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Course: Medieval Europe + Byzantine > Unit 5
Lesson 2: Early Byzantine (including Iconoclasm)- Byzantine Iconoclasm and the Triumph of Orthodoxy
- The origins of Byzantine architecture
- Early Byzantine architecture after Constantine
- Woman with Scroll, An Early Byzantine Sculpture at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Byzantine Mosaic of a Personification, Ktisis
- Innovative architecture in the age of Justinian
- SS. Sergius and Bacchus, preserved as the mosque, Küçük Ayasofya
- Hagia Sophia, Istanbul
- Hagia Sophia, Istanbul
- Mosaics and power in Sant’Apollinare Nuovo
- Sant'Apollinare in Classe, Ravenna
- San Vitale, Ravenna
- Justinian Mosaic, San Vitale
- San Vitale (quiz)
- Empress Theodora, rhetoric, and Byzantine primary sources
- Art and architecture of Saint Catherine’s Monastery at Mount Sinai
- Ivory panel with Archangel
- The Emperor Triumphant (Barberini Ivory)
- The Vienna Dioscurides
- Virgin (Theotokos) and Child between Saints Theodore and George
- Virgin (Theotokos) and Child between Saints Theodore and George
- A chalice from the Attarouthi Treasure
- Byzantine architecture during Iconoclasm
- The Byzantine Fieschi Morgan cross reliquary
- Cross-cultural artistic interaction in the Early Byzantine period
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Ivory panel with Archangel
Byzantine panel with archangel, Ivory leaf from diptych, c. 525-50, 16.8 x 5.6 x 0.35 in. (42.8 x 14.3 x 0.9 cm), probably from Constantinople (modern Istanbul, Turkey), (British Museum, London) The British Museum translates the text at the top of the panel as: "Receive the suppliant before you, despite his sinfulness." Speakers: Dr. Beth Harris, Dr. Steven Zucker. Created by Beth Harris and Steven Zucker.
Want to join the conversation?
- ?Why are there so few ivory artwork or statues!!!!!!!! I think they are gorgeus by the way what is ivory made of?(0 votes)
- Ivory is made of dentin, just like the inside of a tooth. I think what hkapur97 is talking about is horn, which is indeed made of densely packed hair.(4 votes)
- What is the orb in the angel's right hand supposed to represent or be? I've seen it several times in Christian pieces and sometimes even pictured in the hands of monarchy.(3 votes)
- That's a "globus cruciger". It's a traditional Christian symbol of Christ's reign over the world. Held by monarchy, as part of their regalia, it signifies that the monarch rules the world on behalf of Jesus Christ.(9 votes)
- I noticed on the face it seems like a remnant of color. Was the originally polychrome or is it simply a discoloration of the Ivory?(3 votes)
- Nice observation. It appears that the top of the wing on the left is also slightly deeper in tone. It is difficult to tell if this is added color, oils from handling (fingers leave residue), or a natural discoloration especially given that my photos are fairly old (I now have a better camera). I will try to remember to look carefully the next time I get to spend some time in The British Museum.(3 votes)
- what do the words at the top mean? also why is it cracked?(2 votes)
- If you see the answer given by Peter Collingridge in response to LadyRed you'll see the same thing that the subtitle of this article states:
The words translate to "Receive the suppliant before you, despite his sinfulness", according to the British Museum.
As to why this particular piece is cracked, I am not sure, but ivory is quite a delicate material. It is sensitive to the environment it is in (changes in humidity etc.), becomes brittle with age, light can bleach it, and heat can discolour it. Any of these factors and more could be the cause.(5 votes)
- at0:26what is a diptych?(3 votes)
- It's two paintings meant to go together, usually with attached frames. Triptychs also exist, with a main painting in the center, and two doors that open on either side. These are all common in Gothic/Renaissance Christian art, meant to rest on altars. You open them for a mass, and then close them again.(2 votes)
- If Ivory is expensive, who paid for this piece? How much would it be worth today?(3 votes)
- Ivory is banned to be sold or traded in many countries in order to protect the elephants that were being poached to supply it. Here is some more information on the subject. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivory_trade(2 votes)
- Why are the words above the angel in Greek? Wasn't Latin the language of the church?(2 votes)
- Latin was the language of the Roman Catholic Church. Greek was the language of the Byzantine or Greek Orthodox Church.(4 votes)
- Do we know if this is a specific arch angle (micheal the arch angle raphiel..ect..ect..)?
and what does the greek say?(3 votes)- The specific archangel would be impossible to tell as there are so many different interpretations of each archangel and their symbols/traits. As far as I know it's possible that this is a simple seraph.(1 vote)
- @2:09, it is mentioned that the angel is much larger then the stairs to show the status of the angel. I noticed that the angels feet where very large compared to his body, is this a norm in Byzantine art?(2 votes)
- Byzantine art was very stylized in general, so this is possible.(2 votes)
- Could someone recommend the name of a famous diptych or triptych work of art? I would like to see what complete-non-damaged works look like. This is a beautiful work, but this just piqued my curiosity.(2 votes)
- When I think of triptychs, the Dresden Triptych always comes to mind.
