Byzantine Art Research Articles

A Handful of Peaceful Simple Men on The Hill: Monte Cassino Monastery

Monte Cassino Monastery, founded by St. Benedict on the hills of Monte Cassino near Rome, Italy, in the Middle Ages, pioneered the formation of European culture and civilization and the development of Western medicine with its rich library and hospices where monks were educated and also served the patients. However, it was an important center of science and culture, offering a retreat to the leading scientists of its time (they were translating the works of Eastern scientists into Latin). Benedict's rule had three basic principles: peace, reading, and manual labor. The monastery established close relations with political and religious authorities, as it enjoyed the support of the nobility and also recruited the children of the aristocracy into its ranks. Later, with many monasteries and a chain of monasteries established in line with the teachings of St. Benedict, he contributed to the formation of the cultural and political map of Europe. He had indirect influences on the events of his time through his close relations with the leading religious and political actors of his age (papacy and royalty, nobility). During the reform movement, it was one of the leading figures of its time. And also supported the reforms of Pope Gregory VII. During the abbacy of Desiderius II. the monastery had good relations with the East Roman Empire, and as due result Byzantine art was imported to the West. In addition, it played an active role in the First Crusade by hosting the Crusaders on their way and with the loans it gave. The Abbey of Monte Cassino significantly influenced the scientific, cultural, and political life of Europe. This study aims to explore the impact of Benedictine Monte Cassino Monastery on Western Europe’s scientific, cultural, and political arena.

Дискурс декаданса в «Истории византийского искусства...» (1876) Никодима Кондакова

The aim of the paper is to reevaluate the theoretical dimension of the book “History of Byzantine Art and Iconography Based on Miniatures of Greek Manuscripts” (1876) by the leading Russian art historian Nikodim Pavlovich Kondakov (1844-1925) within the context of examining the cultural and social problem of decadence. The article provides a new interpretation of the well-known work by N. P. Kondakov. Scientific novelty lies in the following: the terminology of the book (and, above all, such concepts as naturalism, realism and idealism) is considered for the first time in connection with the problems of biological and decadent discourses. Particular attention is paid to the social and cultural aspects of the cyclical theory of decline set forth in Nikodim Kondakov’s book. As a result, this concept of cultural degradation is linked with ideas about social decline that were formed in the culture of the 19th century. The components of the aesthetics of decadence and biological discourse are studied, among other things, through the lens of Russian realistic aesthetics. The article uses methodological complexes that help shed new light on the peculiarities of the functioning of the cultural tradition in the Russian Empire in the second half of the 19th century, especially in aspects related to the influence of culture on the development of the humanities. The emphasis is on finding those cultural and intellectual sources of Nikodim Kondakov’s scientific activity that turned out to be the most important in terms of the formation of his innovative theoretical and methodological concepts.

Provenance of Some Iconographie Patterns of Christ’s Passion in Medieval Wall Painting in Slovakia and the Czech Republic

In the depictions presented in the article the gesture of raised hands expresses either Mourning or the feelings connected with Entombing, whose image is supplemented by the gesture of raised hands from the scene of Mourning, among others. The main source of illustration in these works seems to be Italian art, present in Western European painting. Its basis are iconographic solutions of the Byzantine art.

