Full Description
Late Antiquity and the early Middle Ages are now understood as times of extraordinary skill and creativity in the decorative arts. In the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantium) artists and craftsmen transitioned from 'Roman' to 'Byzantine' art and inspired a move from naturalism to a more hieratic and symbolic style, drawing on the deep artistic links connecting the Mediterranean world and the East.
The many spectacular artefacts from this period in the Wyvern Collection are luxury objects, most commissioned by wealthy patrons or the Church, ranging in date from the fourth century to around 1300. Masterpieces of great significance for art history, including a 5th-century Artemis missorium, previously unpublished, and an 11th-century enamelled enkolpion from Constantinople are among the highlights of the collection. Other extraordinary objects - Late Roman chariot decorations, a stone funerary door from Syria and brooches brought across Europe by the families of Roman soldiers - complete this artistic panorama of the great Mediterranean and Persian civilizations, whose creative influence extended to the far west of the Islamic world.
The catalogue, by Byzantine metalwork expert Marco Aimone, is augmented by three essays from technical specialists: Jack Ogden (enamelling), Peter Northover (metallurgy) and Erica Cruikshank Dodd (hallmarks). Rika Gyselen also contributes readings of Persian inscriptions.
Contents
Foreword • Preface • Notes to Reader
The Catalogue
i Enamels, Catalogue numbers 1-11
ii Late Roman Vessels, Catalogue numbers 12-31
iii Byzantine Vessels, Catalogue numbers 32-44
iv Sasanian and Early Islamic Vessels, Catalogue numbers 45-63
v Liturgical and Paraliturgical Objects, Catalogue numbers 64-85
vi Devotional Objects, Catalogue numbers 86-95
vii Furnishings and Architectonic Sculptures, Catalogue numbers 96-118
viii Varia, Catalogue numbers 119-127
ix Later Objects, Catalogue numbers 128-130
Between Byzantium and Persia: The Wyvern Peacock Plate Marco Aimone
Byzantine Inlaid Enamels Jack Ogden
The Silver Vessels: Analyses and Technical Reports Peter Northover
Silver Objects with Stamps Erica Cruikshank Dodd with Marco Aimone
Concordance, Epigraphic Conventions, Units of Weight, Notes, Bibliography, Profiles
Map of the Mediterranean Area, the Middle East and Central Asia
