Illumination of St. Paul, late 13th cent., Byzantine empire (Walters Art Museum)
Byzantium, as we call it today, was the Eastern Roman Empire under Christian rule, from the time of Emperor Constantine in the fourth century to its fall to the Ottoman Turks in 1453. Greek-speaking and centered in Constantinople—today’s Istanbul—it was one of the medieval world’s greatest empires, at its height encircling the eastern Mediterranean. Its art and architecture, based on the legacy of imperial Rome, helped create and define Orthodox Christianity and medieval concepts of royal power.
Art historian Lawrence Butler explores Byzantium’s greatest contributions to world art and considers its legacy in today’s Orthodox Christian world. Emphasis is placed on the superb museum collections of Byzantine art in Washington, D.C., Baltimore, and New York.
9:30–10:45 a.m. Building Constantinople
Constantine’s new capital dazzled the late antique world and became the greatest fortress city of the Middle Ages. Innovation in Roman engineering and Christian worship culminated in the great domed churches, such as the Hagia Sophia, filled with gleaming marble and gold mosaics.
11 a.m.–12:15 p.m. The Byzantine Icon
The defining feature of Orthodox Christian art, the icon was the result of a long theological struggle with Jewish traditions and challenges from Islam. After a period of iconoclasm, icon painters were encourage to produce some of the most stunning spiritual art of the Middle Ages, a tradition that continues today.
12:15–1:30 p.m. Lunch (participants provide their own)
1:30–2:45 p.m. Luxury Arts
Byzantine palace culture inherited the luxury arts and classical mythology of the Roman Empire and enriched them through exchange with Persia and the Islamic world. Trade with Venice and the Crusader-era states spread its prestigious silks, ivories, precious metalwork, enamels, manuscripts, and even its gold mosaics throughout the medieval Mediterranean world.
3–4:15 p.m. The Orthodox Legacy
The Byzantine Empire is no more, but its legacy continues in today’s Greece, Eastern Europe, and the Mediterranean. Cities and monasteries throughout the Orthodox world preserve the arts of late Byzantium through their churches, icons, frescoes, and libraries.
Butler is associate professor of art history at George Mason University.
World Art History Certificate elective: Earn 1 credit
