE
7. CYRILLE DE JÉRUSALEM
8. LES ANALOGIES DE L'ÉVÈQUE CYRILLE
9. ÉGLISE DES SAINTS-APÔTRES À MADABA
10. PREMIÈRE ÉGLISE DÉCOUVERTE À PETRA
11. BASILIQUE DE DOUMETIOS À NIKOPOLIS
12. BASILIQUE DE CHRISTOPOLITISSA À PAPHOS
13. ÉGLISE DE QABR HIRAM
14. ÉGLISE DE PHOTIOS À HOUARTÉ
15. ÉGLISE DE MICHAËLION À HOUARTÉ
16. ÉGLISE DE MIRATA
cf. M.T. Olszewski, L'image et sa fonction dans la mosaïque byzantine des premières basiliques en Orient: l'iconographie chrétienne expliquée par Cyrille de Jérusalem (314-387) / The image and its function in the byzantine mosaics ... : the christian iconography explained by Cyril of Jerusalem (314-387), Cahiers Archéologiques 43, 1995, pp. 9-34. "

- by Mara Mason
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- Medieval Studies, Painting, Medieval Italy, Medieval Art

Ed: Luz Neira Jimenez, Series: Hispania Antigua. Serie Arqueologica., 6
ISBN: 978-88-913-1237-2 - Binding: Paperback - Pages: 460, 100 ill. B/N, 60 ill. Col., 16 tav. f.t - Size: 21 x 29,7 cm
Estudios sobre Mosaicos Antiguos y Medievales comprende las Actas del XIII Congreso de la AIEMA (Association Internationale pour l'Etude de la Mosa!que Antique), organizado por la Universidad Carlos III de Madrid en colaboración con el Museo Arqueológico Nacional de Madrid, en cuyo Salón de Actos se celebra ron las comunicaciones entre los días 14 y 18 de septiem bre de 2015, con el patrocinio del Instituto de Cultura y Tecnología (UC3M) gracias a una Ayuda del Programa Propio del Vicerrectorado de Investigación y Transferen cia de la Universidad Carlos III, y con la colaboración también de la Facultad de Geografía e Historia de la UNED, el Instituto Arqueológico Alemán de Madrid, el Parque Arqueológico de Carranque y el Parque Arqueoló gico de Complutum.
El volumen consta de tres partes, la primera está dedicada a los talleres e intercambios interprovinciales, la segunda incluye , por primera vez, las aplicaciones científicas y tecnológicas para el estudio de los mosaicos, y, la tercera los nuevos hallazgos y nuevas lecturas.
Las Actas del XIII Congreso de la AIEMA celebrado en Madrid en 2015 continúan la línea de las anteriores publicaciones resultantes de los Congresos celebrados bajo los auspicios de laAIEMA (París 1963; Vienne 1971; Ravena 1980; Trier 1984; Bath 1987; Palencia-Mérida 1990; Túnez 1994; Lausanne 1997; Roma 2001; Conimbriga 2005; Bursa 2009 y Venecia 2012. Como congresos de referencia acerca de las investigaciones sobre mosaicos antiguos y medievales , sirven de foro de encuentro científico en el que los especialistas, profesores e investigadores de las universidades y centros de investigación más importantes del mundo, tienen ocasión de exponer y debatir sobre los aspectos relacionados con el estudio del mosaico, al tiempo que proporcionan la oportunidad de visitar y contemplar los hallazgos de los diferentes países y ciudades, sede de los Congresos de la AIEMA. Este fue el caso de los mosaicos hispanos durante la celebración del XIII Congreso en Madrid, a juzgar por los descubrimientos, particularmente significativos, en las últimas décadas.

- by L'ERMA di BRETSCHNEIDER, Publisher
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- Archaeology, Classical Archaeology, Iconography, Art History

La critica recente ha aperto un fecondo dibattito sul portico della cattedrale di Terracina in merito ai diversi aspetti architettonico, scultoreo e decorativo al fine di chiarire l’orizzonte culturale entro il quale situare questo enigmatico monumento e definire con maggior precisione i confini cronologici della sua realizzazione, che non trova ancora il pieno accordo tra gli studiosi. Grazie alla scoperta di un inedito documento d’archivio, nel recente convegno di studi su Terracina nel Medioevo ho proposto una nuova analisi iconografica del distrutto mosaico sul lato sinistro del portico, ricostruendo dopo secoli quella unità perduta. Nel presente articolo, che completa e arricchisce quell’intervento, attraverso un’analisi approfondita del testo redatto sul documento da Bartolomeo Giordani, unitamente alle considerazioni scritte in una missiva inedita di Giovanni Marangoni al vescovo Oldi e a uno dei più noti disegni di Baldassarre Peruzzi del suo soggiorno-studio a Terracina, è stato possibile delineare il contesto storico durante il quale fu realizzato il disegno del mosaico perduto, far emergere l’interesse per le indagini sui sotterranei del Foro Emiliano tra XVI e XVIII secolo e ricostruire le vicende che hanno portato al coinvolgimento del Marangoni, mettendo in luce quel sottile legame tra il vescovo Simeone all’inizio del XIII secolo e il vescovo Oldi nel Settecento. Inoltre è stata ricostruita la vicenda conservativa del mosaico tra la fine dell’Ottocento e gli inizi del Novecento grazie al carteggio conservato presso l’Archivio Centrale dello Stato.

