The mosaics in the Rotunda in Thessaloniki are the most significant decorations that remain from the early Byzantine period. This richly illustrated book invites the reader to enter the building and experience the splendid golden and silver mosaics that cover the cupola and vaults. It includes a timeline and a list of recent publications. Colour photographs, many specially taken for this publication, document the spectacular qualities of these magnificent mosaics. After an introduction to the architecture of the Rotunda, the authors focus on the mosaics, discussing such issues as imperial patronage, the martyr portraits, the pictorial programme, as well as mosaic technique and the aesthetic qualities of the multi-coloured images. The succinct text provides an up-to-date introduction to the mosaics.
Introduction
The Roman Rotunda
The Conversion into a Church
Overview of the Mosaic Decorations
The Date of the Mosaics
The Silver Vault
The Martyr Zone
The Medallion of Christ Supported by Flying Angels
The Mosaic Technique
Aesthetic Aspects of the Mosaics
Timeline
Select Bibliography
Bente Kiilerich is professor of art history at the University of Bergen, Norway; she has published widely on Greek, late antique and Byzantine art, and on the classical tradition in contemporary art, and is a former president of the Norwegian Committee for Byzantine Studies. Hjalmar Torp is professor emeritus of medieval art history at the University of Oslo, Norway; he spent five months in Thessaloniki in 195354 studying the Rotunda mosaics, on which he has subsequently published many studies, and in 1981 he received the St Demetrius silver medallion from Panteleimon, the Metropolites of Thessaloniki.
