After fifty years, a collection of Byzantine artwork returns to London. This time, the exhibit is bigger and better, taking five years to bring all of the pieces together at the Royal Academy of Art, according to Maria Vasilaki, one of the curators. The Byzantium exhibition features objects borrowed from 85 institutions and 23 countries.
The exhibition tells the story of one of the world’s greatest empires in its entirety: from the beginning of Constantinople in 330 to the Ottoman occupation of 1453. “Our idea was to tell the full story of Byzantine art and the Byzantine Empire through one exhibition,” Vasilaki said in an interview.
The journey begins with a stunning and enormous chandelier spanning over an octagonal room. The oversized intricate cast copper alloy structure contrasts the empty room and leaves a lasting impression. On one of the walls near the entrance into the main section of the exhibit hangs a series of maps which show the span of the Byzantine Empire and how it changes overtime. By the empire’s downfall, the amount of Byzantine territory was far less than what it had been at its height. These maps help put the exhibit in context and remind visitors of Byzantium’s Eastern location.
From here, the multiple rooms making up the exhibit each have a different theme or time period, Vasilaki said. The first room which holds pieces during and just after Constantine the Great’s reign includes a few artefacts from before the founding of Constantinople. These well-known pieces deliver the story of Jonah in marble carvings. The Jonah pieces were included in order to show Christian art that was created before Christianity was the official religion, Vasilaki said. Byzantine art began to portray biblical stories rather than pagan ones in order to promote Christianity. And by 391, Christianity was the official religion of the Byzantine Empire.
Each piece of art is marked with a number, allowing a visitor to follow the exhibit in the order it was intended to be seen. Yet the pieces are somewhat scattered and it is often difficult to find the piece with the next number. The path of objects leads to the next room, the room of “Justinian the Great.”
An interesting piece, from the “Justinian” room, is the Antioch Chalice. This well known work covered by silver apostles and a silver Christ was once believed to be the Holy Grail that was used by Christ at the Last Supper. Only recently has it been discovered that the piece is merely a standing lamp. “It shows you that objects can be labelled in one way and then in the end, can be labelled in a completely different way; they lose their original label, and they lose what was believed to be their original function,” Vasilaki said.
The exhibition places a strong emphasis on the role of icons and iconoclasm in Byzantine art. In fact, two rooms are dedicated to these topics. After the reign of Justinian, plague and the rise of Islam shrank the Byzantine Empire. The crisis that grew from this led people to create and believe in “miraculous icons.” Soon after, Leo III banned the use of icons and destroyed the existing icons. Finally in 843, the ban was lifted and icons became a central part of Byzantine religion and art. The Byzantine artwork in the exhibit greatly reflects this focus on icons as the majority of pieces seem to display images of Christ, Mary, or other saints. A main product of Byzantine art emerges after the end of iconoclasm: icons painted in egg tempera on wood panels. After the period of iconoclasm, Byzantine work and more specifically Byzantine icons became more colorful. These pieces were often donated to churches. While most of the works came from museums all over the world, some of the pieces are still used in churches today, such as the large decorative bronze doors from the 11th century.
The large quantity of items in this exhibit allowed for the inclusion of various types of art. Everything from coins, to jewelry, to books, to plates, to chair ornaments are featured. The incredible range of materials used by the Byzantine artists was also fascinating. Metals, ivory, gilt, paint, wood, precious stones, enamel, and pearls decorate the works. Ivory and enamel were especially prominent throughout the exhibit. The lighting in the exhibit makes the incredibly old metals shine as if they were brand new.
The pieces in the room entitled “At Court” are the most ostentatious of the exhibition as a whole. Many books on show in this section are highly decorated and the wording is in gold. It is absolutely incredible to think that these pieces made it to 2008 in such excellent shape after their creation about 1,000 years ago.
Byzantium art is unique as it has close ties to both the East and the West. The exhibition includes an entire room about the Byzantine Empire's influence on western art. This room holds work by Bellini and explains Byzantine's close relationship with Italy. By the same token, Byzantium is just as connected with the East of today as the West. Towards the end of the exhibition, the room entitled “Beyond Byzantium,” points to a connection between Byzantium and Islam that has always been the case. “The shape of St. Sophia, which was the major Christian monument, not only for Constantinople but in the whole of the empire, inspired the architects who designed the shape of the mosque,” Vasilaki said. In addition, each room is awarded a short explanation of the room’s theme and the “Beyond Byzantium” explanation is in agreement with Vasilaki: “Byzantium and Islam came to admire the qualities of each other’s art, leading to a remarkable cross-fertilization between two different faiths.”
The Byzantium exhibit was the most difficult to set up because the artefacts came from all over the world, Vasilaki said. It is the most complete collection of Byzantine art to be put on show together to date and is made up of about 300 artefacts. To gain a good understanding of Byzantium and its art, set aside a large chunk of time to explore this exhibit. It is far too large and complex to rush through. The Byzantium collection opened 25 October and runs to 22 March 2009 in the main galleries of the Royal Academy of Art.
Byzantium, Royal Academy of Art, London, 25 October 2008-22 March 2009
