Roman mosaics of the 7th and 8th centuries

Uloga Rima kao spone između Istoka i Zapada posebice se osjeti u umjetničkome stvaralaštvu ranoga srednjeg vijeka. Tema ovoga završnog rada su mozaici grada Rima nastali tijekom 7. i 8. stoljeća koji predstavljaju vrlo važan dio ukupnoga korpusa monumentalnoga zidnoga slikarstva sačuvanoga u tom gradu. Bit će tako obrađeni preživjeli dijelovi mozaičkih ciklusa iz crkvi Sant'Agnese fuori le mura, Santo Stefano Rotondo i San Pietro in Vincoli, zatim ostaci mozaika iz nekadašnjeg oratorija pape Ivana VII. iz stare, porušene bazilike Sv. Petra u Vatikanu te, konačno, mozaici kapele Sv. Venancija u sklopu lateranskog baptisterija. U rimskim mozaicima ovoga doba očituje se jak utjecaj Istoka. Naime, bizantske stilske i ikonografske karakteristike vide se prvenstveno u svetačkim figurama koje su postavljene strogo hijerarhijski i bez međusobne komunikacije. Primjetan je, nadalje, i njihov smještaj na zlatnoj apstraktnoj pozadini na koju su figure postavljene. Draperije prikazanih likova izrazito su linearne te samo naznačuju volumen, ali ne i pokret. Privid volumena ostvaren je i svjetlosnim kontrastima, a upravo oni ukazuju na kvalitetu tih mozaikâ koju dodatno ističe i umješno korištenje bogate dekoracije. Na mozaicima su najčešće prikazani Krist i Bogorodica, svecimučenici i anđeli, zatim tetramorf, ali i dva najvažnija biblijska grada – Betlehem i Jeruzalem, koji su uvijek predočeni kao utvrđeni gradovi. Konačno, u tehničkom pogledu, za rimske mozaike 7. i 8. stoljeća može se kazati da su izrađeni od manjih i većih tesera napravljenih od dvaju materijala – stakla i kamena.The role of Rome as a link between East and West is especially apparent in the artistic creations of the early Middle Ages. The theme of this final work is the mosaics of the city of Rome created during the 7th and 8th centuries, which represent a very important part of the overall body of monumental archways preserved in the city. The surviving parts of the mosaics from the churches of Sant'Agnese fuori le Mura (St. Agnes Outside the Walls), Santo Stefano Rotondo (St. Steven in the Round), and San Pietro in Vincoli (St. Peter in Chains) will be considered in this way. Additionally, we will look at the remains of mosaics from the former oratory of Pope John VII from the old, ruined basilica of St. Peter in the Vatican, as well as the mosaics of the chapel of St. Venantius as part of the Lateran Baptistery. In the Roman mosaics of this period, a strong influence of the East is evident. Namely, Byzantine stylistic and iconographic characteristics are seen primarily in saintly figures that are placed hierarchically and without mutual connection. Furthermore, their placement on the golden abstract background is also noticeable. The draperies of the depicted characters are distinctly sublinear and only indicate volume, but not movement. The illusion of volume is also achieved by light contrasts, and it is this which indicates the quality of these mosaics, further emphasized by the skillful use of rich decoration. The mosaics most often depict Christ and the Mother of God, saints/martyrs and angels, the tetramorph, and also the two most important biblical cities—Bethlehem and Jerusalem—which are always presented as fortified cities. Finally, in technical terms, the Roman mosaics of the 7th and 8th centuries were created from small and large tesserae made of both glass and stone