Michele in Africisco

Name of structure: Michele in Africisco
Extended name of structure:
Type of structure: Church
Country or main area: Italy
Region within country or main area: Emilia Romagna
City or area within region: Ravenna
Date of structure: 545
Century of structure 1: 6 AD
Century of structure 2: 6 AD
Specific place of mosaic:

The church no longer exists as a church (since 1844): the apse mosaic is in the Boden Museum in Berlin. Other destached mosaics are in various locations (see 'Descriptive contents of mosaic'). See also 'Comments' below.
Brief descriptive contents of mosaic:

Boden Museum, Berlin: Apse with Christ, Gabriel, Michael, outlines of Cosmas and Damian; triumphal arch with Christ and 8 angels. 
Museo Provinciale, Torcello: heads of Michael and Gabriel.
Victory and Albert Museum, London: Christ.
Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg: angel.


 


 


 
Date of mosaic: 6C
Century of mosaic 1: 6 AD
Century of mosaic 2: 6 AD
Silver tessera at site: Yes
Gold tessera at site: Yes
Colour tessera at site: Yes
Were other materials found at site (i.e., glass cakes)? Unknown
Has analysis been done? Yes
Samples taken from where?

?
Excavation and restoration campaigns: 19C: team led by Carlo Novelli
Apse sold 1843; church already used for shop stalls in 1812.
1988-99: Soprintendenza per i Beni Architettonici
Bibliography of mainly technical resources:

eds. C. Spadoni & L. Kniffitz, San Michele in Africisco e l'età giustinianea a Ravenna (Milan: Silvana, 2007):
-Ejfenberger, A., ‘L'attuale situazione del Bode Museum di Berlino e il mosaico di San Michele in Africisco’, 75-83.
-Andreescu-Treadgold, I., ‘Appendice: La campionatura delle tessere vitree dalle teste originali di San Michele in Africisco’, 142-51.
-Trovabene, G. 'Le teste degli arcangeli Michele e Gabriele al Museo di Torcello', 153-9.
-Kniffitz, L., ‘Alcune considerazioni sulla testa del Cristo conservata al Victoria and Albert Museum di Londra’, 165-79.
-Muscolini, C., ‘II mosaico parietale bizantino fra tecnica e restauro’, 297-311.
-Fiori, C., Vandini, M. & Mazzotti, V., 'Technologia del colore del vetro bizantino nei mosaici ravennati', 317-24.
-Henderson, J., 'The technological and scientific analysis of Byzantine and late second millennium AD glass tesserae from S. Michele in Africisco, Ravenna and some suggested production models', 325-35.


Verhoeven, M., 'Het ‘verdwenen meesterwerk: het absismozaïek van de Sanc Michele in Africisco in Ravenna’ [The ‘lost masterpiece’: The apse mosaic of the San Michele in Africisco in Ravenna], Desipientia 13/2 (2006), 12-5.  


Gramentieri, C., 'Il mosaico absidale della chiesa ravennate di San Michele il Africisco: inediti d'archivio', Ravenna studi e ricerche 2 (1995), 86-101.


Adreescu-Treadgold, I., 'The mosaics of San Michele in Africisco, Ravenna, rediscovered', Corso di cultura sull'arte ravennate e bizantina 37 (1990), 13-57.


Iannucci, A. M., 'Restauri ravennati. Per la fondazione di una storia del restauro musivo', Corso di cultura sull'arte ravennate e bizantina 34 (1987), 179-208.
URLs: Centro Internazionale di Documentazione sul Mosaico (CIDM) website has database with further information about the history of the monument: http://www.mosaicocidm.it/Mosaico/
Comments: Mosaics taken to Venice after removal where Giovanni Moro made reproduction installed at the Bode Museum in 1904.

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