Twee afbeeldingen van reliëfs van Maria met Christus en heiligen in de San Marco in Venetië before 1885

Carl Heinrich Jacobi made this print of two reliefs of Mary with Christ and saints in San Marco, Venice. The print documents relief carvings in Venice's most famous church. San Marco was historically the chapel of the Doge, Venice's elected ruler, reflecting the close tie between religious authority and the Venetian state. The Byzantine style seen in the reliefs, with its emphasis on elongated figures and symbolic rather than naturalistic representation, tells us much about Venice's historic links to the Eastern Roman Empire, also acting as a visual assertion of Venice's unique cultural identity within Italy. To fully understand the carvings, we can consult guidebooks, architectural surveys, and historical records. Considering the historical context of art helps us reveal the complex interplay of social and institutional forces in shaping cultural expression.