The Patranage Behind the Junius Bassus Sarcophagi

Junius Bassus was the city prefect of Rome and died in 359. He was originally a pagan, but converted to Christianity shortly before his death. Christians didn't believe in cremation, which lead many of the wealthier Christians to have elaborate marble sarcophagi made to hold their bodies when their time came; they were also made of other stones, lead and wood. Until the second century the use of sarcophagi to hold the dead were not common, but they would continue to be used for roughly the next four hundred years after they were first introduced to the Christians.

Even though Christianity and the freedom to develop Christian art were encouraged in the second century and into the third century, many Christians held back their religious beliefs and self-expression of their religion through their art out of fear. "Only after Constantine was converted to Christianity in 320 did Christians begin to feel a sense of unity between church and state which relaxed the fear of a new wave of persecution." This is when the creative minds began to flow and Christian iconography began to take its shape.

Sarcophagi were usually "prefabricated"... they were carved out almost completely, with only blank spots here or there to fill in once they reached their destination, and at that time, the person paying for the piece would tell the sculptor exactly what he or she wanted in those blank spots. "The people involved in the practice of decorating Christian sarcophagi chose themes and subjects that would appeal to the greatest number of customers thus making their product a marketable commodity."

The sarcophagi of Junius Bassus is a perfect example of that time period where the Christians were adapting to their new sense of artistic and religious freedom of expression and the lingering remains of their previous pagan culture. The sarcophagus shows us scenes both from the Old and New Testaments with a hint of pagan elements within the work. "In both its style and iconography, the Junius Bassus Sarcophagus witnesses the adoption of the tradition of Greek and Roman art by Christian artists. Works like this were appealing to patrons like Junius Bassus who come the upper level of Roman society. Christian art did not reject the classical tradition; rather the classical tradition will be a reoccurring strain in Christian art throughout the Middle Ages."

The Figures sculpted into the marble are slightly stocky, but very well done. The craftsmanship is impeccable. There is a great sense of balance and unity in each scene of the sarcophagus with flowing contour lines of the figures and their robes. In each archway there is a new scene from the bible, and this allows each scene to be emphasized by itself without having to compete with each other... the columns throughout the sarcophagus allows your eye to flow over the piece without any hesitation at all, which again, only adds to the unity of the piece.