Days 15 to 16 - Art and Architecture of the Middle Byzantine Period: From the Restoration of Religious Images to the Sack of Constantinople (867-1204) I-II

Hagia Irene

artist unknown, 532, brick masonry, stone, plaster, mosaics

• rare surviving Iconoclast-period apse decoration

• features a simple god cross, not figural imagery

• demonstrates the state-sanctioned rejection of icons later on

• provides key evidence of how church interiors looked during iconoclasm

Crucifixion and Iconoclasts, from the Chludov Psalter

artist unknown, mid 9th century, tempura on vellum

• created immediately after iconoclasm, with strong polemic tone

• shows monks washing away an icon as a direct visual analogy to those who crucified Christ

• one of the most important illustrated critiques of Iconoclasts

• reflects theological and political conflicts over the legitimacy of images

Virgin Mary and the Christ Child Enthroned (apse in the Hagia Sophia)

artist unknown, 867 CE, gold and colored glass

• first major figural mosaic installed after the end of Iconoclasm

• declares the restoration of image worship (Mary and Christ monumentalized)

• explicit inscription celebrates the “triumph of Orthodoxy”

• reinforces Hagia Sophia’s role as political-theological center of the empire

Joshua and the Angel

artist unknown, 10th century, ink on vellum

• dramatic military scene from the Joshua Roll or related illustrated manuscripts

• shows classical influence: continuous narrative, modeled bodies, drapery

• exemplifies Macedonian Renaissance rival of Greco-Roman styles

Monastery of Hosios Loukas

artist unknown, 10th century, stone, marble, mosaics, plaster

• masterpiece of Middle Byzantine architecture

• uses the cross-in-square church plan with elegant domes and squinches

• lavish mosaics depict Christ Pantokrator, saints, and narrative scenes

• demonstrates integration of architecture + mosaic + liturgy

• key example of provincial Byzantine artistic flourishing

Cappella Palatina (Palatine Chapel)

artist unknown, 1140 CE, stone masonry, marble, wood

• Sicilian multicultural masterpiece: Norman, Byzantine, and Islamic fusion

• features Byzantine Christ Pantokrator dome mosaic + Arabic carved wooden ceiling

• embodies court ideology of Roger II as universal ruler

• exemplifies Mediterranean artistic cross-pollination

Mantle of Roger II Hauteville

artist unknown, 1133-1134 CE, red silk, gold embroidery, pearls

• royal coronation mantle blending Islamic textile style with Christian kingship

• inscription in Arabic praises Roger II as divinely sanctioned ruler

• features heraldic lion attacking camels; symbol of sovereignty

• shows Norman Sicily’s dependence of skilled Muslim artisans

Triptych with Crucifixion and Saints

artist unknown, 10th century, carved ivory panels

• portable devotional object for private prayer

• classical drapery and calm expressions reflect Macedonian Renaissance classicism

• side panels feature intercesor y saints flanking the central crucifixion

• ivory carving shows elite patronage and Constantinopolitan luxury trade

Christ Crowning Romanos and Eudokia (the Romanos Ivory)

artist unknown, 944-949, carved ivory panel

• Christ places crowns directly onto imperial couple; political theology in visual form

• emphasizes diving approval of imperial authority

• smooth modeling and classicizing folds mark the Macedonian revivial

Fieschi Morgan Staurotheke

artist unknown, early 9th century, gilded silver, enamel, cloisonné, wood

• reliquary for a fragment of the True Cross

• enamel figures represent saints, angels, and Christ

• an elite devotional object linking Byzantium with Western collectors

• exemplifies prestige of Byzantine enamel techniques

Crucifixion, from the Pala d’Oro

artist unknown, 1130 CE, gilt metal, precious stones, enamel

• one of the greatest surviving Byzantine fold altar screens

• shows the crucifixion in classically influenced, carefully modeled enamel work

• Venice used by Byzantine artisans to legitimize its political-religious authority

• embodies wealth, splendor, and theological precision of Byzantine luxury arts