Constantine the Great, Yorkshire Museum, York
Constantine the Great was proclaimed emperor by the army in York upon the death of his father, Constantius Chlorus, in July 306. It was the start of a long reign that was initially bloody, but ultimately witnessed renewed prosperity within a reunited empire. It also left a legacy of religious tolerance that allowed the previously obscure cult of Christianity to emerge as the favoured state religion of the Roman world.
In celebration of the 1,700th anniversary of Constantine's elevation York Museums Trust has mounted a major international exhibition celebrating his status as 'York's Roman Emperor'. The venue selected could not be more appropriate: located within the shadow of York's surviving Roman defences, the Yorkshire Museum boasts internationally renowned collections of Roman artefacts and a healthy tradition of initiating large-scale exhibitions.
It is an exhibition that has enjoyed a long gestation period and it is one that I have anticipated eagerly for a number of years. So was it worth the wait?
There can be no disputing the quality of the material on display. As lead partner for Yorkshire in the British Museum UK Partnership scheme, the museum has been able to draw heavily on the resources of the national collection, but the exhibition team have also scoured the rest of the UK and Europe for material. The time and trouble invested in the hunt is clear from the outset: more than 270 objects from 30 British and six European collections are represented.
Among the numerous highlights on display are the coins and medallions from the Beaurains Treasure; the silver treasures from Traprain Law and Water Newton; the mosaic portrait of Christ from Hinton St Mary; spectacular polychrome textile fragments from Akhmim in Egypt; and a magnificent cameo of Constantine lent by the Geld en Bankmuseum in Utrecht.
The resulting exhibition is undeniably very beautiful. On entering, the eyes of the visitor are immediately drawn towards a colossal marble head of the emperor and to the bold white chi-rho (a Christian symbol) that is projected onto the wall behind. So, from the very outset, Constantine's Christian credentials are prominently on display.
Through the skilful use of colour and lighting, the exhibition designers have done a splendid job in making the Yorkshire Museum's temporary display galleries a worthy setting for an exhibition of this scale.
The spaces available were clearly not easy to work with, but the designers have worked marvels in transforming narrow low-ceilinged galleries into alluring display spaces. The end product is an exhibition that oozes class and mirrors the opulence of the objects on display.
But even though it's lovely to look at, the exhibition is not without flaws. The most obvious of these is perhaps the lack of a strong narrative structure. The exhibition possesses a starting point and a well-defined conclusion, but for the most part it is a celebration of the high art of the late Roman empire.
Within this broad artistic context the rise of Christianity is a recurrent theme and the chi-rho is a dominant motif throughout the exhibition. General explanatory text is confined to a couple of dozen suspended banners spread through the four exhibition galleries and directional signage is non-existent.
While the magnificent skills of the art and craft workers of the fourth century is clearly evident, the visitor seeking to gain a critical and balanced overview of Constantine's reign and legacy is likely to leave disappointed.
The displays are attractively mounted and in general well lit, although one milestone is inexplicably illuminated from the side and behind, rendering the inscription illegible. Labels at the front of each case provide detailed descriptions of the artefacts on display and relate them to their numbered entries in the published exhibition catalogue.
Unfortunately, with the exception of the first two cases, the artefacts themselves are neither numbered nor in any other way linked to the descriptive labels. This is frustrating and means that it is often well-nigh impossible for the non-specialist (and on occasion professional) visitor to work out what they are looking at. As I quickly discovered, anyone caught in possession of a catalogue is liable to find him or herself playing the role of gallery guide.
The exhibition website describes this as a 'hands-on exhibition', but there is little here to entertain younger visitors. Nor are there any hands-on materials or activities available in the galleries, although a leaflet for families based around a series of treasure hunt activities is provided free of charge to visitors.
Organised visits are well supported with teachers' packs and a range of workshop and gallery-based activities for primary and secondary pupils. For those with a more academic interest in the period, a major international conference on the subject of Constantine will be held in York this month, as will a day-long seminar on Constantinian coinage.
A substantial catalogue has been produced to accompany the exhibition. Running to 280 pages, it contains illustrations of all of the objects on display and a series of essays by leading experts in the field. While perhaps a little expensive for the casual visitor (£25 paperback; £50 hardback), it represents an important addition to the scholarly literature of the period.
In 1982 the Yorkshire Museum's pioneering Vikings in England exhibition was instrumental in redefining York as a Viking city. Constantine the Great: York's Roman Emperor is unlikely to have the same broad impact.
Though it is beautifully packaged, it lacks the broad accessibility necessary to satisfy a family-based audience, while the more specialist visitor would be well advised to purchase a catalogue if in search of in-depth information.
Nevertheless, the quality and range of material on display is truly startling, and this in itself should prove enough to ensure the exhibition's status as a 'must-see' show for anyone with an interest in Roman archaeology and art or in the early history of Christianity.
Craig Barclay is the curator of university museums, Durham University
Project data
Cost: £255,000 Main funders: Heritage Lottery Fund, Foyle Foundation, Henry Moore Foundation, Dorset Foundation, Joseph Rowntree Foundation
Sponsor: Shepherd Building Group
Supporter: British Museum, (Partnership UK project)
Curator: Elizabeth Hartley
Exhibition design: Ivor Heal Design
Main contractor: Devonshire House Associates
Exhibition ends: 29 October 2006
Constantine the Great was proclaimed emperor by the army in York upon the death of his father, Constantius Chlorus, in July 306. It was the start of a long reign that was initially bloody, but ultimately witnessed renewed prosperity within a reunited empire. It also left a legacy of religious tolerance that allowed the previously obscure cult of Christianity to emerge as the favoured state religion of the Roman world.
