Misplaced Pages

#947052

62-484: Because of problems with the term, scholars have employed alternative names to describe this period, including "renaissance" (with a small "r"), "renascence", Middle Byzantine Renaissance or First Byzantine Renaissance (the Palaeologan Renaissance from the 13th century on being the second). Macedonian art refers to the art of this period. Since the word Renaissance ( rinascita ) was created in

124-488: A distinctive figural arrangement in the interiors of their domes, which have bust portraits of Christ Pantokrator or the Virgin Mary at their apexes. Ribs of masonry radiate out from the apexes, and the flutes , or flat surfaces between the ribs, display full-length portraits of Christian prophets or ancestors of Jesus . This compositional motif, evidently dictated by "the preferences of high ecclesiastical circles in

186-573: A late date—presumably after the breakdown of Byzantine–Rus' relations in 968. The Book of the Prefect is essentially a list of regulations concerning the collegia or private guilds that had existed in the Greek world since Roman times. As all trades were theoretically under governmental control, the Book of the Prefect is not exhaustive of all crafts. Instead, the book appears to highlight a cross-section of

248-407: A multiplication of figures and scenes, by a new interest in perspective (however strangely rendered), and by a return to much earlier models such as illuminated manuscripts of the 10th century". These mannerisms appear with equal frequency in works of all sizes. Contemporary trends in church painting favored intricate narrative cycles, both in fresco and in sequences of icons; to serve this need,

310-531: A school in 849 and was headed by Leo the Mathematician, whose works are now lost. Paul Lemerle introduced the term "encyclopaedism" for this period, to reflect the systematic attempts at ordering and organizing knowledge in all spheres of cultural and administrative activity. This activity resulted in the compilation of manuals on court hierarchy and administration ( Taktika ), military affairs , taxation, agriculture ( Geoponika ), reference works such as

372-542: A school of philosophy directed by Nikephoros Blemmydes . Constantinople was recaptured in 1261 by Michael VIII Palaiologos (r. 1261–1282), founder of the Palaeologan Dynasty and former co-emperor of Nicaea. Amid triumphal ceremonies, he declared the Byzantine Empire restored and instituted a campaign of renovation in the capital. Made necessary by the damage done to the city under Latin rule,

434-626: Is not clear why this custom developed, since innovation and stylistic individuality continued to be discouraged in Orthodox art. Michael VIII ordered work in Hagia Sophia , which had been converted to a place of Catholic worship by the Latin emperors. The church was re-furnished for the performance of Orthodox rites, and a colossal mosaic of the Deesis , 5.2 meters in length and 6 meters wide,

496-524: Is the use of steatite in sculptures that would formerly have been made of ivory— and sponsorship came from a multitude of private patrons instead of being dominated by the emperor. One of the emperors of Nicaea, John III Doukas Vatatzes (r. 1222–1254), undertook projects to ensure the survival of traditional culture. He commissioned public libraries in all the cities of his possessions and ordered municipal leaders to allocate salaries to scholars of medicine, mathematics and rhetoric. In 1238, he also instituted

558-753: The Suda encyclopaedia and the Bibliotheca , as well as new codifications of Roman law (the Basilika ) and regulations in the Book of the Eparch . The spirit of the age was exemplified by Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogennetos , who produced three encyclopaedic manuals: the De Administrando Imperio , De Thematibus , and De Ceremoniis . Other notable figures were the polymaths Leo

620-594: The Byzantine Empire (1261–1453), it was an attempt to restore Byzantine self-confidence and cultural prestige after the empire had endured a long period of foreign occupation . The legacy of this era is observable both in Greek culture after the empire's fall and in the Italian Renaissance . Scholars of the time utilized several classical texts. Following the Sack of Constantinople in 1204,

682-666: The Chora Church . An artist, whose name is not preserved, was called away from a project in Thessaloniki to design Chora's frescos and mosaics, which emerged as one of the foremost achievements of Palaeologan art. David Talbot Rice points out that, contemporaneously, " Giotto was decorating the Arena Chapel at Padua . The Byzantine painter [working in Chora] had other ideas and a different outlook, but in his own way he

SECTION 10

#1732765959948

744-752: The Crusaders established a Latin Empire to rule what had been Byzantine territory. Extensive looting took place in the fallen capital, and many relics and art treasures were shipped back to Western Europe. Seeking refuge in unconquered remnants of their empire, the Byzantine elite formed governments-in-exile at Nicaea , Trebizond , and Epirus . These new political entities continued to commission works of art, which however bore marks of limited resources and fragmented imperial authority. Craftsmen worked with less rare and expensive materials than before— an example

