Production, promotion and reception: the visual culture of Ravenna between Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages

Since the fifth century, the mosaic has characterized the artistic culture of Ravenna, becoming a strong symbol of the city’s identity even into the present. This paper attempts to build an understanding of how Ravenna operated as a center of mosaic production by considering several examples from late-antique and medieval Ravenna in terms of visuality, in other words, as part of a wider visual culture both in its artistic language and in its reception by beholders. I limit discussion to the most representative cases of official art — monumental mosaics — of which there is still extant evidence between the fifth and twelfth centuries. Their locations, patronage and imagery conveyed specific messages to the audiences. Ultimately, through a few case studies I discuss the longue durée of the mosaic in Ravenna, clarifying the ways its mosaic tradition developed over time.