Ravenna & Venice: Byzantine Mosaics of Italy

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Travel with The Met Ravenna & Venice: Byzantine Mosaics of Italy with Dr. Helen C. Evans, Curator Emerita, Byzantine Art
October 14–21, 2022
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Dear Members and Friends of The Metropolitan Museum of Art,
This October, join me in Ravenna and Venice to explore an ancient art of the highest aesthetic and spiritual power. Byzantine mosaic artists used tesserae (tiny squares of precious materials—including colored glass, gold ground glass, and marble) to adorn the interiors of sacred buildings with compelling religious imagery that inspired the faithful. Experiencing Byzantine mosaics in situ is akin to being transported to an unearthly, mystical realm, their prismatic reflections producing a hypnotic effect that continues to influence artists.
As a scholar of Byzantine art, I am excited to introduce you to Ravenna’s UNESCO-listed monuments and their mosaics. In the late fifth century, Roman Ravenna became the capital of an invading Ostrogothic kingdom. Byzantine emperor Justinian I later conquered the city and made it the capital of his western lands. The mosaics commissioned by these rulers still stand as the world’s most extraordinary. Highlights include the Basilica of San Vitale, with its shimmering gold ground mosaics. Nearby, the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia will reward us with a spellbinding visual feast, including a starry night sky on its ceiling. These and other early Christian sites in and around Ravenna will delight and fascinate us.
In Venice, we will explore this city’s medieval partnership and rivalry with Constantinople, starting with an after-hours visit to Saint Mark’s Basilica. We’ll admire its extensive mosaics and its Treasury, which houses the world’s finest collection of Byzantine gold and metalwork, much of it plundered from Constantinople in 1204. We’ll also see the modern influence of Byzantine mosaics at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, cruise Venice’s Grand Canal, and sail to islands in the Venetian Lagoon, where the exquisite mosaics within Torcello’s cathedral will entrance us.
Please join me to visit these sites and more that showcase some of Italy’s most astonishing, Byzantine-inspired art treasures. Sincerely, Dr. Helen C. Evans Curator Emerita, Byzantine Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
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Trip Highlights — Enjoy an inside look at the world’s most dazzling Byzantine mosaics in Ravenna’s wealth
of luminous UNESCO-listed monuments, from the famed Basilica of San Vitale to the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia
— Visit Venice’s glorious Saint Mark’s Basilica and its mosaics on an after-hours tour, with access to the Treasury housing Byzantine gold and metalwork, and take a curator-led morning tour of Venice’s Accademia Gallery, home to the gold-and-silver, late-Byzantine Reliquary of the True Cross
— Embark on a scenic boat tour along Venice’s Grand Canal to admire Venetian-Byzantine palazzi, and cruise the Venetian Lagoon, stepping off on enigmatic islands to view an array of medieval treasures, including the Torcello Cathedral’s 11th-century mosaics
— Admire well-preserved Byzantine artifacts on a special morning tour of the Venice National Archaeological Museum, and meet a curator (pending confirmation) at the 15th-century Marciana National Library for an up-close look at their Byzantine manuscripts
— Delight in an after-hours visit to the Fortuny Museum, the former atelier of Mariano Fortuny housed in a 15th-century palazzo, which features the paintings, fabrics, and photography of the Byzantine-influenced artist (pending confirmation)
Ravenna & Venice: Byzantine Mosaics of Italy
Portrait of the Four Tetrarchs, Doge's Palace, Venice
Traveling with You Dr. Helen C. Evans
Dr. Helen C. Evans is Curator Emerita, Byzantine Art, formerly the Mary and Michael Jaharis Curator of Byzantine Art in the Department of Medieval Art and The Cloisters at The Met. Her exhibitions—including Armenia! (2018), Byzantium and Islam (2012), Byzantium: Faith and Power (2004), and The Glory of Byzantium (1997)—have explored the importance of Byzantine art and its connections beyond its borders as far as China. Dr. Evans received her B.A. with Honors from Newcomb College of Tulane University and her M.A. and Ph.D. from The Institute of Fine Arts, New York University.
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Photos clockwise from top right: Regional map; Basilica of Sant’ Apollinare Nuovo, Ravenna; St. Mark's Basilica, Venice; The mosaic of the Holy Mary with angels and the Three Magi (detail), Sant’ Apollinare Nuovo, Ravenna; Grand Canal, Venice; Garden, The Peggy Guggenheim Collection, photo © Peggy Guggenheim Collection by Matteo De Fina; Front cover: Basilica of San Vitale, Ravenna. Back cover: Detail of mosaic, Basilica of San Vitale, Ravenna. (top); Santa Fosca, Torcello (bottom).
ITALY
Tyrhennian Sea
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Departure Friday, October 14 Depart for Venice on an overnight flight, group flight pending.
