Christ Enthroned
Mosaic of Christ enthroned surrounded by angels in Sant'Apollinare Nuovo, Ravenna, c.500 AD. The mosaic was made under the Arian rule of Theodoric the Ostrogoth (496-526) and left in place by the Catholics who took over the basilica in c.560. The cruciform halo was added in this later period. Like the other mosaics of this period in the basilica, Christ is depicted naturalistically in the Hellenistic-Roman tradition. This contrasts with the more stylized Byzantine (c.560) Virgin and Child on the other side of the nave.
Credit: Holly Hayes