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Throne of Maximian
There are differing perspectives on the origin of the Throne of Maximianus (cathedra of bishop Maximianus of Ravenna). Many believe that the throne was carved in Constantinople and shipped to Ravenna. However, a majority of modern writers have also supported the idea of an Alexandrian origin. The style of the throne includes a mixture of Early Christian art and the First Golden Age of Byzantine.

Scholars believed the throne was used by Archbishop Maximianus in the Cathedral at Ravenna. It is made of ivory carving on panels, with frames of winding vines and grapevines, on a wooden frame. The throne itself is large with a high semi-circular back and is believed to have held a jewel cross or Gospel book. The ivory carvings are done in relief and the panels all depict important biblical figures. The back of the throne shows scenes of the Life of Christ, the sides include scenes of the Story of Joseph from the Book of Genesis, and on the front of the throne are the four evangelists around John the Baptist, who is holding a medallion with the Lamb of God and Maximian’s name above him.

Historical Context
Prior to becoming the archbishop, Maximianus had led a monastic life and entered presbyteral orders. He had built at his own expense, tombs for remains of holy men, which led to his reputation of sanctity. In A.D. 431, a new archbishop was needed and Maximianus was elected.

The Throne of Maximianus, ca. 545-553, was believed be carved in Constantinople, and shipped to Ravenna and was used in the Cathedral of Ravenna. Justinian I, the Byzantine Emperor, commissioned a throne to be made as a gift for Maximianus. The gift was given to Maximian for becoming the new archbishop and to encourage and strengthen his authority because he was not always popular. The throne portrays Justinian’s presence even in Ravenna, which had been the western capital of the Roman Empire and the Byzantine Empire. The gift was also for the dedication of San Vitale, located within Ravenna. Justinian hired 6th century Byzantine artists, who were summoned by the court to Constantinople from around the Empire, to create this piece. The style of the ivories and even the use of ivory itself suggest that the throne belongs to the School of Ivory Carving. It is also suggested, due to differing styles within the throne, that some components or even the entire throne was possibly carved in Alexandria. However, it is argued that the cult of St Menas was not just confined to Egypt, but there was a church dedicated to him in Constantinople.

Many had also believe that the throne was not intended to be of personal use by the Archbishop, but was to be an empty throne that symbolized the imperial or divine power. The cathedra was positioned in the center of the apse in the cathedral with the benches of assisting priests on either side. The throne was also carried during religious ceremonies. The decorated back and side of the throne suggested that the throne was designed to be moved out of the apse and placed near the chancel while the bishop addressed the congregation, instead of being left stationary against the wall.

Technical Analysis
A Byzantine sculpture, the Throne of Maximian, is a known for being the largest Early Christian ivory from Justinian’s reign. It was created of ivory panels on a wooden frame.

Ivory carvings are carvings made on animal tooth or tusks using sharp cutting tools. Ivory carvings have been created since prehistoric times. This style was used in many Byzantine sculptures: including The Throne of Maximianus and Diptychs such as the Adoration of the Magi and the Barberini Diptych representing Justinian as Holy Emperor. The throne is known as the most important Late Antique work of art made of ivory. The throne’s attraction is from its simple and proportionate lines along with its elaborate carvings.

The size of the throne suggests that it involved the work of several 6th century Byzantine artists. The technique of the panels suggests that at least two different artists of unequal skills had executed the carvings due to differing styles. Although the general style of the panels can be recognized, the panels on the front are sketchy compared to the scenes on the side and back of the chair, which are very bold and rather careless.

The dimensions are 22” (0.6m) wide x 4’11” (1.5m) high. Of the panels on the back of the throne, only 16 of the 24 panels have survived or been restored. The piece is currently preserved and displayed in the Museo Arcivescovile in Ravenna, which also holds the Chapel of Sant’Adrea and works from the old cathedral. At the time, the Byzantine Church was not in favor of sculptures in the round, fearing that it recalls idols from the Greek and Roman religion. Thus, small carvings in relief were created and allowed. This style of carving involves carving figures that project slightly from the background rather than free standing. This creates a piece with a mixture of 2 and 3 dimensionality.

