Imperial Rome and Christian triumph : the art of the Roman Empire AD 100-450
This book offers an exciting new approach to the twin themes of the arts of the Roman Empire and the rise of Christian art. Beginning in the second century, with its rich revival of ancient learning and artistic practices, and ending in the fifth with Christian narrative and liturgical cycles and the pilgrimage arts, this book explores the art of the Roman Empire by tackling two inter-related periods of internal transformation: the 'Second Sophist' (c. ad 100-300), and the era of late antiquity (c. ad 250-450). For the first time, these two themes are treated together, throwing a more penetrating light on the radical change undergone by the empire in becoming a Christian imperium. Vases, murals, statues, and masonry are explored in relation to such issues as power, death, society, acculturation, and religion. By examining questions of reception, viewing, and the culture of spectacle alongside the more traditional art-historical themes of imperial patronage and stylistic change, Elsner presents a fresh and challenging account of a rich cultural crucible in which many developments of later European art had their origins
xvi, 297 pages : illustrations (some color), maps (some color), plans ; 24 cm
9780192842657, 9780192842015, 019284265X, 0192842013
40751407
Ch. 1. Introduction
pt. I. Images and Power. Ch. 2. A Visual Culture. Ch. 3. Art and Imperial Power
pt. II. Images and Society. Ch. 4. Art and Social Life. Ch. 5. Centre and Periphery. Ch. 6. Art and Death
pt. III. Images and Transformation. Ch. 7. Art and the Past: Antiquarian Eclecticism. Ch. 8. Art and Religion. Ch. 9. Art and Culture: Cost, Value, and the Discourse of Art
Afterword: Some Futures of Christian Art