Robert E. Lee High School
Mrs. Tefteller 2015
Early Christian Art
During the 3rd and 4th centuries, people started to reject the idea of polytheism and
turned to monotheism. The art that was produced during this time is important as a
foundation for art and architecture of the Medieval Ages. Though it is said that Jesus
Christ lived about 2000 years ago, there are no artworks depicting Jesus until 250 CE.
Context
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
313 – The Edict of Milan is put in place by Constantine to legalize Christianity (Byzantium
is name the capital in the East and changes name to Constantinople)
392 – Christianity is the official religion of the Empire
- Christian faith is proselytizing  rapid growth of religion from humble beginnings
- Christian faith is congregational  large assembly halls needed for worship
- specific burial requirements (preserving body)  catacombs/sarcophagi needed
- mysticism and miracles are cornerstones of faith
- The papacy is established as a political power in c. 600 by Pope Gregory
- inconoclasts vs. iconodules
476 – Visigoths sack Rome  Ravenna becomes new capital
Early Christian churches appropriate classical forms for its art and architecture
Rise of Islam: 622 is year 1 on the Islamic calendar  Mecca becomes the religious center of Islam
-Mohammad is their prohpet
Gardner’s Art Through the Ages, 12th ed. Chapter 8- Pages 220-243
Artworks
Timeline
Need to know date:
350 CE
* All dates are CE, unless otherwise
noted.
c. 29 CE Jesus is crucified
306-337 Constantine rules
Artwork
Sculpture and 2 dimensional works
Date
Key Idea
Sarcophagus of Junius Bassas
The Good Shepherd
360
425
Christian themes
Catacomb art
320
432
340
350
420
Basilican model
Architecture:
313
Edict of Milan
324
Constantinople founded
391
Theodosius prohibits pagan
worship
392
Christianity becomes the official
religion of the Empire
410
Visigoths sack Rome
431
Mary declared Theotokos at
Council of Ephesus
476
Fall of the western Roman
Empire
Old St. Peter’s, Rome
Santa Sabina
Santa Maria Maggiore, Rome
Church of Santa Constanza, Rome
Maus. of Galla Placidia, Ravenna
Central plan
Vocabulary
Sculpture:
iconoclast
Chi-Rho
aniconic
piety
orthodox
sacramental
baldaccino
tesserae
mandorla
Architecture:
catacomb
transept
dome
spolia
crossing
squinch
atrium
arcade
buttress
narthex
colonnade
central plan
nave
clerestory
basilica plan
aisles
blind arcade
http://teftellerart.com H102
Art History Review:
Early Christian Art
Theme: Transformers: Born Again
Vocab to Know: narthex, orant, medallion, lunettes, prefiguration, ambulatory
Early Christians used art to visualize their most important stories and ideas. Intended to remind rather
than instruct. Early Christians were buried in catacombs - not a place of worship. Catacomb paintings
often resemble murals in houses.
• The Good Shepherd, Orants, and the Story of Jonah - Ceiling of catacomb. Central medallion and
four lunettes. Center is Good Shepherd -- “I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his
life for the sheep.” The lunettes tell the story of Jonah. This is a prefiguration of Christ’s death and
resurrection.
• Old Saint Peter’s - Constantine ordered a church on the burial site of Peter. Destroyed and rebuilt
under Renaissance popes. Longitudinal plan. Double side aisles. Nave arcade. Transept perpendicular crossing in front of the apse. Accommodated pilgrims - at least 14,000.
• Santa Sabina - basilica plan. Spolia - reused columns from pagan building
• Santa Costanza - Central plan mausoleum of Constantina, daughter of Constantine. Rotunda with
barrel-vaulted ambulatory.
Early Christian & Late Antiquity- Pagans, Christians, and Jews
APAH/Tefteller/2015
Key Ideas:
“Transformers – Born Again!” Just as the transformers toys change from on thing to another
- pagan architectural and iconographic forms are ―transformed‖ by Christians (and to some
extent by Jews as well) to facilitate their view of the world and the requirements of their
worship.
Syncretism:
This chapter introduces the Jewish and Christian art produced under Roman rule during the
fourth and fifth centuries. The Christian art is similar to that of the pagan Late Roman empire
and would be indistinguishable from Roman art of the forth and fifth centuries except for its
religious theme. Christian art is, by the fifth century, in the Late Antique style, and was ideally
suited to a focus on the spiritual world rather than the natural one.
Formulaic vs. Naturalistic:
Mosaic is the perfect medium for this art that is non-naturalistic, flat, hieratic and frontal. This
style will dominate Western art for nearly 1000 years. The formulaic characteristics of this
style are artistic decisions made on the basis of religious ideas and are not considered inferior
to the graceful naturalism of classic art.
Themes:
 The life of Christ
 Prefiguration- Old Testament = New Testament
 Symbolism – everything has meaning
 Sycretism – pagan themes become Christian themes
Sacred Architecture:
 Basilican, Central, and Cruciform churches – understand their origins and know their
parts
 Understand how the design and decoration of sacred architecture served to accentuate
its spiritual message
Patronage. Constantine was the patron of the new Christian art. He was responsible for
legalizing Christianity and for the building of many basilican-styled churches.
Narrative in Art. A good opportunity to discuss narrative in art is presented by the painting
Rebecca and Eliezer at the Well. This early Christian painting, found in the Vienna Genesis, tells
a biblical story in the simplest way: figures are flat and silhouetted; the sky is a blank,
perspective absent. Yet, there are the necessary details present to tell the story.