Formal and Stylistic Analysis
The Throne of Maximianus was influenced by Early Christian art, but the artistic movement that the work belongs to is Byzantine art. Early Byzantine art cultivated ivory carving as a form of art and adopted them within many art pieces, such as the Throne of Maximianus. The throne has been recognized as a piece of art from the Alexandrian School of Ivory Carving. Byzantine artists adapted complicated patterns and designs from textiles and carvings of the Near East and conveyed them in their artworks. The designs on the Throne of Maximianus contain fragments of Early Christian decorations. These fragments consist of entwining grapevines and vines. The Byzantine artists also adopted this design and incorporated animals and birds within the curling branches of vines.

Many scenes carved on the Throne of Maximianus, such as the miracle of Christ and the history of Joseph, can also be found in a variety of art pieces, including mosaics and manuscripts. The 4 evangelists portrayed on the front of the throne was also a heavily common theme used throughout the Medieval time period.

Individual Scenes’ Similarities to other work of arts

 * “Scene of Joseph assured by an Angel, occurs on an ivory casket in the Victoria and Albert Museum, and on a sarcophagus of Le Puy”
 * “Annunciation scene, occurs on the ivory book-covers of the Etschmiadzin Gospels, and the book covers in the bibliotheque Nationale”
 * “The test of the virgin by Water, occurs on the Uwaroff ivory and the fragment of the Murano covers in the Stroganoff Collection”
 * 1 of 26 mosaic panels in Sant’Apollinare Nuovo, Ravenna (Miracle of Loaves and Fishes)
 * Church of San Vitale (4 Evangelists)
 * Dome Mosaic in Battistero Neoniano in Ravenna (baptist of Christ)

Iconographical Analysis
The Throne of Maximianus symbolizes a seat of authority and status. A throne is recognized as a seat for someone with power in the Medieval times. The chair not only signifies the resting of the body, but also the focusing of the mind. In a setting like a Cathedral, the chair is given a role of reflecting the religious and spiritual attitudes of the attendants of the church. A cathedra is the official seat of a Bishop.

On the Throne of Maximianus, there are scenes of the Old and New Testament depicting the Story of Joseph and the Life of Christ. The scenes of the New Testament hold a peculiar resemblance to Egyptian examples of the New Testaments and they are continued in the seventh century on Coptic monuments.

Front of the seat
At the front of the seat, there are a total of five panels. Four of the panels portray the Evangelists holding their Gospel books. The last panel illustrates John the Baptist, holding his emblem of the lamb. This is a very common theme that is depicted in many manuscripts and mosaics.

The designs of the throne's front include the vine-stem design, which was heavily used in Early Christian art. The artists that created the throne incorporated animals and birds within the vines. On the lower border of the front of the seat contains two lion guards guarding the vase from which the vines emerge. On the top border, there are a pair of peacocks surrounding the monogram of Archbishop Maximianus. The peacocks symbolize birds of immortality.

Side of the seat
On the side of the throne, there are 10 panels representing the events from the Story of Joseph in the Book of Genesis. The artistic style of these scenes is a Sixth-century style, which can be distinguished by the sketchiness of the carving. Scenes of the Life of Joseph, the choice of costumes, decoration and technique are consistently analogous to the Christian art of Egypt.

Back of the seat
The back of the throne consisted of 24 panels depicting the New Testament and more specifically, the Life of Christ and apocryphal scenes from the Life of the Virgin.

Individual scenes

 * The Alexandrian-Coptic version of the nativity of Christ, depicted on the Throne of Maximian, shows the Virgin lying on a mattress, which is more of an Oriental theme. While the Western Nativities have the Virgin seated in a chair.
 * The scene of Annunciation depicts the Virgin sitting to the left on a wicker chair spinning the purple garment for the temple. Other than the examples stated from above, this type of scene occurs only on monuments of the Coptic origin.
 * The scene of the Story of Bethlehem, Joseph helping the pregnant Virgin onto the animal, which is led by an angel, is very rare of a scene in Early Christian art. This type of scene is most likely made in Alexandria whence it became a characteristic type in Coptic art.