PAINT' No AND The painted ornamen tation of the earliest in the Roman cata combs, such as those of Domitilla and Priseilla, show that not until the middle of the Second Century was there enough that was significantly Christian to be called Christian painting. The technique is exactly the same as in eontemporary pagan monuments: but a system of symbolism to express Christian faith is in process of forma tion. (See lcoNocRAPIIY ; :1 more general de seription is given eider CATACOMBS.) Everything that could be regarded as a symbol of the resur rection and of salvation was represented, whether in the form of animate and inanimate symbols, such as the pinenix, the fish, or the bread; or of symbolic scenes, std' as Noah, Daniel, or the three children in the furnace. In its limitation and simplicity this art was very direct, and ap pealed alike to learned and unlearned. -liter the time of Constantine, the historic, descriptive, genre, and dogmatic elements were added to di versify the art, while the deterioration of tech nique detracted from its appeal. The catacombs continue throughout the Fourth Century to fur nish practically the entire material for study, be cause the churches of this period still in existence have partly or entirely lost their paintings. The art of mosaic painting now entered the field of figured composition, and rapidly displaced fresco painting in the larger and richer churches. The mausoleum of Constantin and the Church of Santa Pudentiana in Rome preserve works of this century of very different character—the former, in its semi-pagan decoration, barking back to the early catacombs, while the latter, with its ordered scene of Christ enthroned teaching the apostles and establishing. the Church of the .Jews and of the Gentiles, shows the new dogmatic and didactic. tendency. Milli' painting had been rather sentimental and free, it heeame now more syst(nnat ieally a religions handmaid. ( See ICONO(:t2A Pll Y.) The desire to tell the people all the main facts of religious history led to the in vention of a series of chronologieal illustrations of the events of the Old and New Testaments which, originating as early as the Fifth Century, were handed down, almost unchanged, for about a thousand years. The mosaics of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, with their scenes from Genesis tc.-1:101, show the early phase of the style be fore its historic exuberance had been pruned to the selection of fewer types. The historic series soon became subordinate to the dogmatic, as in the later mosaics (c.500) in San .Apollinare Nuovo. in Ravenna, portraying the life of Christ. This was due to the influence of the East and of Greece. Although nearly all the preserved works of painting and mosaic earlier than A.D. 500 are found in the West, there are abundant proofs that the change from the symbolic to the dog matico-historic style was due to the Orient. (Inc of these proofs is the series of Creek illuminated manuscripts of the Fifth and Sixth centuries, in N\ Ilia this style is fully developed, and which may Inuit sened as models to the Western paint er—such were the Vienna and Colton Genesis.
lZossano Gospels, etc. The Oriental love of color also dictated the replacing of the thinner, colder fresco by the richer, warmer mosaics. The two typical Italian schools are Ronte and 1:avenna, the former representing the Latin, the latter the Oriental-liellenic current. It Rome the mosaics of Santa. Sabina (Fifth Century) and San Cos nuts and Damian (c.530) are the finest of their class—genuinely Roman; but the invasion of Byzantine methods is shown a little later in San Teodoro, alai even more in San Venanzio. The Havens: series is richer in the Fifth and Sixth centuries. with its two churches of San San Vitale, the two baptisteries, the pal palace. and the tomb of Calla Placidia, filled with mosaics by the best artists of the Greek school. The use of the gold ground, which they made popular. revolutionized mosaic painting and made its figures as clean-cut as those of a Greek frieze. The period closes with the su premacy of the East in painting.
Sl INOP. ARTS. The smaller branches of art ap i.eared to feel the decadence the least. This was especially true of ivory-carving (q.v.) and metal sculpture. One branch, that of illuminated manuscripts (q.v.), may even be said to have been created at this time. The subjects por trayed were the same as in the larger arts. Cer tain branches were popular in special localities. Figured woven stuffs were worn in the Orient, especially in Egypt, Saint Asterius commenting on the personages who carried all the Old and New Testaments on their garments. Many such textiles have been found in the Fayum. Then there was the special industry of figures delicately outlined in gold on glass, as in so many cups found in the Roman catacombs. The earthenware and bronze lamps also were decorated with religious scenes. But the choice est remaining examples are the ivories and il luminations. The stenos carved On the diptychs were necessarily limited in character to the fig ues and funetions of the consuls; but a greater variety appears in the boxes (pyxes) , the book covers, and other objects of ecclesiastical use, earved with great skill throughout this period. but especially between the Fourth and the close of the Sixth Century, which is also the Golden .:\ge for illuminations.
Symnousm AND lcoNourt.krur. -\11 early Chris tian figured art expressed or taught smite gions truth, and was not produced primarily for festhetie Tea...0ns. the study of its subjects is even more interesting than that of its style. This will be treated under the title leo xotatAen Y. as well as under SYM BOLISM ; A 1.1.E. GORY ; etc.
Binmotm.kmiv. Besides the authorities re ferred to under CATACOMBS and ICONOGRAPHY, such as Carrueci. Perat6, De Rossi. etc., consult : Kraus, Gesehichfc der christlichen Ku»st (Frei burg. 1s95-971 IVoltinann Woermann, lie schichte der alcrci (Leipzig, lis79) Zimmer mann, Giotto unit die Kunst I !Wit ns (Leipzig, 1 S99) .