Date: 1150-1200
Artist: Unknown
Location: St. Mark’s Basilica, Venice
Medium: Mosaic
Dimensions: 13.8
Acts 1:9 “After saying this, he was taken up into a cloud while they were watching, and they could no longer see him” (1)
This golden mosaic can be found in the central dome of Saint Mark’s Basilica in Venice. Being a major trading port between the East and West, Venice was highly influenced by Byzantine art, resulting in a basilica covered with highly symbolic and iconic mosaics. This particular mosaic is a depiction of the Jesus’ ascension to heaven after his resurrection .
Instead of attempting a scene with Jesus floating up to Heaven on a cloud with a crowd standing of people watching him, this mosaic features Jesus in a blue sphere surrounded by six angels, twelve men, thirteen trees, and seventeen female figures, all set against a golden background. How is this depicting the ascension of Jesus? The answer lies in the fact that this is symbolic Byzantine art and it does not place people in the physical world with a natural background, emphasizing the spiritual over the natural. The shimmering golden backdrop is intended to represent spiritual enlightenment. The only reference this mosaic makes to the natural world is through the trees that are sprinkled about the dome.
Although the scene may not look like the ascension of Jesus at first, there are several clues that can be found when examining the mosaic closer. The figure in the center, obviously Jesus, is set against a dark blue containing starry lights, painting the picture of Jesus in the sky. The four winged beings around Jesus are angels who are carrying the sphere he is floating in heavenward. This is one point where the circular design and the two dimensional aesthetics of the mosaic make the ascension a difficult scene to depict and decipher as one cannot see Jesus’ movement heavenward. However, this lack of movement in a particular direction may allude to the fact that Jesus was not just ascending into the sky but was actually leaving this temporal realm and entering into the spiritual. The last clue that Jesus is in fact ascending in this scene is the upward glances and gestures of the men, who revealed by their holiness as seen in their mandorlas are the twelve apostles.
The other symbols in this mosaic are less important to the actual act of the ascension but are still important to the message the artists were trying to send. The trees have little spiritual significance and are included to represent the Mount of Olives which is the supposed location of the ascension. The female figure between the two angels represents the Virgin Mary. While Mary probably was present at the ascension of Jesus, her presence and the inclusion of her angelic entourage largely just reflects the Catholic tradition of including her in nearly every work of art. Another instance of tradition and fascination with certain ideas is the other sixteen women located on the edge of the dome. These sixteen women personify the Virtues and Beatitudes. These sixteen ideals are split into three different categories which are the three theological virtues; faith, hope and charity, the four moral virtues; prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance, and the other nine virtues; gentleness, contrition, abstinence, mercy, patience, chastity, modesty, constancy, and humility. The fact that personifications of these virtues are included in this scene once again shows the spiritual emphasis of this Byzantine influenced artwork.
After thinking about this type of artwork and its heavy reliance on symbolism and an emphasis on the spiritual realm, I appreciate this mosaic much more. I love how Byzantine art blends the physical world with the spiritual realm, even if the scenes depicted and their story content can be muddled. The idea that there are many spiritual powers at work in this world is often one people today overlook as they are often so intent on the temporal.
Bibliography
(1) The Holy Bibile. New Living Translation. 2nd Edition. 2004. Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Carol Steam, IL.
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