(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)