- by Davide Angelucci
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- Medieval Studies, Archives, Medieval Art, Terracina
- by Claudia Bolgia
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- Byzantine History, Medieval Rome, Roman Mosaics, Medieval mosaics
- by Ileana Burnichioiu
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- Landscape Archaeology, Medieval Archaeology, Monasticism, Medieval Art

New Reflections on Scene B4 at Centcelles:
Although the panel is badly destroyed, two larger mosaic surfaces provide a certain identification of one male person standing in front of a red background. The common scholarly interpretation of scene B4 as sacrifice of Abraham (Schlunk 1988) and as Habakkuk with angel (Recio 1998) cannot stand verification done by new photos and old copies. Based on the observation of spare remains of a horizontally rectangular structure in the upper zone, the panel seems to show a representation of the paralyzed man. Despite some single doubts the interpretation of scene B4 which considers the protagonist as a healed paralytic is more convincing than other ones.

- by Fabian Stroth
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- Visual Studies, Iconography, Art History, Late Antique and Byzantine History
- by Alessio Monciatti
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- Art History, Medieval Art, Medieval mosaics

Nikodim Kondakov's visit to the former Chora Monastery (Kariye Camii) in 1880 marked a crucial first step towards the emancipation of late Byzantine art from a Western framework of devaluation and appropriation. Kondakov, a great art historian of the Russian empire, was the first scholar to substantively publish and analyze the Chora mosaics. He allowed Byzantium creative agency and independent development outside the purview of western medieval art. His passionate exposition of the Chora mosaics as a glorious example of flourishing Byzantine art contested attempts to appropriate them as a western cultural accomplishment and associate them with the schools of Giotto or Duccio.

- by Elena Boeck
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- Reception Studies, Photography, Historiography, Byzantine Studies

It is safe to say that from Early Christian Times the architectual enviroment of a church has been used to create a dramatic setting for liturgical rituals which echances a sense of divine presence in the midst of its performance.... more

- by Ingrid Eitrem
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- Iconography, Ritual, Phenomenology, Medieval Art

This paper focuses on some of the most renowned examples of the 12th-century monumental depictions of Roland – Brindisi (Italy) and Rio Mau (Portugal) –, drawing attention to a new one which was located in Solsona (Catalonia). All of them have the peculiarity of being part of narrative cycles dated in the second half of the 12th century and located in sacred spaces such as the high-altar (Rio Mau), the chorus (Brindisi) and the cloister (Solsona). These monumental narrative depictions coincidence with the rise of the ecclesiastical interpretations of the Carolingian cycle in terms of Crusade, claiming for an imaginary prestigious past on which to build emerging identities, or pilgrimage routes. All of them aim the moralisation of the chivalric virtues.

- by Devis Valenti
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- Iconography, Renaissance, Giovanni Bellini, Titian
- by Tommaso Gramigni
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- Romanesque Art, Medieval Art, Medieval Epigraphy, Medieval Art History
- by Elena Papastavrou
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- Iconography, Art History, Medieval Studies, Cross-Cultural Studies
- by Manuel Castiñeiras
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- Medieval Iconography, Pavement Mosaics, Medieval mosaics

A b s t r a c t This article presents the results of an interdisciplinary investigation of the mosaics in the main chapel of the Durres amphitheatre, the interpretation and chronological attribution of which have been the subject of debate. Art historical considerations about the mosaic's cultural and artistic affiliations are combined with in situ assessments of the mosaic techniques and physico-chemical analyses of 111 glass tesserae by means of scanning electron microscopy with an energy-dispersive detector (SEM-EDS) and laser ablation inductively coupled mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). Our results show that the raw glass used for the mosaic tesserae derives from two primary production centres but with evidence of substantial recycling: Foy-2, possibly of Egyptian origin, and Levantine I from the Syro-Palestinian coast. While lead stannate, copper and manganese are colorants found commonly in tesserae from different Mediterranean contexts, cobalt correlated with nickel and lead-tin associated with arsenic and antimony have been attested in mosaic tesserae here for the first time. The chronological range of the raw glasses and colorants provides strong evidence for a sixth-to eight-century CE date for the tesserae. The stylistic and iconographic parallels of contemporary mosaic decorations and the mosaic techniques reflected in the plaster layers, preparatory paint and particular setting of tesserae corroborate this timeframe. In terms of the material provenance and artistic features, the mosaics of the Durres amphitheatre clearly reflect the merging of eastern and western elements, typical of the early medieval Adriatic, while visual references to Byzantine imperial iconography may have served to reassert a link with Constantinople and the Byzantine court. Taken together, the material, technical and artistic data reveal the cultural and economic connectivity that shaped the art of mosaic making in the late antique and early medieval period.

- by Elisabetta Neri and +2
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- Medieval Archaeology, Glass (Archaeology), Ancient Glass, Medieval mosaics
- by Alessio Monciatti
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- Medieval mosaics, Medieval Painting, medieval Florence