Objects of Desire: Exchange in Commodities and Gifts (original) (raw)

A companion to Byzantium and the West3 900-1204, ed. N. Drocourt - S. Kolditz, 2022

Abstract

In the eyes of the Latin West, Constantinople had always been a synonym for wealth and cultural refinement. Although these prejudices often prompted Latin authors to condemn the Byzantines’ “oriental” decadence, western elites continued to crave exclusive products from the East. Among the things of highest value that Byzantium could offer, the sources repeatedly mention luxurious craftwork, unguents and perfumes, but most of all silken fabrics and relics (with or without their reliquaries). Byzantine diplomacy stimulated this continuous demand for exclusive gifts while simultaneously keeping the supply low. Only the sack of Constantinople in 1204 put an end to the once very limited access to the city’s riches. Once they reached the West, Byzantine imports were either carefully kept or reinterpreted, reworked and recycled. In any case, they left their mark on Western artists and craftsmen.

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