THE HISTORY OF CONSTANTINE: HIS LIFE AND THE ART THAT MEMORIALIZES IT

Hanging on the balcony of the Great Staircase at the Philadelphia Museum of Art is a collection of 13 tapestries, depicting in breathtaking detail the life of a man thousands of miles away and thousands of years in the past. They were gifted to the museum by the Samuel H. Kress Foundation in 1959 after the foundation was finally able to resemble the full set of 13 in 1956. The collection is simply referred to as “The History of Constantine,” named for the man that serves as its central subject. Chronicling a life led with faith and devotion to Christ, these tapestries have long served as both a historical and theological storytelling tool, remaining one of most visually impactful examples of fiber arts as pieces of the historical record on show in Philadelphia.

Constantine I, often called Constantine the Great, was the first Christian emperor of Rome and a figure of immense importance in the acceptance of the Christian faith in the empire. He’s widely credited with the Christianization of the Roman Empire, providing the Christian church with material and financial support that widely expanded the limited protections it had gained with the Edict of Milan. He reigned from 306 to 337 CE and adopted the faith in the early years of his tenure as emperor, despite not being officially baptized until he was on his deathbed. The average person likely cares very little about the intricacies of Constantine’s life and the various political policies he endorsed during his reign, but understanding his position within history makes these tapestries all the more intriguing.

Though they can be displayed in chronological order, transitioning from Constantine’s life as a young man into the long years of his reign until his death, they were not designed or weaved in that order. Each of the tapestries covers a major moment in his life, including personal milestones, political triumphs, and signs of his faith. These immortalized moments include his marriage to his second wife, Fausta, his baptism, his death, the apparition of the cross, his destroying iconography of the Roman gods, and his victory at the Battle of Milvian Bridge. The Battle at Milvian Bridge is an especially important event, since it was this battle that prompted Constantine to align himself with Christian beliefs. It is believed the night before the battle Constantine received a vision, though whether it was an image of the cross of Christ or of the Greek characters Chi and Rho depends on which account you read. This vision instructed him to go forth and conquer his enemies in the name of God, and Constantine went on to win the battle and assure his place leading the empire. The cross and the “Chi Rho” symbol have risen to prominence as symbols of the Christian faith in part due to Constantine’s continued use of both, and this connection is demonstrated on each of the tapestries.

In particular, the tapestries like the Apparition of the Cross before Constantine, the Triumph of Constantine over Maxentius at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge, Constantine Burning the Memorials to Give Tax Concessions to the Christian Church, Constantine Worshiping the True Cross, Indicated by Saint Helena, and Constantine Ordering the Destruction of Pagan Idols tell the viewer the story of Constantine’s faith in compelling vignettes with immediate visual impact. Dynamic compositions centering the recognizable figure of Constantine make these tapestries an effective means of storytelling both now and at the time of their creation, clearly depicting the events they were modeled after with the clarity one may expect to see from a painting rather than a textile piece crafted on a loom.

Each tapestry includes the “Chi Rho” symbol in the intricate border surrounding the depicted scenes, immediately indicating to the intended viewer that this series isn’t meant to explore Constantine’s life from a strictly historical perspective, but rather as part of the religious history of the empire. The “Chi Rho” symbol is a Christogram, a combination of characters that represent an abbreviated version of the name Jesus Christ, so even when viewing one of the less visually religious of the 13 tapestries, it can be immediately seen that the subject matter is still connected to the Christian faith. While Constantine’s connection to Christianity is undeniable and was likely one of the primary reasons he was selected to be the subject of these pieces, the moments and symbols employed in the design were selected with intention, to tell his story through a very specific lens. The historical record reveals that Constantine wasn’t baptized until he was on his deathbed, but the tapestries clearly separate those two events, with one tapestry depicting his final moments and another presenting the scene of his baptism. The Constantine depicted in the latter tapestry is obviously a young man participating in a highly public ceremony, a sharp contrast from what his deathbed conversion likely would’ve looked like.

Whether the design choice was made by the patron who commissioned the tapestries or by their designer is unclear, but it speaks to the narrative being prioritized when crafting physical representations of the emperor’s life for display. The reason for this choice becomes much more apparent when you consider who commissioned the design of this series in the first place.

Images showing a partial view of The History of Constantine series as it is displayed at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The individual tapestries included in this gallery are "Tapestry showing the Sea Battle between the Fleets of Constantine and Licinius" by Pietro da Cortona and "Tapestry showing the Baptism of Constantine" by Peter Paul Rubens. At the top of each tapestry, you can see the "Chi Rho" symbol, and on the left and right sides, the familial insignias of the tapestries' commissioning patrons.

PHOTO CREDITS: Talia Pugliese