Byzantine and Gothic Portraiture

The Coronation of Constantine VII. circa 945 A.D. Constantinople.


Manuscript Illustration of Basil II. circa 1000 A.D. Constantinople.

Lippo Memmi, Podesta Nello dei Tolomei, 1317, Museo Civico


John II, the Good, circa 1350 ,The Lourve

Egyptian Portraits

Head of an Amarna Princess, Limestone, Fitzwilliam Museum

Intkaes and Her Daughters, Limestone Fitzwilliam Museum


Portrait of a Lady, encaustic on wood, J. Paul Getty Museum

THESIS

"The driving force of portraiture, over the span of history, is to make a statement about the societal displacement of power within a culture. This power structure and its terms of favor may change throughout history, from society to society. Whether that person be a noble court member, a member of a royal family, a commoner, or even a peasant or the homeless, these portraits accurately convey socio-economic structure, and the significance of power within that society. Our research will follow cultures and nations through their societal development and how that determines the significance and importance of portraiture in depiction."

This is a mere suggestion of what will be explained in the text.

Topic's covered will include

- Power and it's displacement in culture, and how it's evidenced in portraiture
- Portraiture as status statement or publicity
- Importance of subject matter, between religious, political, societal, or otherwise

Classical Greek and Roman Sculpture

Portrait of a Lady, Marble, 90 A.D., Museo Capitolino

Caesar Augustus, Marble, Vatican Museum

Prehistory

Chavet Cave, Ardèche France; Lion Panel

Preliminary Outline

I. Thesis

II. Body

A. Prehistoric Portraiture
1. Paleolithic Cave Painting
a. Chavet Cave, Ardèche France; Lion Panel

B. Ancient Egyptian Portraiture
1. Relief
a. Intkaes and Her Daughters, Limestone, Fitzwilliam Museum
2. Sarcophagi
a. Portrait of a Lady, encaustic on wood, J. Paul Getty Museum
3. Sculpture
a. Head of an Amarna Princess, Limestone, Fritzwilliam Museum

C. Ancient Greek and Roman Portraiture
2. Sculpture
a. Caesar Augustus, Marble, Vatican Museum
b. Portrait of a Lady, Marble, 90 A.D., Museo Capitolino

D. Byzantine Portraiture
1. Manuscript
a. Manuscript Illustration of Basil II. circa 1000 A.D. Constantinople.
2. Plaques
a. The Coronation of Constantine VII. circa 945 A.D. Constantinople.

E. Gothic Portraiture
1. Paintings
a. John II, the Good, circa 1350, The Lourve
b. Lippo Memmi, Podesta Nello dei Tolomei, 1317, Museo Civico

III. Conclusion
A. Summary
B. Concluding statement

IV. Notes:
A. The portrait is the direct representation of MAN through time so studying the portrait is to study man.
B. The tradition of portraying people with individualized features was of Roman origin, but apparently that came to a halt in the 6th century. However, the idea of representing a true likeness was taken up again in medieval sculpture and painting. (51, Baragli) [figures typically placed in religious settings with Saints]

Neoclassicism and Romanticism

Jacque Louis David's "Napoleon Crossing the Alps"

Jacque Louis David's " Portrait of Madame Adelaide Pastore"

Caspar David Friedrich's "Wanderer"

Ingre's "Madame Moitessier"

Ingre's "Princess Albert de Broglie"