Сoncept of M. BOICHUK and the Features of Ukrainian MODERNISM

The article is dedicated to the place and significance of the ideological and artistic concept of M. Boichuk in the formation of Ukrainian modernism, which, despite connection with the global European trends, has clear originality, conditioned with historical, social and cultural processes in Ukraine. The heritage of M. Boichuk and the art school created by him has reflected the demonstrative tendency towards the national self-determination and national culture creation. This trend has distinguished Ukrainian modernism in the context of European directivities. Unlike the European modernism, the main ideas of which are related to the affirmation of the self-worth of individuality, subjectivity and open self-expression and polemics against artistic traditions, modernism in Ukraine affirms the national originality and diversity of its culture. Founded in the conditions of statelessness and indeterminacy of the national heritage, the concept of M. Boichuk has determined the essential principles of the national tradition, where folk art and the Ukrainian Middle Ages with its unique icon painting become the main phenomena. The invention of traditions, their formalization and ideological substantiation, those have become the basis of Boichukism, describe the Ukrainian cultural space, are considered to be an impulse for the further development. M. Boichuk’s school has several stages of its history. The first period includes 1908–1910–1917 (from the Revival of Byzantine Art group created in Paris to the leadership of M. Boichuk at the studio in the newly founded Ukrainian Academy of Arts in Kyiv). The second one – 1918 – mid‑1930s, formed in the post-revolutionary Soviet decades, those have subdued it to their ideological program. Constantly preserving its defined formal and figurative principles, M. Boichuk’s concept has also reflected the ideas of the National Ukrainian Renaissance and the Soviet Korenization and Ukrainization of the 1920s. M. Boichuk’s school and the artistic movement founded by it have been abolished with the establishment of totalitarian power in the mid‑1930s. Their significance goes beyond art, relates directly to Ukrainian culture creation.

SCIENTIFIC ASSESSMENT OF THE MOSAICS DECORATION AT QASTAL PALACE

The following research deals with Al-Qastal Palace, one of the most important early Islamic structures. It dates specifically to the Umayyad era in Jordan. Its floors are decorated with geometric mosaics, which were revealed during a series of archaeological excavations. These mosaics are characterized by a high level of artistic skill in their execution, particularly as evidenced by the great diversity in their shapes and designs. This study marks a serious attempt to compare the palace’s mosaics with their counterpart in Byzantine art as represented at various Byzantine sites, likewise, to show the influence of Byzantine models on Islamic mosaics. Our research suggests that there was a prevalent school of art that was widespread in the region. By comparing the mosaics with relatively nearby sites, we were able to arrive at a comprehensive overview of mosaic production in the region, and determine whether they all belong to a single school of art. A serious attempt is being made to identify the main sources of influence for Qasr al-Qastal, especially those coming from Asia Minor, but also from other places outside the region.

THE PATERNUS PLATE AND ITS SYMBOLISM

The Paternus Plate and its Symbolism. The eucharistic disk attributed to bishop Paternus of Tomis is a well-known artifact of the 6th cen tury. Since its discovery in 1912 it was approached from several perspectives, going from the evolution of the late antique and early Byzantine art to the study of the foreign policy of the Eastern Roman Empire. The present study takes into discus sion the symbolic significance of its decoration and reads it in the larger context of the artistic evolution of Byzantium before iconoclasm. Regarded in the context of the silver patens of the 6th century, the central monogram of Christ on the Paternus plate reveals itself as representing more than just an ornament. For the believer it had a clear symbolic significance: it represented Christ himself offering him the Communion. The central motive was also connected to the border decoration, con taining eucharistic symbols familiar to the contemporary viewer from several re ligious texts and discourses. Regarding such a eucharistic artifact with eusebeia, the 6th century believer was introduced into a salvific atmosphere, allowing him a glimpse into eternity.

Imitation Curtain Depictions from Byzantine Cappadocia

By scrutinising examples of imitation curtain patterns on Cappadocian wall paintings, this article aims to comparatively evaluate other curtain imitation compositions seen in Byzantine art. In addition to this, the use of curtains in civil and religious architecture (especially at the entrances of large structures) in the Byzantine Period and the theological importance of imitation curtain patterns in the Byzantine Period are also discussed. Curtains were found in all areas of the Empire, although few have survived. In addition to the positive influences of Old and New Testament texts, religious commentaries called tractates written by Gregorius of Nyssa, one of the Cappadocian Church Fathers, may have encouraged the use of curtain patterns in Christian religious structures. Based on this, the theological explanations of aniconic curtain patterns are also included in our article. The article also aims to prove that this pattern we encounter in Byzantine art is a continuation of Roman art traditions. It is possible to find curtain patterns in a lot of handiwork from the early Byzantine Period. Among the churches of the Byzantine Period in the Cappadocia region, which is our main subject, imitation curtain patterns are primarily seen in wall paintings dating to the 9th - 11th centuries. In this study, we have identified that the only exception to this situation is the example in the apse of Ihlara Bezirana Church (end of 13th century, beginning of 14th century). The pattern was implemented especially in the aniconic ornament of the naos or apse wall paintings of the churches in the region, and it is noteworthy that they were painted as the main motif in a row, forming the border of the figural scenes on the lower parts of the walls (in the areas below the human waist). This study explains the properties of the imitation curtain patterns found in the wall paintings of Cappadocia and compares them in terms of ornamental properties, pattern composition, size, colour scale, and theological roots and development in Byzantine art. In addition, the importance of the curtain pattern, its usage areas and its features in the Byzantine Empire have been explained with examples.

