The Splendour of Heaven (original) (raw)

The Cross-Cultural Heritage of a Byzantine Reliquary

2017

A unique artifact from the late XIIth or XIIIth century, the staurotheke of the Cathedral Treasury of Esztergom has frequently been discussed in the context of Byzantine art during the Komnenian period. Being one of the highlights of later Byzantine cloisonne enamel work, its centerpiece, containing a relic of the True Cross, can justly be regarded as a classical example of its kind. However, it features other aspects through which the Byzantine makers of the staurotheke endeavored cross-cultural communication, and these aspects, which might reflect the shock of the Seljuq conquest of Anatolia, as well as the more recent Latin conquest of Constantinople, have not yet been sufficiently explored. Moreover, the object should not be regarded as a one-layered piece of art because it includes, on the one hand, an elaborate frame which has often but perhaps incorrectly been identified as a later addition by Balkan metalworkers, and, on the other hand, it also features a precious silk cover...

Light and the Precious Object or Value in the Eyes of the Byzantines

The Construction of Value in the Ancient World, 2012

This paper is an art historical study addressing the concept of value in Byzantine society and the way its worth was established. Byzantium, a Greco-Roman culture with a strong classical philosophical tradition, onto which a Christian world order was superimposed, saw great significance in the natural world and its creation. This essay, through a discussion of a variety of objects considered of high value, will attempt to identify how this value was constructed. Support for the arguments presented is sought in contemporary texts of various types to give insight and expression to the Byzantine perspective of where value lies. Besides discussing gold objects and the porphyra dye used in silks with gold embroideries, the paper gives a more extensive analysis of the use and handling of marble, especially when used as revetment. The Byzantines' extensive knowledge of the material, and their exploitation of its color and vein designs, created in their eyes works of immeasurable value not made by human hands. In addition to marble, the paper focuses on another most priceless natural substance: the pearl. The application of pearls endowed an object with energy and light, their most precious qualities. The source of light and its divine quality raised any work to a higher and more valuable status, emanating its own radiance.

The Creator of Sacred Space as a Phenomenon of Byzantine Culture

The Creator of Sacred Space as a Phenomenon of Byzantine Culture. In: In: L’artista a Bisanzio e nel mondo cristiano-orientale, ed. Michele Bacci, Pisa, 2007, p. 135-176, 2007

In this paper I shall argue that in our discussion of Byzantine artists and donors one might find some room for a specific group of makers – the creators of sacred spaces who were responsible for an entire project of sacred space realised in a particular church, or some other environment. This figure should not be identified with the artisan making concrete art objects like walls and vaults, sculptural decorations and paintings, liturgical vessels and textiles. Nor can his role be limited to financial support of the project. It is noteworthy that this form of activity had a very powerful artistic aspect as well. In a sense, the creator of sacred space is the artist, whose role seems comparable with the contemporary activity of film directors leading the efforts of various ‘artisans’. From this point of view, the creator of sacred space might be discussed in an art-historical context. At the same time, it seems important to emphasise that he belongs to a particular field of creativity, which has been recently named Hierotopy.