Venice, Italy / Ravenna Saturday, October 15 After landing in Venice, transfer by coach to Ravenna, where you will be introduced to the city’s famous monuments on an orientation tour. To fully appreciate the artistry involved in mosaic art, stop at a Byzantine mosaic workshop, where masters of the artform will show the materials, special tools, and techniques used to craft these shimmering creations. After checking into the hotel, gather for a lecture to learn more about this fascinating art. Then, share a welcome dinner together. L,D
Ravenna Sunday, October 16 Today, discover Ravenna’s great Byzantine past through its wealth of spectacular UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Visit the Basilica of San Vitale, one of the most important surviving examples of Byzantine architecture, and marvel at the sixth- century mosaics of the Court of Emperor Justinian and Empress Theodora. Nearby, step into the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, lined with fifth-century mosaics. On its ceiling, admire the mosaic of a starry sky, described by UNESCO as “among the best surviving examples of this form of art in Europe.” Walk to Ravenna’s oldest building, the fifth-century Baptistery of Neon, which contains spellbinding mosaics. Next door, visit the Archiepiscopal Museum, where
the relics of early Christian Ravenna are preserved. Highlights here include its ivory throne of Maximian and the hidden jewel of Saint Andrew’s Chapel. Enjoy lunch in the area, followed by a visit to the Domus of the Stone Carpets, an archaeological site with pastoral mosaics on floors found beneath an 18th-century church. Conclude at the Basilica of Sant’Apollinare Nuovo. View the mosaic procession of martyrs along the nave, making the basilica only one of two churches in the world to have preserved its nave mosaics. Dine tonight at a local favorite. B,L,D Ravenna / Venice Monday, October 17 This morning, depart for Venice, stopping in the ancient harbor town of Classe. At the sixth-century Basilica of Sant’Apollinare in Classe, peruse exceptional Byzantine mosaics and early Christian sarcophagi. Visit the ancient UNESCO-listed Mausoleum of Theodoric, the only surviving tomb from a “barbarian” king. The mausoleum’s roof is made of a single stone weighing 230 tons. Have lunch before arriving in Venice, where you will embark on a scenic boat tour along the Grand Canal. Look out at the Venetian-Byzantine palazzi that line this famous thoroughfare. This evening, visit the glorious Saint Mark’s Basilica on an after-hours tour. Inside, visit the Treasury, which is housed in ancient rooms between the basilica and the ducal palace. The door to these rooms is embellished with a 13th-century mosaic and leads to treasures made by Byzantine goldsmiths. Dinner is at leisure. B.L
Venice Tuesday, October 18 Take a curator-led morning tour of the Accademia Gallery, Venice’s most renowned art museum. View its collection of paintings connected to Byzantium and the Staurotheke of Cardinal Bessarion (Reliquary of the True Cross). Then, enjoy lunch together in the area. Afterwards, tour the contemporary Peggy Guggenheim Collection, where you will learn how Ellsworth Kelly was influenced by Byzantine mosaics. This evening, visit the Palazzo Fortuny, home to the Fortuny
Museum, whose handmade fabrics and textiles shimmer like mosaics. See how the artist Mariano Fortuny took designs and fabrics from distant cultures and reinvented them to a modern aesthetic. Enjoy an aperitif (pending confirmation) surrounded by this 15th-century palazzo and its treasure of silks and velvets. Gather for dinner at a nearby restaurant. B,L,D
Venice Wednesday, October 19 Delve into Venice’s roots as a flourishing seaport, starting at the 12th-century Arsenal. View its famous Piraeus Lion, which was sculpted in 360 B.C. and looted from Athens’ harbor in 1687. Take a boat cruise in the Venetian Lagoon, stepping off to wander its enigmatic islands. Admire Torcello’s seventh- century cathedral, an exceptional example of Venetian-Byzantine architecture. Inside, behold its glittering golden mosaic of the Virgin Mary and an impressive mosaic of the Last Judgment. Next door, find Santa Fosca, a modest yet charming Venetian-Byzantine church. Boat to the island of Murano, known for its glassworks. Stop at the Basilica of Saint Mary and Saint Donatus, to view the lavish, multicolored mosaic floor made of porphyry, serpentine, and glass paste. Enjoy lunch together. This afternoon take a ferry to the island of San Lazzaro degli Armeni, home to an Armenian monastery set amid gardens of flowers, cypress trees, and peacocks. View its extraordinary treasures, including a fascinating library and sparkling items made of gold, silver, and jewels. Dinner is at leisure. B,L
Ravenna & Venice: Byzantine Mosaics of Italy October 14–21, 2022
Peggy Guggenheim Collection, photo Matteo De Fina
Baptistry of Neon
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