806-617: The Deesis of Hagia Sophia. This work gives its figures a gentle and compassionate aspect, and uses tiny tesserae to achieve fine modeling on their faces, evocative of painting; despite its monumental size, it seems intended to possess the personality of an icon. Large mosaics from Palaeologan Constantinople also survive in the Church-Mosque of Vefa , Chora Church, and the Pammakaristos Church . All three buildings feature

868-711: The Despotate of the Morea , held by the Crusaders until 1262, showed a pronounced Western influence. The plan and decoration of Hagia Sophia , in diversely-populated Trebizond, mixed Byzantine, Western, Georgian , and Seljuk Turkish motifs. By contrast, Constantinople itself employed a conservative architectural style, showing strong continuity with previous centuries. The capital was short of funds, and obliged to concentrate upon repair work; most of its Palaeologan churches were enlargements of existing structures, usually in

930-528: The Livre de l'Éparque . It is a prominent example of Byzantine encyclopaedism . The book is traditionally dated to the reign of Leo VI the Wise (886–912). However, whilst the first chapter concerning the entrance requirements to the college of notaries does probably date from Leo's reign (Leo was renowned for recodifying and tidying up Roman law ), it seems that the work itself (like so many texts from this period)

992-488: The 15th and 16th centuries by Italian humanists to describe their own time, its use outside of that context is problematic; however, the period in question certainly did produce ideas and works of art that reflected a reassessment of classical ideals. The term Macedonian Renaissance was first used by Kurt Weitzmann in his 1948 work, The Joshua Roll: A Work of the Macedonian Renaissance . It describes

1054-603: The 22 manuscripts preserved by Theodore Hagiopetrites (a copyist who lived around 1300 in Thessalonica ) are signed. The production of books is rarer, probably because many copyists went into exile under Latin domination . Nevertheless, the scriptoria of the monastery of Panaghia Hodegetria in Constantinople remained active throughout the 14th century. Grand churches of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries continued to receive mosaic decoration , including

1116-640: The 8th century. As part of a general increase of paintings in late Byzantine church interiors, more panels were added and the templon evolved into the iconostasis , "a solid wall of icons... between the worshipper and the mystery of the Christian service". By the 12th century, usage in this important and highly visible context had made panel paintings into a more prestigious art form, suitable for wealthy patrons to commission. Even quite large icons, four to six feet high or more and depicting figures greater than life size, began to be executed in tempera, rather than in

1178-772: The Capital", required coordination between the churches' builders and iconographic planners, to ensure that a dome had the right number of flutes to accommodate the intended group of figures. Elsewhere in the Byzantine world, mosaics were installed in the Holy Apostles Church of Thessaloniki , the Porta Panagia church of Thessaly , and the katholikon and chapel of Saint Nicholas in the Vatopedi Monastery of Mount Athos . Micromosaic icons had been created by Byzantine artists at least since

1240-472: The Eparch. The Book of the Prefect has an important place in medieval economic historiography, and is a unique source for the Byzantine economy in the age of Constantine Porphyrogenitus . Some of its many uses include its ability to help us recreate a commercial map of Constantinople, the light it throws on the Constantinopolitan economy and governmental controls over it, and questions concerning

1302-464: The Mathematician , Patriarch Photios , and Arethas of Caesarea . However, as Alexander Kazhdan notes, their "emphasis was not on creativity, but on copying and collecting". Palaeologan Renaissance The Palaeologan Renaissance or Palaiologan Renaissance is the final period in the development of Byzantine art . Coinciding with the reign of the Palaiologoi , the last dynasty to rule

SECTION 20

#1732765959948

1364-685: The Pammakaristos Church, and the principal church of the Lips Monastery . The nobility commissioned mansions as well as churches, but the only secular building to survive from Palaeologan Constantinople is the so-called Palace of the Porphyrogenitus . The facades of late Byzantine buildings were often decorated with porticos , as were those of their contemporaries in Venice . Mango says that one of these cultures passed

1426-429: The administration of the Eparch's office and his use of deputies in customs inspections. It is not known exactly why the Book of the Prefect was compiled; however, use of the guilds may have been a way for the Eparch to police the market, seeking order, a decrease in crime, and the guarantee of cheap supplies. The demarcation of guilds and control they got over their members shows there was a marrying of interests between

1488-461: The appearance of volume, albeit without interest in depicting realistic anatomical construction or a coherent light source. This technique was extensively employed by Cretan School artists and thus became a standard in post-Byzantine icon painting. Tempera paintings on wooden panels had always made up part of the corpus of Byzantine icons , but they proliferated in the Palaeologan period;

