This easily accessible volume, which grew out of a series of
lectures presented at the Smithsonian Institution in 1991, aims to
provide a coherent introduction to Byzantine culture with a focus
on the interconnected realms of art and religion. The eight
participants have revised their lectures into chapters on Byzantine
history, theology, icons and icon theory, church architecture,
monumental painting, silver church furnishings, illustrated
liturgical books, and pilgrimage. In addition to presenting current
research on this range of topics, the chapters each contribute
original scholarship from authors who are recognized experts in
their respective fields.
The Introduction, by Linda Safran, deals with views and
definitions of Byzantium over the course of its long history and
considers why that civilization deserves our attention today. It
underscores the essential unifying role of the Orthodox religion in
a vast and fluid empire and clarifies how the experiential aspects
of that religion--churches, liturgy, church arts and imagery,
religious travel--open a window into Byzantine culture. Throughout
the book, the past is made vivid by considering what Byzantine
believers heard and said and did, as well as what they saw.
The book's chapters are cross-referenced and are complemented
both by endnotes that cite primary and secondary sources and by
"Suggestions for Further Reading" that include English and
foreign-language references. There is no comparable art history
text that combines this high-caliber range of current scholarship
with more than 250 illustrations, including 16 pages of color
plates, to introduce Byzantine culture to a broad readership.
Contributors are Joseph Alchermes, Susan A. Boyd, Anna
Kartsonis, Henry Maguire, Robert Ousterhout, Eric D. Perl, Nancy
Patterson sevčenko, and Gary Vikan.
General
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