You Can Take It With You
In the interior of this tomb at Cerveteri (see above), called the ‘Tomb of the Reliefs’, the occupant has paid for various items to be carved into the walls of his tomb. We see the deceased in a chariot, we see tools, weapons, ropes, shields, greaves, and other items of battle. But there are also things of less dramatic function, such as a water jug and an axe. There are many graves here, likely because it was not just a tomb for an individual but for subsequent members of the family as well. The reliefs were also painted, as you can still see.
Hands of Virgil
One of the most beautiful towns in Italy is Orvieto, and in the cathedral is a stunning chapel called the San Brizio chapel. The chapel is decorated with remarkable frescoes by Luca Signorelli (some earlier ones were done by Fra Angelico). The lower chapel walls are decorated with a series of panels in which famous poets are portrayed, including Dante. In this detail, we see the hands of the Roman poet Virgil, who, if you recall, was also Dante’s guide in the Inferno. Each of the poets have books, as we see here, to indicate their supremacy in letters.
Phoenix Rising
In Early Christian art, the Phoenix bird was considered to be an appropriate symbol for Christian resurrection, as the Phoenix dies and then rises again from its ashes. The early Christian writer Lactantius (ca. 250-325 CE) wrote a poem hinting at the metaphor between Christian resurrection and the mythical bird. But in the later Middle Ages, the pagan origins of the Phoenix myth made some Christian theologians a bit hesitant, and the Phoenix bird disappeared from Christian iconography. One place that you can still see Phoenix birds, however, is in some of the early mosaics in Rome, such as here in the apse mosaics of the church of SS. Cosmas and Damian, which date from the 6th or 7th century CE. Here, we see Christ gesturing towards the bird, perched in a palm tree, indicating the promise of an afterlife.
Opus Sectile
One of the lesser known art techniques from the ancient world is called opus sectile. These works are made from cut inlaid stone, but different from mosaics, which are assembled from tesserrae, or many small squares of stone or manufactured ceramic or glass pieces. This is a detail of an opus sectile piece found in the 4th century CE basilica of Junius Bassus in Rome, where many excellent examples of the art form where found. Today, it’s on display in the Museo Nazionale alle Terme (Palazzo Massimo). Hanging right beside this is the work of opus sectile that, by the way, decorates the cover of my book on the hippodrome of Istanbul / Constantinople.
Marvelous Moses
Michelangelo’s Moses (1513-15), a figure produced for the tomb of Pope Julius II, can be found in the church of San Pietro in Vincoli (“St Peter in Chains”) in Rome. It’s one of Michelangelo’s real masterpieces. The church is a mere five-minute walk from the popular Colosseum, yet not that many people visit it. One of the things I find interesting about this statue is how similar it is in some ways to his earlier and more famous statue of David. This figure, too, looks off into the distance. The part of the story is that Moses has just come down from the mountain (Mount Sinai) with the Ten Commandments tablets, and he sees the Jewish people worshipping the golden calf. His brow is furrowed in anger. Do you see the horns protruding from his head? This is based on a medieval mistranslation of the Old Testament, specifically of the word “rays”, which is quite similar to the Hebrew word for “horns”. Interestingly, by Michelangelo’s time the error had been discovered, but Michelangelo knew that rays “emanating from his brow” would have been pretty hard to sculp, and would have broken off easily, so he went with the horns instead, thinking perhaps that they blended well with Moses‘ curly hair.
Medieval Alexander the Great
The mythical figure of Alexander the Great was a popular character through the Middle Ages, and was often represented in art. Some of the most endearing depictions can be found in some church floor mosaics in southern Italy, all of them dating from the Norman period, 12th and 13th centuries. The floor mosaics of the cathedral in Otranto are the most famous, but the mosaicist who worked at Otranto also did similar mosaics in the cathedrals in Taranto and Trani. This detail is from the choir floor of Trani cathedral, with the figure clearly marked “REX ALEXANDER”, with a colourful, bejeweled crown on his head.
