Sunday, June 23, 2013

Ravenna: A Study by Edward Hutton






Ravenna: A Study by Edward Hutton was published in 1913 – exactly one hundred years ago – and reprinted in the beginning of the 21st century.

Edward Hutton (1875-1969) was a British travel writer, who wrote several books about Italy. His book about Ravenna is dedicated to the British poet Arthur Symons (1865-1945). The original version from 1913 is illustrated by colour paintings and line drawings in black-and-white by Harald Sund (10 colour plates plus seven maps and 30 sketches). For a few examples see below.

The text is divided into twenty chapters, eleven of which follow a chronological line from antiquity to the Renaissance. The remaining nine chapters cover different topics connected with Ravenna.

The chronological section:

Chapter 2 – Julius Caesar in Ravenna

Chapter 3 – Ravenna in the Time of the Empire [Augustus]

Chapter 4 – The Retreat upon Ravenna [Honorius and Galla Placidia]

Chapter 5 – The Fall of the Empire in the West

Chapter 6 – Theodoric [king of Italy 493-526]

Chapter 7 – The Reconquest [Belisarius]

Chapter 8 – Modica Quies [“a certain amount of quiet”]

Chapter 9 – The Citadel of the Empire in Italy

Chapter 10 – The Papal State [about Pepin and Charlemagne]

Chapter 14 – Ravenna in the Middle Age

Chapter 17 – Ravenna and the Renaissance [The Battle of 1512]

The topical section:

Chapter 1 – The Geographical and Political Position of Ravenna

Chapter 11 – The Catholic Churches of the 5th Century

Chapter 12 – The Arian Churches of the 6th Century

Chapter 13 – The Byzantine Churches

Chapter 15 – Dante in Ravenna [1317-1321]

Chapter 16 – Mediaeval Ravenna – The Churches

Chapter 18 – Renaissance Ravenna – Churches and Palaces

Chapter 19 – Gallery and Museum

Chapter 20 – The Pineta

At the end of the original version from 1913 there is an index (pp. 287-300). Ancient and modern sources are cited in footnotes and sometimes quoted in the text, but these sources are not listed in a bibliography.

I have mixed feelings about this book.

On the positive side I can say this:
the chronological section gives useful information about the history of Ravenna, in particular chapters 2-7 about the ancient history, while the topical section gives useful information about the monuments of the town, churches as well as mausoleums, many of which are still standing today.

On the negative side I will say this:
Hutton is so fond of the Catholic faith that it disturbs and distorts his account to a large extent. According to him, the only true religion is the Catholic faith, and any other Christian denomination, such as Arianism, is condemned as a heresy, just as bad as or perhaps even worse than Paganism.

The first example of this tendency appears in chapter 5 “The Fall of the Empire in the West” when he covers the meeting between Attila the Hun and Pope Leo I in 452. On page 49 the pope is described as “… an old and unarmed man, alone and defenceless. Our saviour was Pope Leo the Great.”

But Leo was not alone. He was accompanied by Avienus, a man of consular rank, and the prefect Trygetius.

Hutton is convinced that the words of the Catholic pope forced Attila to give up his plan to attack Italy. He does not consider any other explanation.

There could be other reasons for Attila’s decision to turn back. See for instance Philip Matyszak, The Enemies of Rome (2004) chapter 17: “Attila the Hun” - in particular pp. 278-279.

If this was the only example, I would not let it bother me. I would just consider it a romantic idea with little credibility. But there is more; and it gets worse, as the story continues: on page 69 the Arian faith is defined and rejected as a heresy, as the mark of barbarism; on page 98 he talks about “a fight to the death between two religions, Arianism and Catholicism, upon the result of which the whole future of Europe depended.”

On pp. 103-106 he tells us how the Catholic faith triumphed over the Arian faith, and we can see how he feels that this is the only fair outcome.

On page 136 he explains why several invasions of Italy did not succeed: 
 
“One and all they failed for this fundamental reason, that they were not Catholic. The future belonged to Catholicism…”

On the same page we are told that the Byzantine Emperor “Justinian’s success in Italy was a Catholic success.” Justinian is described as “a great Catholic emperor, perhaps the greatest,” who “succeeded because his cause was the Catholic cause.”

Hutton ignores the fact that Justinian did not always agree with the man who was the formal head of the Church of Rome.

In 1928 Hutton followed his heart and converted to the Catholic faith. I do not object to this. I do not mind if an author is Catholic or not. But I do mind if an author keeps telling me how true his religion is, how false every other religion is, and how historical events must be explained as the rightful triumph of this religion.

In short: when one of Hutton’s heroes wins, it is because he is Catholic. When one of Hutton’s villains loses, it is because he is not Catholic. It is God’s will.

The final verdict
When I consider the positive and negative elements of this account, I think it deserves a rating of two stars.

PS # 1: There are not many books available in English about the art and history of Ravenna. But here are some examples:

** Corrado Ricci, Ravenna (Italian Institute for Graphic Arts, 1913) 141 pages

** Antonio Paolucci, Ravenna: An Art Guide (Edizioni Salera, 1973) 96 pages

** Giuseppe Bovini, Ravenna: Art and History (Longo, 1991, revised edition 2008) 160 pages 

** Massimiliano David, Eternal Ravenna: From the Etruscans to the Venetians (Brepols, 2013) 288 pages

** Deborah Mauskopf Deliyannis, Ravenna in Late Antiquity (Cambridge University Press, hardcover 2010, paperback 2014) 464 pages

PS # 2: On the internet you can find a website with interesting descriptions of some of the famous monuments in Ravenna: santatatiana.blogspot.com. Read about the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, Basilica di S. Apollinare Nuovo, Basilica di S. Vitale, and Dante’s Memorial in Ravenna.

* * *
 
Edward Hutton,
Ravenna: A Study,
J. M. Dent & Sons (London), E. P. Dutton & Co. (New York) 1913,
Forgotten Books, 2012, 300 pages
 
* * *
 

The Mausoleum of Galla Placidia.
From Edward Hutton, Ravenna (1913).


Sarcophagus of Emperor Honorius (?)
This sarcophagus is placed in the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia.
From Edward Hutton, Ravenna (1913).


Basilica di San Vitale.
From Edward Hutton, Ravenna (1913).


Sarcophagus of Isaac the Armenian, who was Exarch 625-643.
Today this sarcophagus is placed inside Basilica di San Vitale.
From Edward Hutton, Ravenna (1913).


The Mausoleum of Theodoric.
From Edward Hutton, Ravenna (1913).


Basilica di Sant'Apollinare in Classe.
From Edward Hutton, Ravenna (1913).


Dante's Tomb.
From Edward Hutton, Ravenna (1913).

* * *


No comments:

Post a Comment