Or put another way; can you:
1. Explain the formal and iconographic characteristics of Late Antique Jewish and Christian art
2. Discuss the relationship of Roman and Early Christian art and architecture
3. Identify the sources of Late Antique Christian architecture
4. Describe the plan and elevation of an Early Christian church
5. Explain the organization, function, and ornamentation of Early Christian catacombs
Early Christian & Late Antiquity- Pagans, Christians, and Jews
APAH/Tefteller/2015
6. Discuss the materials, techniques, and processes used to create Late Antique art and
architecture
7. Identify historical events and characters that exerted influence on the development of Late
Antique art and architecture
8. Describe the persistence of classical art in the Late Antique period
catacombs
circumambulate
creed
cubicula
Eucharist
graven images
Juxtaposition
loculi
lunettes
martyr
monotheistic
orants
prefiguration
Synagogue
Torah
tufa
APAH/Tefteller/2015
Title/Date/Period
CONTENT:
What do you See?
FORM: The Details How the
artist delivers the content, Is
this 2D, 3D, sculpture in the
round, or architecture?
FUNCTION: The intended
purpose of the work
CONTEXT: Everything not
observable.
(Why? What happened during
this time)
APAH/Tefteller/2015
Title/Date/Period
CONTENT:
What do you See?
FORM: The Details How the
artist delivers the content, Is
this 2D, 3D, sculpture in the
round, or architecture?
FUNCTION: The intended
purpose of the work
CONTEXT: Everything not
observable.
(Why? What happened during
this time)
APAH/Tefteller/2015
Title/Date/Period
CONTENT:
What do you See?
FORM: The Details How the
artist delivers the content, Is
this 2D, 3D, sculpture in the
round, or architecture?
FUNCTION: The intended
purpose of the work
CONTEXT: Everything not
observable.
(Why? What happened during
this time)
Early Christian & Late Antiquity- Pagans, Christians, and Jews
APAH/Tefteller/2015
Plan of a Typical Christian Church
The numbers with the names for the parts of the church below correspond to the circled numbers above. Write the
purpose or significance of the church part next to its name.
1. Narthex:
2. Façade towers:
3. Nave:
4. Aisles:
5. Transept:
6. Crossing:
7. Altar:
8. Apse:
9. Ambulatory:
10. Radiating chapels.
Early Christian & Late Antiquity- Pagans, Christians, and Jews
APAH/Tefteller/2015
Apse (hidden
by transept in
diagram)
Transept
Nave
Gate house
Clerestory
Side Aisles
Narthex
Atrium
Fountain
1 Apse
2 Transept
3 Nave
4 Aisle
5 Narthex
6 Atrium
Plan of Old Saint Peter's basilica, Rome, 333-390 CE.
Interior approx. 368 ft. (112.16m) long
Old Saint Peter's was the largest Constantinian church and became the prototype for later churches. Besides being
a place of worship, it was the saint's martyrium (a building over the grave of a martyr); a marble canopy in the apse
marked his grave.
Early Christian & Late Antiquity- Pagans, Christians, and Jews
APAH/Tefteller/2015
CHRISTIAN SYMBOLS
Symbols have always played an integral role in Christian art. Some were devised just for Christianity, but most were
borrowed from pagan and Jewish traditions and were adapted for Christian use.
Cross The primary Christian
emblem, the cross, symbolizes the
suffering and triumph of Jesus'
crucifixion and resurrection as
Christ. It also stands for Jesus
Christ himself, as well as the
Christian religion as a whole.
Crosses have taken various forms.
The two most common forms are
the Latin cross and the Greek
cross.
Dove The Old Testament dove is a
symbol of purity, representing
peace when it is shown bearing an
olive branch. In Christian art, a
white dove is the symbolic
embodiment of the Holy Spirit and
is often shown descending from
heaven, sometimes having a halo
and radiating celestial light.
Fish The fish was one of the earliest
symbols for Jesus Christ. ICHTHYS, the
first letters of Jesus Christ, son of
God, Savior, spelled "fish" in Greek.
Because of its association with
baptism in water, it came to stand for
all Christians.
Lamb (Sheep) The lamb, an ancient
sacrificial animal, symbolizes Jesus'
sacrifice on the cross as the Lamb of
God, its pouring blood re-deeming the
sins of the world. The Lamb of God
{Agnus Dei in Latin) may appear
holding a cross-shaped scepter and/or
a victory banner with a cross (signifying
Christ's resurrection). The lamb
sometimes stands on a cosmic rainbow
or a mountain-top. A flock of sheep
represents the apostles—or all
Christians—cared for by their Good
Shepherd, Jesus Christ.
Four Evangelists The evangelists who wrote the
New Testament Gospels are traditionally
associated with the following creatures: Saint
Matthew, a man (or angel); Saint Mark, a lion;
Saint Luke, an ox; and Saint John, an eagle. These
emblems derive from visionary biblical texts and
may be depicted either as the saints' attributes
(identifying accessories) or their embodiments
(stand-ins for the saints themselves).
Monograms Alpha (the first letter of the
Greek alphabet) and omega(the last) signify
God as the beginning and end of all things.
This symbolic device was popular from Early
Christian times through the Middle Ages.
Alpha and omega often flank the
abbreviation IX or XP. The initials 1 and X are
the first letters of Jesus and Christ in Greek.
The initials XP, known as the chi rho, were
the first two letters of the word Christos.
These emblems are sometimes enclosed by a
halo or wreath of victory.
Early Christian & Late Antiquity- Pagans, Christians, and Jews
APAH/Tefteller/2015
Art History Guide: Timeline of the Early Christian Church