Santa Maria in Domenica alla Navicella
Anyone who’s travelled in Italy knows that sometimes you go to see something and it’s closed because it’s being restored: “in restauro” are words that send chills down the Italophile’s spine. For several years the small church of Santa Maria in Domenica alla Navicella was closed for renovation. The ending “alla Navicella” stands for a fountain outside the church where an ancient Roman fragment of a ship was used in the fountain (navicella is Latin for “little ship”). Finally, last fall, the work on the wonderful apse mosaics was completed. Here’s a detail of part of the newly-restored works. It shows the infant Christ on Mary’s lap, in heaven surrounded by a host of worshipping angels. Below, is the 9th century Pope Paschal I (818-22), who commissioned the mosaics. Note that he has a square halo. This type of halo was given to someone who was still alive, and so not yet sainted. Mary gestures towards him, accepting his gift. Worth the wait.
Trains, and Boats and Planes
When traveling in Muslim countries, especially Egypt, one finds people who like to advertise the fact that they’ve gone on the Haj, or the pilgrimage to Mecca. Often, they do this by commissioning paintings (murals) to be done on the facades of their homes or businesses. Here, in Luxor, Egypt, the name of the store is essentially “Pilgrimage Supermarket”. The pilgrim here went by boat (likely from Hurghada to Jeddah) as you can see the ship. But there’s also a painting of a plane elsewhere on the façade, so they probably flew as well at some point in their journey (from Jeddah to Mecca). Such advertising, particularly for a business, might be a positive point for potential Muslim patrons. They see that the management is religious and devoted.
Fortunate Font
In the churches of Italy, as one walks in, there is usually a font of holy water there. Often, these fonts have been made by reusing ancient Roman capitals, such as this Ionic one here. Sometimes these things were also used as well-heads. It’s fascinating to see the recycling of ancient ruins for new purposes. This one can be found in the cathedral of Modena.
Shorthand Altarpiece
There is a type of altarpiece decoration that seems very perplexing to people when they first see one. It’s a type that tries to concentrate many items and events surrounding Christ’s passion and crucifixion in a sort of visual shorthand. Here’s an example of part of one of them. You’ll note the many disembodied hands and objects. On the far left Pilate washes his hands of Christ, to the right of that Judas betrays Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane with a kiss. To the right of that Judas’ hand receives the coins in payment for his betrayal, while above center Judas hangs himself. There’s St Peter’s hand cutting off the ear of the Roman soldier, and other gestures of punishment and taunting. It’s a very effective but bizarre sort of image. Of course, even the panel with the letters INRI are part of the taunting. A Roman soldier has put it on the cross to mock Christ. The letters stand for Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum (“Jesus King of the Jews”).
Mithras
It is somewhat of an accident that the ‘West’ became Christianized. It might have been just as likely that the Roman Emperor Constantine may have had some sympathies with another popular Roman religion that also originated in the Roman eastern provinces: Mithraism. Mithraism was related to Persian Zoroastrianism, but it emerged as its own offshoot in the same years Christianity was spreading through the Roman world. There are tantalizing remains of Mithraic cults in Rome, one of them this altar now found deep underground under the church of San Clemente. It shows the typical Mithraean scene, of the hero Mithras jumping up on a bull and stabbing a knife into its neck.
Bridesmaids Taranto
This past fall I spent over a month in the Italian region of Apulia. One of the highlights was finally going to the once great city of Taranto, a port on the inside of the heel of the boot of Italy. In was known as Taras in ancient times, and was one of the Mediterranean’s great cities, founded by Spartans in the 8th century BCE. It was once the terminus of the famous Roman road, the Appian Way. There are columns of a Doric temple to Poseidon still standing there, from 500 BCE, and a great Aragonese Castle. But my favorite image from Taranto was these bridesmaids at a wedding of their uncle at the cathedral in the old city.
Maltese Siesta
This remarkable clay figure of a woman resting is from Malta, and dates from around 3500 BCE. It can be seen today in the archaeological museum in Valetta. She’s tiny, only about 4 inches or 10 cm long, but the representation is still powerful and evocative. Figures of women with full figures were interestingly common in what remains of Neolithic anthropomorphic sculptures. The famous ‘Venus’ of Willendorf is probably the most famous of these. Here, we see one of her lovely ancestors. She belongs to, or was a kind of goddess for, a civilization of temple builders on Malta who build huge religious complexes out of the limestone of the island. If you’ve never been to Malta, put it on your bucket list!