On the Issue of the Semantics of the Monumental Paintings of the Church of the Saviour at Berestove of 1643–1644

The purpose of the article is to analyse the literature and sources covering the issues of studying the ideological and artistic content of the monumental painting of the Church of the Saviour at Berestove of 1643–1644. The author's main focus is on revealing the semantics of the mural's subjects and interpreting the iconology of the monumental ensemble, which will allow us to determine the place of the monument in the context of the national spiritual and artistic culture of the first half of the seventeenth century. It is planned to characterise the ideological programme of the monumental painting of the Petro Mohyla era and to identify the main accents in the system of paintings. The research methodology is based on the application of a systematic approach, an analytical method, art history, historical-comparative, historical-genetic, historical-systemic, and descriptive methods for a comprehensive consideration of the given problem and formulate well-founded conclusions. The scientific novelty is characterised by the fact that for the first time, based on a critical analysis of literature and sources, the need for a reliable semantic analysis of the monumental painting of the Church of the Saviour at Berestove of 1643-1644 was identified. Based on a thorough study of the features of the church's painting system, the leading artistic and visual themes are identified and a variant of the interpretation of the iconology of the monumental ensemble of the time of Petro Mohyla is proposed. Conclusions. Summarising, we should note, that in the process of analysing the system of paintings of the Church of the Saviour at Berestove, its integrity and the conditionality of all elements were noted. The nature of the images made it possible to identify the key areas that carry the greatest semantic and dogmatic load. The author identifies the leading theological themes in the system of paintings – the Incarnation and the Eucharistic Sacrifice – and outlines a number of subjects that represent these themes. It is noted that the theme of the Incarnation in Byzantine art acquired special significance after the victory of icon worship. The monumental ensemble of the Church of the Saviour of 1643-1644 was presented as a reminiscence of Macedonian Renaissance art. It was noted that the programmatic archaism of the system of paintings and a specific set of subjects were related to the actual tasks of the spiritual life of the time of Petro Mohyla. Keywords: Church of the Saviour at Berestove, monumental painting, Macedonian Renaissance, post-Byzantine art, system of paintings, semantics, iconology, theological programme, ideological and artistic content, spiritual culture, archaism, Era of Petro Mohyla.

The Archaeology of Intermediation: Prolegomena on Mongol Elements in Later Byzantine Art and Material Culture

Abstract Later Byzantine (1261–1453) diplomacy was generally characterised by pragmatism, especially in the empire’s choice of allies that could foster its political stability and mitigate its financial burdens. Among its more distant allies were the different Mongol polities that stretched from Central Asia up to the Caucasus and Eastern Europe. Despite not being immediate neighbours, the relationship between Byzantium and the Mongols was marked by intermediation, both in terms of the actors that functioned across the two realms and of the service the one could provide to the interests of the other. Within this frame, the following article will attempt a preliminary assessment of the Mongol element in later Byzantine art and material culture, and its possible use as a secondary source on this complex relationship. It will argue that while the Mongol contribution to Byzantine art and material culture was visible especially during the fourteenth century, there are instances which reveal a certain ambivalence towards it.

Variations in the Byzantine Artistic Tradition in Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra Churches’ Painting in 1890s – 1910s

The purpose of the article is to study the embodiment of the Byzantine artistic tradition in the monumantal painting of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra in 1890s – 1910s. The research methodology is based on historical, cultural, and art historical analysis. