10th century mosaic of Virgin and Child on a gold ground in the former cathedral Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey
Byzantine mosaics are mosaics produced from the 4th to 15th[1] centuries in and under the influence of the Byzantine Empire. Mosaics were some of the most popular[2] and historically significant art forms produced in the empire, and they are still studied extensively by art historians.[3] Although Byzantine mosaics evolved out of earlier Hellenistic and Roman practices and styles,[4] craftspeople within the Byzantine Empire made important technical advances[4] and developed mosaic art into a unique and powerful form of personal and religious expression that exerted significant influence on Islamic art produced in Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphates and the Ottoman Empire.[2]
There are two main types of mosaic surviving from this period: wall mosaics in churches, and sometimes palaces, made using glass tesserae, sometimes backed by gold leaf for a gold ground effect, and floor mosaics that have mostly been found by archaeology. These often use stone pieces, and are generally less refined in creating their images. Survivals of secular wall-mosaics are few, but they show similar subject matter to floor mosaics, where many of the subjects are very similar in both churches and houses; it was not acceptable for images of sacred figures to be walked upon. Religious mosaics show similar subject matter to that found in other surviving religious Byzantine art in painted icons and manuscript miniatures. Floor mosaics often have images of geometrical patterns, often interspersed with animals. Scenes of hunting and venatio, arena displays where animals are killed, are popular.
Byzantine mosaics went on to influence artists in the Norman Kingdom of Sicily, in the Republic of Venice, and, carried by the spread of Orthodox Christianity, in Bulgaria, Serbia, Romania and Russia.[5] In the modern era, artists across the world have drawn inspiration from their focus on simplicity and symbolism, as well as their beauty.[6]
^"A beginner's guide to Byzantine Art". Khan Academy. Retrieved 2019-12-26.
^ ab"Byzantine Mosaics". www.medievalchronicles.com. 13 March 2016. Retrieved 2019-12-26.
^Spencer, Harold (1976). Readings in Art History. Scribner's. p. 167.
^ abTraverso, V. M. (2018-11-07). "The breathtaking beauty of Byzantine mosaics". Aleteia — Catholic Spirituality, Lifestyle, World News, and Culture. Retrieved 2019-12-26.
^Cite error: The named reference :4 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Kitzinger, Ernst (1977). Byzantine art in the making : main lines of stylistic development in Mediterranean art, 3rd–7th century. ISBN 0-674-08956-1. OCLC 70782069.
Byzantinemosaics are mosaics produced from the 4th to 15th centuries in and under the influence of the Byzantine Empire. Mosaics were some of the most...
century onwards were decorated with wall and ceiling mosaics. Mosaic art flourished in the Byzantine Empire from the 6th to the 15th centuries; that tradition...
of the surviving Byzantinemosaics of the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey Mosaic of Jesus in Pammakaristos Church in Istanbul Mosaic of Saint Antony,...
Early Byzantinemosaics in the Middle East are a group of Christian mosaics created between the 4th and the 8th centuries in ancient Syria, Palestine...
East Institute. Mosaics Hagia Sophia, hagiasophia.com: Mosaics. MacDonald, William Lloyd (1951). The uncovering of Byzantinemosaics in Hagia Sophia....
distinguish the Daphni mosaics among the mosaics of the eleventh and twelfth centuries as particularly grand specimens of Byzantine art in general. History...
Monreale Cathedral Mosaics are the main internal feature of Monreale Cathedral in the city of Palermo, Sicily, Italy; the mosaics cover 6,500 m2. They...
windows. Mosaics were used to cover brick walls and any other surface where fresco would not resist. Good examples of mosaics from the proto-Byzantine era...
typical of the Byzantine. The church is most famous for its wealth of Byzantinemosaics. St Vitale boasts the largest and best-preserved mosaics outside of...
Renaissance"). Ancient texts were preserved and recopied. Byzantine art flourished, and brilliant mosaics graced the interiors of the many new churches. Though...
2018 at the Wayback Machine How and why Constantinople was founded Hagia Sophia Mosaics The Deesis and other Mosaics of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople...
for some other purpose. Early Byzantinemosaics in the Middle East 2022 in archaeology "Ornate Byzantine floor mosaic discovered by Palestinian farmer"...
Micromosaics (or micro mosaics, micro-mosaics) are a special form of mosaic that uses unusually small mosaic pieces (tesserae) of glass, or in later Italian...
Palaiologan architecture, the church contains the largest quantity of Byzantinemosaics in Istanbul after the Hagia Sophia and The Chora. The church-mosque...
mainly famous for its outstanding Late Byzantinemosaics and frescos. The building is an example of Byzantine architecture. In the 16th century, during...
drastically reduced the number of survivals of Byzantine art from before the period, both in large religious mosaics, which are now almost exclusively found...
known as the Madaba Mosaic Map, is part of a floor mosaic in the early Byzantine church of Saint George in Madaba, Jordan. The mosaic map depicts an area...
was commonly associated with Jesus or David and used in Byzantine art. Shortly after the mosaic's discovery, the main figure's face was gouged out. When...
Byzantine dress changed considerably over the thousand years of the Empire, but was essentially conservative. Popularly, Byzantine dress remained attached...
Roman usurpers List of Byzantine usurpers Succession to the Byzantine Empire List of Roman and Byzantine empresses List of Byzantine emperors of Armenian...
the cathedral is the mosaics, the earliest remaining mosaics in the neighbourhood of Venice. The main apse has an 11th-century mosaic of famous beauty of...
about 60,000. It is best known for its Byzantine and Umayyad mosaics, especially a large Byzantine-era mosaic map of the Holy Land. Madaba is located...
museum houses mosaics from the Byzantine period, unearthed at the site of the Great Palace of Constantinople. The museum hosts the mosaics used to decorate...
Ancient texts were preserved and patiently re-copied. Byzantine art flourished, and brilliant mosaics graced the interiors of the many new churches. Though...
Global Information