1550-418: The architecture of Macedonia. At the same time, the manuscripts of "Paris Psalter" (cod. gr. 139, Paris, Bib. Nat. de France) were indicated as the best examples of Macedonian Renaissance by scholars. During the 7th to 8th centuries, literary production saw a drastic decline despite the gradual introduction of paper instead of the more expensive parchment. Books were scarce in this period and were only owned by

1612-490: The areas where public interest and private went together, showing how a good city should be run to keep its black market under wraps. The text is divided into twenty-two chapters, the first nineteen of which refer to specific guilds: The remaining chapters are much smaller than the first chapter and discuss eighteen other guilds, often with similar clauses indicating imposition of the regulations from above: Some similar points from these clauses include regulations controlling

1674-404: The aristocrats who had sponsored them. His work gives some insight into the creative activity of his time and place, although it is also full of "clichés or the praises and lineage of his noble patrons". A tradition of polemic also existed during the time, exemplified by the historian Nikephoros Gregoras , who expanded the criticism of Aristotle in his dialogue Phlorentius. Gemistos Plethon

1736-624: The city with supreme judicial jurisdiction and the highest economic official, who had charge of, for example, tariffs and import/export regulation). Based on established customs and laws and now littered with later interpolations, the Book is an essential document in the economic history of Byzantium and the Mediterranean. The book was lost until 1891, when it was discovered in Geneva by the Swiss Jules Nicole, who referred to it as

1798-634: The domes of Hagia Sophia, which were repaired by Andronikos III . Manuel II (r. 1391–1425) created an institution called the Katholikon Mouseion in the early 15th century. It was located in a hospital and attached to the monastery of St. John Prodrome, whose rich library had at its disposal numerous teachers including Georges Chrysococè and Cardinal Bessarion , who later settled in Italy. The library welcomed many Italians who came to Constantinople to learn Greek language and culture. Also during

1860-412: The elections to guilds and their entrance fees, clauses advocating working together including rhetoric on not cheating others and having good quality produce, the setting of prices and profit margins, and the setting of the spheres of work and areas of the city in which they can operate to avoid competition between guilds. The last three chapters concern the regulation of agents and contractors, as well as

1922-533: The empire. His dynasty was able to maintain a period of peace under which economics, philosophy, art, and culture could thrive. Two main developments helped drive the revival in culture and education in the empire: this was the greater involvement of the church in education (such as those in the Studite Monastery ), while the other was the concentration of cultural life in Constantinople due to

Macedonian Renaissance - Misplaced Pages Continue

1984-448: The fashion for porticos to the other, but reserves judgement on which was the originator. Two–dimensional artworks from the Palaeologan period— including the aforementioned donor portraits— show people dressed in elaborate costumes, giving evidence for personal adornments which have otherwise disappeared. Thus, the scholar Aimilia Yeroulanou suggests that late Byzantine jewelry was more abundant and sophisticated than one would gather from

2046-597: The form of "annexes enveloping earlier churches on three sides". This practice first appeared in Epirus and Thessaloniki before being adopted in Constantinople. The annexes in Thessaloniki may have been used for church ceremonies, while those in Constantinople housed lavish tomb monuments for the aristocrats who had sponsored their building. Among the refurbished buildings were Chora, the Church-Mosque of Vefa,

2108-474: The guilds and the state. However, it is important to stress that not all members of each profession were a member of their guild. Instead evidence from the text suggests that guilds were exclusive and privileged, and intended for the rich to get richer and the poor to get poorer. At one point the text mentions raw silk dressers who were not a member of their guild and had to buy silk at a higher price. Another important reason for such imperial concern over commerce

2170-445: The illusion of three dimensions, notably in the curious buildings which sometimes form a backdrop for figures. The scholar Lyn Rodley refers to "lurching architectural forms that suggest distant, and none too committed, reference to the formulae of perspective drawing". In the mosaics and frescos of Chora Church, as well as certain other works from Constantinople, foreshortening is used for narrative purposes, making buildings lean toward

2232-511: The impetus of the Palaeologan emperors, many politicians, scholars and writers took part in projects of literary revival and the expansion of knowledge. Among these were the judge and historian George Pachymeres (1242 – c. 1310), and four great philological scholars of the time of Andronikos II : Thomas Magistros , Demetrius Triclinios , Manuel Moschopoulos , and the theologian Maximus Planudes (c. 1255/1260 – c. 1305/1310). The scholar and statesman Nikephoros Choumnos (c. 1250/1255 – 1327)

