The true faith - the cross seems to say - has triumphed, and church and state now coexist as equal partners, dazzling as well as powerful in their unity. On the rear, images in relief depict Christ, Justin II and Sophia. Forty semiprecious stones in gilded silver frames decorate the front, at the center of which a tiny inlay supposedly contains a piece of the True Cross. Now housed in the Vatican Museums, this sumptuous cross shows how far Christianity had come from its unpretentious beginnings. It is, then, appropriate that the piece that literally stops the show is the "Reliquary Cross of Justin II," a gift from the Byzantine emperor and his wife, Sophia, to the city of Rome, c. Texas loves wealth at least as much as it loves religion. At all points, Jesus himself maintains a gentle, sweetly stoic calm. Four beautiful panels, measuring only several inches each, represent seven episodes in Christ's passion, death and resurrection. The most striking crucifixion here is from the "Maskell Ivories" (named for the 19th-century British scholar whose collection now resides at the British Museum). The earliest surviving crucifixion image is a small, engraved magical amulet from the late second century with a nude, long-haired, bearded Jesus attached to a t-shaped cross by narrow strips. Nothing in the Catacombs or on the sarcophagi depicts Christ's death. ![]() Surprisingly, images of the crucifixion make a late historical appearance. ![]() The brilliantly colored Rabbula Gospels, named for the Syrian monk who inscribed his name after completing the book in 586, occupies pride of place. The British Library has lent several charred remains from the Cotton Genesis, a late-fifth-century Greek codex damaged by fire in the 18th century. Scholars assume a single carver who must have adopted two styles to fit two different subjects.Īlthough the show is dedicated to the Bible, Bibles themselves play a minor role here for the simple reason that only a dozen, some in fragments, have survived from before the seventh century. The right-hand panel offers three episodes from the ministry of Paul, in carving more classical and austere, lacking the intricate charm of the panel on the left. A beautifully carved early-fifth-century ivory diptych pictures, on the left side, an elegant Adam who seems to be floating above the animals of Eden, which he is in the process of naming. Still, the balancing of Old and New Testament images retained its appeal for both artistic and spiritual reasons. A mid-fourth-century marble sarcophagus is devoted to Christ's Passion, in five separate scenes within architectural niches framed by columns with delicate whorls. The New Testament gradually came to predominate in visual representations. The composition alludes harmoniously to baptism, death and resurrection. Another sarcophagus, considerably restored in the 18th century, depicts Jonah and the whale on its lower register and episodes from the life of Christ above. By the end of the third century, well-to-do Christian Romans could afford pricey sarcophagi, such as the tender one for a child that offers scenes from both the Adoration of the Magi and the life of Ezekiel. The mingling of Old Testament and New Testament symbolism endured as Christianity spread in popularity and power. Wealthy Romans could afford pricey sarcophagi, like the one above depicting Christ's Passion. Talk about muscular Christianity! Jonah, another Old Testament precursor of Christ, whose three days in the belly of the whale foretold the savior's death and resurrection, was an equally admired artistic subject. The most stunning example of the figure here is a marble statue from Asia Minor, probably used for decoration in a wealthy home, portraying a powerful man with strong forearms hoisting a heavy ram on his shoulders. Jesus as the Good Shepherd - a figure combining Old Testament and pagan imagery - dominates the first centuries. The art tells us a lot about early Christian theology and symbolism. These suggest the variety in representations of Christ and the transformations inherent in Christianity itself. It continues with an impressive variety of materials: tiny mosaics, sealing rings, beautiful ivories, eight spectacular sarcophagi, plates and reliquaries, silver vessels, glass pieces, Bibles, and crosses. The exhibit opens with selections from the Wilpert collection of late-19th-century watercolors by Carlo Tabanelli, painted over photographs by Pompeo and Renato Sansaini of mid-fourth-century frescoes from the Catacombs. As befits a religion that grew up in secrecy, danger and persecution, a good many of the earliest artifacts are small in scale and domestic in nature. But by the late second century, objects began to appear. The earliest Christians - humble, poor and fearful - left behind no works of art. ![]() The show has a logical narrative pace like Christianity, it starts out tentatively and builds to a display of resounding assurance.
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