Ravenna: Capital of the Mosaic
Dr George Bartlett
Friday 9 – Sunday 11 May 2025
£495
Course description
Over three days, this tour will visit the mosaicked sites of the small Italian city of Ravenna: San Vitale; Sant’Apollinare in Classe; Sant’ Apollinare in Nuovo; The Arian Baptistery; The Orthodox Baptistery; The Archbishop’s Palace, and the so-called Mausoleum of Galla Placidia. These buildings feature some of the most sumptuous and vibrant works in the history of art, including the magnificent starry night from the dome of the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, and the imposing imperial portraits of Justinian and Theodora from San Vitale. Such mosaics date from a fascinating phase in Ravenna’s history when, during the 5th and 6th centuries CE, the city was subject to a tug-of-war between the Western Romans, the Ostrogoths, and the Byzantines. Each of these groups expressed their respective claims to political dominance and their Christian beliefs through the powerful and dazzling medium of mosaic.
During our visits, we shall think about how mosaics were commissioned and made, observe the stylistic evolution from late Roman to early Medieval and Byzantine art, and think critically about the connotations of labels like ‘classical’, ‘medieval’ and ‘Byzantine’ and how we might classify works from this transitionary period. In addition to the mosaicked sites, we shall also explore the Mausoleum of Theodoric and the National Museum of Ravenna.
How to book
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Please note that the minimum age for participation is 18. By booking you confirm that you are over 18.
If you have any questions please email us at short.courses@courtauld.ac.uk
Lecturer's biography
Dr George Bartlett is an Associate Lecturer at The Courtauld, where he teaches on Late Antique, Medieval and Byzantine art. George completed his PhD in Art History at the University of Sussex in 2020, with a thesis on Christ’s naming inscriptions in Byzantine art and taught there on the BA and MA programmes. Since 2019 George has contributed to The Courtauld’s Summer School, with courses on medieval mosaics and on the transition from pagan to Christian art in late antiquity and has recently also worked at the Institute of Classical Studies, University of London.