2294-416: The intended focus of the viewer's attention. In depicting people, Palaeologan artists favored a "small-headed, wide-bodied, 'boneless' figure style". Kurt Weitzmann speaks of "over-elongated figures", placed in "swaying poses" and wearing draperies which "bulge slightly, giving the impression of detachment from the frail bodies underneath". Hard, geometrically patterned highlights are used to give figures

2356-469: The more classical and naturalistic influences of art on the culture. The new style of art may have inspired Italian artists such as Cimabue and Giotto at the dawn of the Italian Renaissance , in the Proto-Renaissance . The second half of the 9th century saw a lavish programme of redecoration of churches, such as the creation of mosaics in the Hagia Sophia . By the Macedonian Renaissance,

2418-554: The movement of peoples from the countryside, which became a magnet for intellectuals. Large-scale productions of religious art resumed only after the Second Iconoclasm in 843. The art of the Macedonian Renaissance maintained its roots from the Late Roman period, utilizing its decorative and artistic styles. This period produced a shift from the ban on the painting of religious figures to icons being painted to reflect

2480-581: The period also saw a proliferation of literature, such as De Ceremoniis ("The Book of Ceremonies"), which focused on governance, diplomatic interactions with neighboring nations, and other customs of the time. Education had also become a priority once again and the University of Constantinople boasted scholars such as Michael Psellus , who wrote the Chronographia , a history of fourteen Byzantine rulers. Meanwhile, reforms in law sought to limit

2542-480: The power and growth of large land owners by the formation of trade guilds that allowed the state to control growth as described in the Book of the Eparch . While in science and mathematics, Leo the Mathematician contributed vastly on the subject and he was also known for constructing an optical telegraph from Constantinople to the eastern regions of the empire. The building Magnaura in Constantinople had already become

Macedonian Renaissance - Misplaced Pages Continue

2604-459: The regulation of trade between the Byzantine capital and its provinces. The Book has been translated into English twice. Earlier, in 1893, a trilingual edition—in the original Greek, Latin, and French—was made by Jules Nicole, who discovered the only surviving manuscript in a Genevan library. New English translations of sections vi.31–33 and xx.56–57 have since been made by Lopez and Raymond (1951) using Nicole's Greek, but

2666-536: The reign of Manuel II, the scholar Demetrios Kydones wrote several texts such as the Discourses and Dialogues on the relationship between Christianity and Islam, on politics and on civil subjects such as marriage and education. He also made a treatise on the seven ecumenical councils , a poem on how to convert unbelievers, and a refutation of Catholic doctrine on the procession of the Holy Spirit. Under

2728-444: The renovation was also intended to symbolize the empire's recovery from the destitution and humiliation it had just undergone. The conception of the Palaeologan period as a cultural "renaissance" owes much to Michael's efforts to revive the glory of Constantinople; in Byzantine lands unconquered by the Crusaders, art production had never been so seriously disrupted as to require a period of "rebirth". Certain conditions established by

2790-621: The richest aristocrats. From the 7th century onwards, Medieval Greek was the only language of administration, government and art in the Byzantine Empire, while the religion was Orthodox Christianity . While the Western Roman Empire had collapsed at the outset of the Middle Ages , its Eastern half, the Eastern Roman Empire , was able to survive, due mainly to its strategic location for commerce but also to

2852-469: The sack persisted after the recovery of Constantinople. The imperial boundaries had been permanently diminished, and the rulers of Trebizond and Epirus remained independent of the central government. In the aftermath of the Crusades there was unprecedentedly close contact between the Greek world and Western Europe, and Byzantine and Western artists borrowed each other's techniques. Fluency in multiple styles

2914-471: The sparse examples which survive. The pieces that were lost may have been similar to those made in Greek lands after the empire's fall: distinguished by "technical and aesthetic excellence rather than... the sumptuousness of the materials". The same secondary evidence leads David Talbot Rice to assert that the Byzantine silk industry survived into this period, and continued to produce garments decorated with

2976-516: The time and skill required to build them. They were collected by rich patrons in both Byzantine and Western lands. Starting in the period of the Latin Empire, breakaway Byzantine states sought to dignify themselves by building churches and palaces in their capital cities. Their varying demographics and resources produced distinctive regional styles of architecture: Epirus built grandiose monuments incorporating much spolia from Roman ruins, and

3038-512: The traditional tapestry technique. He adds, however, that tapestry was gradually supplanted by decorations in embroidery , which did not require specialized equipment to produce. Book of the Eparch The Book of the Prefect or Eparch ( Greek : Τὸ ἐπαρχικὸν βιβλίον , romanized :  To eparchikon biblion ) is a Byzantine commercial manual or guide addressed to the eparch of Constantinople (the governor of

