hidden barbarian recoils in fear behind him. The dynamic twisting
postures of both horse and rider and the motif of the equestrian em-
peror thrusting his spears are survivals of the pagan Roman Empire
(see “The Emperors of New Rome,” above), as are the personifica-
tions of bountiful Earth (below the horse) and palm-bearing Victory
(flying in to crown the conqueror). Also borrowed from pagan art
are the barbarians at the bottom of the plaque bearing tribute and
seeking clemency. They are juxtaposed with a lion, an elephant, and
a tiger—exotic animals native to Africa and Asia, sites of Justinian’s
conquests. At the left, a Roman soldier carries a statuette of another
Victory, reinforcing the central panel’s message. The source of the
emperor’s strength, however, comes not from his earthly armies but
from God. The uppermost panel depicts two angels holding aloft a
youthful image of Christ carrying a cross in his left hand. Christ
blesses Justinian with a gesture of his right hand, indicating approval
of the emperor’s rule.Early Byzantine Art 323B
yzantine art is generally, and properly,
considered to belong to the Middle
Ages rather than to the ancient world, but the
emperors of Byzantium, New Rome, consid-
ered themselves the direct successors of the
emperors of Old Rome. Although the official
state religion was Christianity and all pagan
cults were suppressed, the political imagery
of Byzantine art displays a striking continuity
between ancient Rome and medieval Byzan-
tium. Artists continued to portray emperors
sitting on thrones holding the orb of the
earth in their hands, battling foes while rid-
ing on mighty horses, and receiving tribute
from defeated enemies. In the Early Byzan-
tine period, official portraits continued to be
set up in great numbers throughout the terri-
tories Byzantium controlled. But, as was true of the classical world,
much of imperial Byzantine statuary is forever lost. Nonetheless,
some of the lost portraits of the Byzantine emperors can be visual-
ized from miniature versions of them on ivory reliefs such as the
Barberini Ivory (FIG. 12-14) and from descriptions in surviving texts.
One especially impressive portrait in the Roman imperial tradi-
tion, melted down long ago, depicted the emperor Justinian on
horseback atop a grandiose column. Cast in glittering bronze, like
the equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius (FIG. 10-59) set up nearly
400 years earlier, it attested to the continuity between the art of New
Rome and Old Rome, where pompous imperial images were com-
monly displayed at the apex of freestanding columns. (Compare FIG.
10-44where a statue of Saint Peter has replaced a lost statue of the
emperor Trajan.) Procopius, Justinian’s official historian, described
the equestrian portrait:
Finest bronze, cast into panels and wreaths, encompasses the stones
[of the column] on all sides, both binding them securely together
and covering them with adornment....This bronze is in color
softer than pure gold, while in value it does not fall much short of
an equal weight of silver. At the summit of the column stands a huge
bronze horse turned towards the east, a most noteworthy sight....
Upon this horse is mounted a bronze image of the Emperor like a
colossus....He wears a cuirass in heroic fashion and his head is
covered with a helmet... and a kind of radiance flashes forth from
there....He gazes towards the rising sun, steering his course, I sup-
pose, against the Persians. In his left hand he holds a globe, by whichthe sculptor has signified that the whole earth and sea were subject
to him, yet he carries neither sword nor spear nor any other weapon,
but a cross surmounts his globe, by virtue of which alone he has
won the kingship and victory in war. Stretching forth his right hand
towards the regions of the East and spreading out his fingers, he
commands the barbarians that dwell there to remain at home and
not to advance any further.*
Statues such as this are the missing links in an imperial tradition that
never really died and that lived on also in the Holy Roman Empire
(FIG. 16-12) and in Renaissance Italy (FIGS. 21-15and 21-16).The Emperors of New Rome
WRITTEN SOURCES*Cyril Mango, trans.,The Art of the Byzantine Empire, 312–1453: Sources and Doc-
uments (reprint of 1972 ed., Toronto: Toronto University Press, 1986), 110–111.12-14Justinian
as world conqueror
(Barberini Ivory),
mid-sixth century.
Ivory, 1 1 –^12 101 – 2 .
Louvre, Paris.
Classical style and
motifs lived on in
Byzantine art in
ivories such as this
one, where Justinian
rides a rearing horse
accompanied by
personifications of
Victory and Earth.
Above, Christ
blesses the emperor.1 in.