Here is a link to the wiki;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dresden_Triptych(2 votes)
Video transcript
(light piano music) - [Steven] We found a
relatively quiet corner of the British Museum, which
is not an easy thing to do. - [Beth] We're looking
at a Byzantine ivory that dates to the sixth century. - [Steven] And so, it's a small miracle that it's come down to us through history, because a moveable object like
this is so easily destroyed. - [Beth] And in fact,
part of this was lost. This was originally part of a diptych. In other words, it was attached by hinges to another ivory panel
with which it was related. - [Steven] Things that
strikes a modern viewer first is the fact that this is
an enormous piece of ivory. This came from the tusk of an elephant, and of course, right
now in the 21st century, we're in a race to save elephants. And so, we look at this
object with a different eye than we might in a
previous historical moment. - [Beth] But in fact,
ivory carvings were common in the ancient Roman world
and in the Byzantine world. - [Steven] And ivory was treasured because of its smooth texture, because of its relatively
hard but carvable surface. And ivory, especially at this scale, was a luxury object that was imported from Africa, from Asia, or sometimes it was the tusks of walruses or even of mammoths
that had been uncovered. - [Beth] This is one
of the largest ivories to come down to us from
the Byzantine period. - [Steven] The frame is
filled with the large figure of an angel, probably
the Archangel Michael. He stands at the top of a stair under an elaborately carved arch, holding in his right hand
an orb with a cross on it. And in the left, he holds
a staff or a scepter. - [Beth] We can tell that he's an angel because he has these
beautiful, long wings. And that orb is a symbol of power. An orb is a sphere which might remind us of the sphere of the Earth, and on top of that, the cross. So this idea of the
triumph of Christianity. - [Steven] And this is one of the reasons that art historians believe
that the other panel would likely have depicted
the Emperor Justinian. Justinian was among the most
powerful Byzantine emperors. And it's possible that
this ivory was carved to commemorate his
ascension to the throne. - [Beth] Beneath the
arch, a wreath of victory, and inside that wreath, the cross. So it's this interesting moment where the Roman Empire has moved east. It's lost much of its
territory in the west, although Justinian does
reconquer much of it. But this interesting blending of ancient Roman art traditions
with the new Christianity of the Roman Empire, of
the Byzantine Empire. - [Steven] It's important
not to flatten history and to remember how much
time elapses between eras. Here we have the Byzantine looking back to the ancient Roman, and before that, to the ancient Greek. The classical era in ancient Greece began a thousand years
before this panel was carved. And we see the echo of ancient Rome in the very way that the
figure is represented and especially in the way that the drapery hangs over that body. This is a style of representation
that is looking back to ancient Greece and ancient Rome. - [Beth] That drapery reminds us of so many ancient Greek
and Roman sculptures. The way that it clings to the body. We see the forms of the legs. We get a sense of where the
hips are. The shoulders. We're drawn to that drapery
and those lovely folds. Look closely at his left arm
and the drape that hangs down and how you can see a shadow underneath it that gives us a sense of
how deeply carved that is. I mean, this is so beautifully carved. This ivory really rewards close looking. The lovely fluting on the columns, the Corinthian capitals,
which are so finely carved to really see those acanthus leaves, the little volutes at the top, and that lovely garland or
ribbon that crosses the arch. - [Steven] And the rosettes
that fill the space on either side of the arch. - [Beth] This was probably one
of the most skilled craftsmen in the workshop of the
emperor in Constantinople. - [Steven] But or all of its classicism, that is, its references back to ancient Greece, to ancient Rome, we can't look at this panel and not be reminded
that this is Byzantine. The artist is willing to play
fast and loose with space. The figure seems not
to stand on the stairs so much as to float above
and in front of those stairs. The scepter is held by a figure that stands seemingly at the top step, and yet the scepter stands
outside of the arch. And so the artist, like the
figure, is no longer trapped by the naturalistic conventions
of the classical world. - [Beth] There are several
translations of this inscription. The one that seems to
be most commonly used is, "Receive this suppliant
despite his sinfulness." So the person on the
other side of the diptych is being welcomed by the angel that we see here into the court of heaven. - [Steven] And so what we're seeing here is likely a commemoration of the ascension of an important figure to the throne, possibly Justinian, a Christian, but a Christian who is heir
to the great Roman tradition. - [Beth] And here we see the classicism of the Roman Empire in
this Byzantine ivory likely made in Constantinople,
today Istanbul, but which we are looking at
here in the British museum. (light piano music)