In celebration of the 1,700th anniversary of Constantine's elevation York Museums Trust has mounted a major international exhibition celebrating his status as 'York's Roman Emperor'. The venue selected could not be more appropriate: located within the shadow of York's surviving Roman defences, the Yorkshire Museum boasts internationally renowned collections of Roman artefacts and a healthy tradition of initiating large-scale exhibitions.
It is an exhibition that has enjoyed a long gestation period and it is one that I have anticipated eagerly for a number of years. So was it worth the wait?
There can be no disputing the quality of the material on display. As lead partner for Yorkshire in the British Museum UK Partnership scheme, the museum has been able to draw heavily on the resources of the national collection, but the exhibition team have also scoured the rest of the UK and Europe for material. The time and trouble invested in the hunt is clear from the outset: more than 270 objects from 30 British and six European collections are represented.
Among the numerous highlights on display are the coins and medallions from the Beaurains Treasure; the silver treasures from Traprain Law and Water Newton; the mosaic portrait of Christ from Hinton St Mary; spectacular polychrome textile fragments from Akhmim in Egypt; and a magnificent cameo of Constantine lent by the Geld en Bankmuseum in Utrecht.
The resulting exhibition is undeniably very beautiful. On entering, the eyes of the visitor are immediately drawn towards a colossal marble head of the emperor and to the bold white chi-rho (a Christian symbol) that is projected onto the wall behind. So, from the very outset, Constantine's Christian credentials are prominently on display.
Through the skilful use of colour and lighting, the exhibition designers have done a splendid job in making the Yorkshire Museum's temporary display galleries a worthy setting for an exhibition of this scale.
The spaces available were clearly not easy to work with, but the designers have worked marvels in transforming narrow low-ceilinged galleries into alluring display spaces. The end product is an exhibition that oozes class and mirrors the opulence of the objects on display.
But even though it's lovely to look at, the exhibition is not without flaws. The most obvious of these is perhaps the lack of a strong narrative structure. The exhibition possesses a starting point and a well-defined conclusion, but for the most part it is a celebration of the high art of the late Roman empire.
Within this broad artistic context the rise of Christianity is a recurrent theme and the chi-rho is a dominant motif throughout the exhibition. General explanatory text is confined to a couple of dozen suspended banners spread through the four exhibition galleries and directional signage is non-existent.
While the magnificent skills of the art and craft workers of the fourth century is clearly evident, the visitor seeking to gain a critical and balanced overview of Constantine's reign and legacy is likely to leave disappointed.
The displays are attractively mounted and in general well lit, although one milestone is inexplicably illuminated from the side and behind, rendering the inscription illegible. Labels at the front of each case provide detailed descriptions of the artefacts on display and relate them to their numbered entries in the published exhibition catalogue.
Unfortunately, with the exception of the first two cases, the artefacts themselves are neither numbered nor in any other way linked to the descriptive labels. This is frustrating and means that it is often well-nigh impossible for the non-specialist (and on occasion professional) visitor to work out what they are looking at. As I quickly discovered, anyone caught in possession of a catalogue is liable to find him or herself playing the role of gallery guide.
The exhibition website describes this as a 'hands-on exhibition', but there is little here to entertain younger visitors. Nor are there any hands-on materials or activities available in the galleries, although a leaflet for families based around a series of treasure hunt activities is provided free of charge to visitors.
Organised visits are well supported with teachers' packs and a range of workshop and gallery-based activities for primary and secondary pupils. For those with a more academic interest in the period, a major international conference on the subject of Constantine will be held in York this month, as will a day-long seminar on Constantinian coinage.
A substantial catalogue has been produced to accompany the exhibition. Running to 280 pages, it contains illustrations of all of the objects on display and a series of essays by leading experts in the field. While perhaps a little expensive for the casual visitor (£25 paperback; £50 hardback), it represents an important addition to the scholarly literature of the period.
In 1982 the Yorkshire Museum's pioneering Vikings in England exhibition was instrumental in redefining York as a Viking city. Constantine the Great: York's Roman Emperor is unlikely to have the same broad impact.
Though it is beautifully packaged, it lacks the broad accessibility necessary to satisfy a family-based audience, while the more specialist visitor would be well advised to purchase a catalogue if in search of in-depth information.
Nevertheless, the quality and range of material on display is truly startling, and this in itself should prove enough to ensure the exhibition's status as a 'must-see' show for anyone with an interest in Roman archaeology and art or in the early history of Christianity.
Craig Barclay is the curator of university museums, Durham University
Project data
Cost: £255,000 Main funders: Heritage Lottery Fund, Foyle Foundation, Henry Moore Foundation, Dorset Foundation, Joseph Rowntree Foundation
Sponsor: Shepherd Building Group
Supporter: British Museum, (Partnership UK project)
Curator: Elizabeth Hartley
Exhibition design: Ivor Heal Design
Main contractor: Devonshire House Associates
Exhibition ends: 29 October 2006
