08-03-2006, 12:24 AM
Quote:I really dig this image of Christ - it's so unconventional even in Roman art to my knowledge. We see him from time to time in Imperial (purple) robes but not in Imperial military garb. 8)
Excellent choice. In Ravenna, Italy. Dated to 5th or 6th century.
Quote:"Archbishop Andrea's palace chapel, Ravenna. Christ as legionary overcomes evil in the form of a snake. Christ, as in Arian mosaics, is represented here in naturalistic terms, but there is a subtle difference. He is not a classical nude, as East Mediterranean artists in Theodoric's suite might represent him, but a frontal legionary. The expressive eyes and a combination of hieratic elements (elaborate nimbus and cross, symbol of evil as a snake) and narrative probably reflect Italian plebeian tastes."
AMDG
Wm. / *r
Wm. / *r