Constantine I the Great (272–337) was the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity. In 330, he moved the capital of the empire to Byzantium, called it New Rome, and later the city was renamed Constantinople. In subsequent centuries, artists repeatedly dedicated works of art to Constantine I: statues, frescoes, paintings. In the 17th century, based on the drawings of the Flemish artist Peter Rubens, a series of tapestries “The History of Constantine” was created. Most likely, the series was commissioned in 1622 by Queen Marie de' Medici. In the same year, Rubens presented the first sketches, which guided the weavers in the workshop of Marc Coman and François de la Planche. A few years later, the series was supplemented by works by the Italian painter Pietro da Cortona - based on his drawings, several tapestries were made by Roman masters. Below we look at the works of Peter Rubens.
The tapestry "The Collapse of the Milvian Bridge and the Death of Maxentius" depicts an event that occurred in 312, when the armies of the usurping emperor Marcus Maxentius and Constantine clashed. The story of the stone bridge is unclear and still raises questions. Apparently, Rubens is relying on the version according to which Maxentius, in order to lure Constantine into an ambush, partially destroyed the structure, but he himself fell into his own trap: the artist showed Maxentius falling into the river.
After defeating Maxentius, Constantine arrived in Rome. Rubens depicted the triumphal procession in the tapestry “The Triumphant Entry of Constantine into Rome.” According to legend, on the eve of the battle Constantine turned to the Christian God for help, and, seeing a cross in the sky, ordered his soldiers to put chrism on their shields - a monogram of the name of Christ: “Χ” and “P”. This symbol is depicted here on the imperial banner, as well as on each tapestry, at the very top.
The next tapestry is “The Founding of Constantinople”. According to ancient Greek sources, the legendary character Byzantium founded the city of the same name around the 7th century. BC e. In the 70s BC e. Byzantium fell under the rule of Rome and was practically destroyed during the civil war; later the city was regularly raided by barbarians. Rubens reproduced the legend according to which an eagle with a branch in its beak flew over Constantine: the emperor considered this a good sign and ordered the foundation of the new capital to be laid.
Konstantin received baptism just before his death. The emperor was baptized by Bishop Eusebius of Nicomedia, who adhered to Arian teachings. Constantine himself was also a supporter of Arianism, an anti-Trinitarian movement in Christianity. Since Arianism was recognized as a heresy, in the tapestry “The Baptism of Constantine” Rubens showed not Eusebius, but Pope Sylvester I, who died two years before the death of the ruler.
Below are several more tapestries by Rubens with scenes from the life of Constantine: his marriage to Flavia Faustus, veneration of the cross and the last hours before death. All of them are in the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Sources:
philamuseum.org
