The Christ as the Good Shepherd- Mausoleum of Galla Placidia
The Christ as the Good Shepherd- Mausoleum of Galla Placidia is a late antiquity depiction of Christin architecture. This Christ-lens was installed at the north entrance of the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, a Roman structure in Ravenna, Italy. It is listed as one of the best preserved and earliest mosaic monuments, as well as the most artistically perfect object (Jensen 52). In comparison to prior representations of Christ as a good shepherd, the art shows Him as more regal. Unlike other arts where He carried a lamb over His shoulder, Jesus in this piece of art is sited amongst His flock ad not only is He haloed but is also robed in purple and gold. In this art, the realism' elements have been sacrificed for a focus on the spiritual components.
Byzantine- Harrowing of Hell
Harrowing of Hell (Beckwith, and Richard 32)
This piece of art brings out Christ being surrounded by a mandorla. He is seen trying to reach out and grasp Eve and Adam by the arm with the intent of raising them from tomb or grave (Mullini 120). It also involves other pre-Christian figures such as prophets, Solomon, David, Abel, and John the Baptist (Byzantine- Harrowing of Hell 32). In this art, Christ seems to be trampling on the fallen gates of Hell or rather Satan. Christ is also shown to be entering a wide-open monstrous mouth which symbolizes the Leviathan or rather the mouth of Hell.
Its' Stylistic and Iconographic (Subject and Meaning) Qualities
Christ as The Good Shepherd- Mausoleum of Galla Placidia
The image was taken from a common, pagan iconography to teach the guiding role of Christ in Christianity. According to Jensen (2013), shepherds and ram bearers were very common especially in art during the period that preceded the formal early Christian art era (54). Otherwise stated, the image taught quickly and clearly the role of Christ as the Savior. The art portrayed Jesus as a teacher and leader that could tenderly be related to the necessities of His followers given the fact that He was intimately and personally involved in their salvation. On the other hand, the image was simply another rendering of a pagan theme that was parallel to the Hermes, a calf bearer, for the non-Christians (Swift, and Anne 200). For the faithful Christian, this artistic image was a solemn declaration of hope, comfort, and peace through Christ (Swift, and Anne 198). During this time, there was fierce persecution of Christians before Constantine's conversion. The image served its contemporaries as an evocative reminder of its significance and usage during the early Christian persecution and also as a noble, resplendent proclamation of the continued faith and trust of Christians in Jesus Christ as their Redeemer and Master.
Byzantine- Harrowing of Hell
This image is seemingly a contradiction of Christ as The Good Shepherd. It depicted the believe, in the medieval Christian tradition, that Christ had descended into hell immediately after He had been crucified and remained there up to the to the time He resurrected (Beckwith, and Richard 38). This belief was anchored on their faith that He had gone to deliver the righteous souls from imprisonment as they were held there from the beginning of time. The art was made as a commemoration of the victory of Christ over death, an event known as Anastasis in the Byzantine Church which means resurrection (Beckwith, and Richard 38). In the Middle English and Old English, the event was named as the Harrowing of Hell, a title that became famous or rather popular in poems, and homilies precisely the cycles of 'Mystery Plays' in the 'Corpus Christi' (Mullini 126). The story in which this image was drawn from was first told unambiguously in the Nicodemus' apocryphal Gospel which follows that a character called Hades together with Satan were engaging in a dialogue, and it is at this time that the King of Glory entered hell to rescue the righteous souls of individuals who until His crucifixion did not have any path to salvation. Christ then casts Satan himself into Tartarus and led the saints of the Old Testament into heaven (Mullini 128).
Artist Intent, Function, Materials, and Methods, Artistic and Cultural Influences
Christ as The Good Shepherd- Mausoleum of Galla Placidia
According to Swift, and Anne (2010), the main intent of the artist was to teach the role of Christ as a savior (198). To spearhead his message, the artist carefully chose the elements to incorporate, and these included the sheep, the cross, the robe, and the image of Christ. The sheep represented His followers, the cross symbolized the importance of Christ's sacrifice and suffering, the robe demonstrated the divine royalty of Christ, and the Image of Christ as the Good Shepherd was to help the viewer to acknowledge easily or rather recognize Jesus and His role as a Savior (Swift, and Anne 224). The image had artistic and cultural influences in that to date; it marks the continued faith of Christianity and trust in Christ as their Redeemer and Master.
Byzantine- Harrowing of Hell
The main intent of the artist was to show that Christ triumphed over death and saved the world. Just as Christ the Good Shepherd, the artist keenly chooses the elements to incorporate. The text shows Christ saving Adam to demonstrating that He went to save all the righteous souls since the advent of humanity given that Adam and Eve were the first humans who bore the origin of all human beings (Beckwith, and Richard 40). Other saints and prophets are also included to show that only the righteous were being saved. Christ also tramples on hell and Satan a show of triumph. Just as Christ the Good Shepherd, this piece of art has had significant artistic and cultural influence in that it is captured in Christian faith today whereby they believe that Christ is the way to the promised eternal life whereas the sinners belong to hell (Mullini 124).
Works Cited
Beckwith, John, and Richard Krautheimer. Early Christian and Byzantine Art. Vol. 24. Yale University Press, 1986.
Swift, Ellen, and Anne Alwis. “The role of late antique art in early Christian worship: a reconsideration of the iconography of the ‘starry sky’in the ‘Mausoleum’of Galla Placidia.” Papers of the British School at Rome 78 (2010): 193-217.
Jensen, Robin Margaret. Understanding early Christian art. Routledge, 2013. Print.
Mullini Roberta.“Action and Discourse in The Harrowing of Hell: the Defeat of Evil,”Medieval English Theatre 11(2014): 116–128.
