Byzantium: Faith and Power (1261-1557) [Hardcover]

Helen C. Evans (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 11, 2004 | Series: Metropolitan Museum of Art Series

A sequel to the landmark catalogue The Glory of Byzantium, this magnificent book features work from the last golden age of the Byzantine empire. During the last centuries of the "Empire of the Romans", Byzantine artists created exceptional secular and religious works that had an enduring influence on art and culture. In later years, Eastern Christian centres of power emulated and transformed Byzantine artistic styles, the Islamic world adapted motifs drawn from Byzantium's imperial past, and the development of the Renaissance from Italy to the Lowlands was deeply affected by Byzantine artistic and intellectual practices. This spectacular book presents hundreds of objects in all media from the late thirteenth through mid-sixteenth centuries. Featured in full-colour reproductions are sacred icons, luxuriously embroidered silk textiles, richly gilded metalwork, miniature icons of glass, precious metals and gemstone, and elaborately decorated manuscripts. In the accompanying text, renowned scholars discuss the art and investigate the cultural and historical interaction between these major cultures: the Christian and Islamic East and the Latin West. Continuing the story of the critically acclaimed Glory of Byzantium: Art and Culture of the Middle Byzantine Era, A.D. 843-1261, this book, the first to focus exclusively on the last centuries of the Byzantine era, is a highly anticipated publication that will not be superceded for generations.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Covering an eponymous Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibition that runs from March to July 2004, this massive catalogue examines almost 300 years of history. It begins in 1261—when Christianity and remnants of the Roman Empire’s power structure were brought back to dominance in Constantinople—and ends in 1557, when the region formerly known as basileia ton Rhomaion (Greek for "The empire of the Romans") was changed to Byzantium. Evans, curator at the Met’s department of medieval art and The Cloisters, has brought together a stellar collection of scholars and works for the volume. There are 17 essays in all, covering everything from liturgic instruments to the reach of byzantine icons into northern Europe. The layout is text-heavy. The 150 b&w photos and 450 colorplates are clear, and represent the works without ostentation or ornament, but they are also often reproduced at a scale that seems designed not to overwhelm the arguments being waged around them. Yet some piece, like Simon Marmion’s The Mass of Saint Gregory or the early 14th century Two-Sided Icon with the Virgin Psychosostria and the Annunciation, come through in a way that approximates the depth and beauty of the originals. As catalogues go, this one is rather less accessible to laypeople, but for scholars, it will be a feast.
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From the Publisher

Also available: The Glory of Byzantium; This book is the catalogue for an exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art (march 23 to July4, 2004)

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 680 pages
• Publisher: Metropolitan Museum of Art; First Edition edition (March 11, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 030010278X
• ISBN-13: 978-0300102789
• Product Dimensions: 12.2 x 9.4 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #305,932 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #62 in Books > Arts & Photography > Schools, Periods & Styles > Medieval
  • #67 in Books > Arts & Photography > Schools, Periods & Styles > Byzantine

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Monumental, May 12, 2004

By 

Walter Fekula (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Byzantium: Faith and Power (1261-1557) (Hardcover)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has put together its third monumental exhibition reflecting early Christian and Byzantine art. The first exhibition, "The Age of Spirituality", organized by Helen C. Evans was shown in 1977 and explored Christian art between the third and eighth centuries. Twenty years later, the persevering Ms. Evans was responsible for the wonderful "The Glory of Byzantium, A.D. 843-1261". This exhibit, "Byzantium: Faith and Power (1261 - 1557) is the last of this historic trilogy and is a testimony to Ms. Evans and her team, including Mahrukh Tarapor, who visited 35 countries and in a feat of international diplomacy convinced 129 museums, churches, monasteries, collectors and libraries to part with their treasures. Approximately 350 examples of Byzantine art have been contributed with only the monasteries of Mount Athos holding out. The exhibit runs through July 4, 2004.
The eminent and long respected icon dealer, Dick Temple, writes:
"The exhibition 'Byzantium, Faith and Power (1261-1557)' currently at the Metropolitan Museum in New York is, in my view, the greatest icon exhibition I have ever seen or ever will see. There are loans from 27 countries around the world. Monasteries and museums in Greece, Egypt, Russia and the Balkans as well as the great collections of Europe and the USA have given up their most fabulous treasures for this incredible event. If, 20 or 30 years ago, someone had said to me that one day I would see under the same roof the Annunciation from Ohrid, the Twelve Apostles from the Pushkin Museum, two monumental icons by Andrei Rublyov from the Tretyakov Gallery, 40 icons from Saint Catherine's Monastery at Sinai, the British Museum's icon of the Triumph of Orthodoxy and other similar wonders, I would not have believed them. Well, it is happening now."

There are many other important examples that Mr. Temple could have used. This sumptuous and amazing exhibition should not be missed. The one in 1997 drew nearly 500,000 visitors and this one should top that.

The catalogue, which accompanies this exhibition, is massive. It spans 680 pages and contains more than 800 color plates. The illustrations are beautifully reproduced. It contains important essays and descriptions of the objects by a renowned group of over 100 scholars. Please, please please - do yourself a favor and see this once-in-a-lifetime exhibition and purchase the accompanying catalogue, which will give you much pleasure. Ms. Evans is owed every civilized person's gratitude for her awe-inspiring effort.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Correction to Previous Review, May 24, 2004

By 

Walter Fekula (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Byzantium: Faith and Power (1261-1557) (Hardcover)

The first exhibition, "The Age of Spirituality", shown in 1977, was organized by the eminent scholar, Kurt Weitzmann, Professor Emeritus of Princeton University (1904 -1993).

It is also important to note the essay written by Archbishop Damianos of Sinai, Pharan, and Riatho, Abbot of the Holy Greek Orthodox Monastery of Saint Catherine, Sinai, Egypt who on page 335 writes,"...holy icons are more than artful and historical objects. They are a vital entity and a vibrant presence in the liturgical life of the Church, which is the very context that sanctioned and fostered their creation, existence, and use from early Christian times." He goes on to say, "Indeed, by their captivating formal purity, transparency, and clarity, icons create what we may call a resonance or an uplifting in the spiritual sense. They are statements of faith ..."

Lastly, mention must be made of the conclusion of the catalogue and exhibition, which focuses on the influence of Late Byzantine icons on Northern Renaissance art. Many masterpieces are exhibited including Memling, van der Weyden, Jan Van Eyck and Gerard David. They are breathtaking, but perhaps too much icing. A preview of Ms. Evans's next exhibition?

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Really great job, October 24, 2008

By 

Andreas Pavlakis (New York) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Byzantium: Faith and Power (1261-1557) (Hardcover)

This is a really great collection of byzantin icons, I would really recomend it to somebody interested in the subject.