Emperor Justinian and His Court

High on the sanctuary wall of San Vitale in Ravenna, the emperor Justinian stands fixed in gold, carrying the bread for the Eucharist toward the altar. Haloed and robed in imperial purple, he is flanked by clergy, courtiers and soldiers, with Bishop Maximianus named beside him, in a row of weightless, staring figures who no longer cast shadows or stand on solid ground. Church and state fuse in a single image. It is the defining statement of Byzantine imperial art.