Art And Architecture 357
well-being.14 Coins of Witigis also featured his image, some in profile and oth-
ers following Justinian’s lead depicting the ruler with a frontal pose.15
A Culture of Patronage and Building
Another role filled by Roman emperors had an even greater influence on
Theoderic—that of builder. He was responsible not only for his own palace or
palaces but also for constructing new public buildings, maintaining old ones,
guarding the artistic heritage of the country, and supporting religion, in this
case Arian Christianity, with the construction and decoration of churches.
In this, Theoderic stands out as one of the great patrons of building in Late
Antiquity.
The sources talk of palaces in Pavia, Verona, and Monza, though nothing
remains of those buildings. Small palaces or villas were built at Palazzolo, a few
miles north of Ravenna and at Galeata.16 Various projects were undertaken in
Rome, including renovations to the imperial palace on the Palatine and repairs
to the city walls “for which the Senate honored him with a gilded statue.”17 This
was possibly connected with a base bearing an inscription that once held a
statue of Theoderic found on the Via Sacra near the Forum.18 Repairs were
made to the Theatre of Pompey, the aqueducts, the sewers, and a granary in the
city.19 Roof tiles bearing Theoderican brick stamps have been found in fifteen
different churches as well as several public buildings in Rome.20 A bath com-
plex and palace were repaired at Abano, near Padua and city walls strength-
ened in several cities.21
Many reports of these projects are found in Cassiodorus’ Variae, possibly
published in 537, and what emerges from them is an important insight into
14 Cassiodorus, Variae, 6.7; Metlach, Coinage, p. 52; plate X, no. 89, and plates A–F.
15 Metlach, Coinage, p. 54 and plate XI.
16 Johnson, “Theoderic’s Building Program”, pp. 77–8; De Maria, ed., Villa di Teodorico a
Galeata.
17 Isidorus, Historia gothorum wandalorum sueborum, 1.59, ed. T. Mommsen, Monumenta
Germaniae Historica Auctores Antiquissimi, vol. 11, p. 283.
18 Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum 6, no. 1795.
19 For Theoderic’s work at Rome, see Gatto, “Teoderico a Roma”.
20 Examples collected and discussed by Westall, “Theoderic”; it is not clear if these demon-
strate direct patronage on the part of Theoderic or are simply evidence of his revival of
tile production noted in Cassiodorus, Variae, 1.25.2.
21 Lists of projects and comments in Bjornlie, Politics and Tradition, pp. 240–2; Fauvinet-
Ranson, Decor civitatis, pp. 199–202.