The scene in the semi-dome of the apse below is in the Byzantine sty lc o: the thirteenth century, as far as anything remains of tlmt time, having been executed under Pope Ifonorins III. by some mosaicists sent him from Venice by the (loge. Christ is represented enthroned between St. Paid and St. Luke on his right and St. Peter and St. Andrew on his left. The flowery landscape with its birds and insects reminds one of an earlier classic work which probably existed in the same place.
At the same time Ravenna was being filled with interesting churches. The mosaics of the two baptisteries, of the archbishop's palace, and of the mausoleum of Calla Placidia belong to the fifth century, while those of S. Vitale and of the two churches of S. Apollinare belong to the sixth.
.1finiahrres.—To complete our glance at the various branches of paint ing, during the early Christian period a word should be said of miniature painting. As early as the close of the fourth century it became the custom to decorate codices of the Old and New Testaments with an elaborate cycle of paintings illustrating each important event. These interesting series became the Bible of the ignorant, and, being probably transferred from the pages of manuscripts to the walls of churches, gave rise to those elab orate series of paintings and mosaics of which we bear, and a few of which we can still see. They were dedicated to the people to inspire them with a love of holy things and to bring back to their memory and illustrate the teachings of their pastors, as they were not able in their ignorance to con sult the sacred book themselves.
Ii17.ANTINE AND CARLOVINGIAN PAINTING.
When the graceful but rather childish productions of the classic spirit had passed away from Christian art, being displaced by a more thoughtful and religious style, the East began to gain more influence over the \Vest.
Classic Character of Easier,' painting in the East was not far different front what we have seen in the catacombs of Rome—witness the mosaics in St. George, at Salonica—but with Justinian in the sixth century there is developed an original Byzantine style in painting as in the other arts. This style did not, like early Christian painting, first allow itself to be inordinately classical and then rush to the opposite extreme; it presun ed strong classic traditions of the Greek school, but penetrated it so thoroughly with the new Christian spirit that it formed a perfect whole.
This classic spirit, though it diminished as time went on, was never totally extinct, was previously remarked under Sculpture (p. and paint ing never fell in the East into such degradation as it did in the \Vest.
,1/doals of Sta. reproduction on Plate 27 (fig. 5) is a good example of this fact. It is a mosaic over the door of the famous Church of Santa Sophia, at Constantinople, built by Justinian toward the middle of the sixth century. The mosaic is later, probably of the time of Basil the Macedonian (867-886 A.D.), when most of the mosaics were restored and others added. It is, consequently, not of the best period of Byzantine art; still, the figure of the enthroned Christ is one of the finest in the whole range of medimval painting. He blesses with his right hand and holds in his left the open book of life, with the words, " Peace be unto you! I am the light of the world." At his feet lies prostrate the figure of the emperor (Basil ?) in his state robes. On either side of Christ is a half figure enclosed in a circle—a unique arrangement. That on the right is the Virgin, that on the left an archangel; both have classic features and are extremely beautiful.
Painting in the 11 sst : Its painting remained in a flourishing condition in the East during the six or seven centuries succeeding Justinian, in Europe it underwent many vicissitudes. The decadence at the close of the sixth century was followed at the close of the eighth by a revival which continued through the early part of the Carlovingian period. At that time no church was considered finished until it had been filled with frescos, and we know of edicts passed by Charlemagne and his successors for the encouragement of painters. Unfortunately, the quality of these works did not equal their quantity. The painters possessed neither the artistic facility of the early Christian period nor the religious faith of t,lie fifth century : the decay in culture of all kinds made a special revival in painting impossible. Whether we study the late frescos added by the popes of the eighth and ninth centuries in restoring the catacombs, or the above-ground wall-paintings contemporary in Italy and Germany, or the miniatures, we find the same defects—a total ignoring of classic traditions and the beauties of early Christian art, without any attempt at the study of Nature.