3100-456: The traditional media of fresco or mosaic. Small icons were also made in quantity, most often as private devotional objects. Much more personalized than their monumental counterparts, these often had inscriptions or portraits commemorating the people who commissioned them. They were the late Byzantine art form most likely to partake of Western influences. The majority of scribes who worked on manuscript illumination remain anonymous: only 17 of

3162-399: The traditional types of holy images, with large, portrait-type figures on solid backgrounds, were partially superseded by landscape scenes with comparatively small figures, often depicted in motion. The landscapes themselves are barren, perhaps intended to invoke the wilderness traditionally occupied by prophets and ascetic hermits. There are informal attempts at using foreshortening to create

SECTION 50

#1732765959948

3224-407: The translators call for completely updated English editions using the most recent Byzantine scholarship. In 1970 Variorum Reprints gathered Nicole's editions and Freshfield's English translation along with a photographic reproduction of the manuscript (Genevensis 23) appended to a new introduction by I. Dujčev. This collection was typically used by scholars until a translation was made into German with

3286-434: The twelfth century, but after 1204 there was a renewed interest in the art form which has left over 20 extant examples. Often less than 25 centimeters in height, these later icons were made as impressively small as possible, composed of tesserae "no bigger than a pin's point... set in wax on a wooden ground". Some incorporated luxury materials such as gold and vitreous enamel , but all micromosaics were rendered precious by

3348-615: The way it was able to hold back its enemies. Basil I (867–886), the founder of the Macedonian Dynasty of Byzantine rulers, was born in Thrace to a peasant family said to be of paternal Armenian descent. He was employed in the influential circles of Constantinople and was rapidly promoted by the emperor Michael III eventually becoming co-emperor. By means of political maneuvering he was able to secure his future as emperor and then began military and diplomatic campaigns to secure

3410-405: The word "icon", formerly used to describe any image employed in a religious context, became increasingly associated with this kind of panel painting. The phenomenon was probably linked to new customs related to the templon , a screen used in churches to separate the congregation from the sanctuary where priests conducted rituals. The practice of affixing icons to this screen dated back to at least

3472-468: Was exiled by Manuel II to the Despotate of Morea , an important intellectual center; his lectures there revived Platonic thought in Western Europe. Plethon had offended the emperor by studying heretical and even pagan doctrines, and thus displaying an openness of mind "very similar to Renaissance humanism ". Cyril Mango describes "a distinctive new style" in Palaeologan painting, "marked by

3534-451: Was for the efficient raising of a maximum of revenue through taxation. Many of the Book of the Prefect’s regulations must have been very hard to police (e.g. regulations stipulating that the merchants produce items of good quality), and it is likely that the laws were probably rarely enforced, and where they were it would depend more on co-operation from the guilds rather than on any action by

3596-582: Was installed in its south gallery. Among the other objects of Michael's patronage were the Blachernae Palace and several sections of the city defenses, along with public service projects. Private patrons sponsored restorations of Constantinople's churches, many of which were maintained for the next two centuries even as the residential portions of the city fell into neglect. Between 1316 and 1321, Theodore Metochites , deputy of Michael's successor Andronikos II , sponsored an extensive rebuilding of

3658-424: Was just as great a genius". Andronikos II had Hagia Sophia's walls reinforced with buttresses in 1317. Late in his reign there was a decline in the empire's fortunes, and little building was undertaken in the capital after 1330. The optimism fostered by Michael VIII gave way in subsequent times to a sense that "the present generation had sinned and was inferior to its predecessors". In 1346 an earthquake damaged

3720-489: Was one of the most important figures of the renaissance, while Theodore Metochites (1270–1332) was a philosopher and a patron of the arts and sciences, considered the most complete scholar of his time. He studied Classical antiquity , although not with the same intense interest as his contemporaries in Trecento Italy. The fourteenth-century poet Manuel Philes wrote pieces commemorating a wide variety of artworks and

3782-405: Was the product of gradual accumulation. References in four places to tetartera coins show the work in its final form to be no earlier than the reign of Nikephoros II Phokas (963–69), who instigated this particular form of lightweight gold coinage. The absence of any mention of Rus’ merchants from the document, whilst other nationalities such as Bulgars and Syrians are mentioned, also indicates

SECTION 60

#1732765959948

3844-467: Was useful for catering to a more diverse group of patrons, but these borrowings were also motivated by interest in foreign artworks and a desire to learn from them. As in the era of exile, much Palaeologan art was funded by the aristocracy instead of the emperors. Pictorial works from this era feature an unprecedented number of non–imperial donor portraits . The Palaeologan period was also the first in which Byzantine painters regularly signed their works; it

#947052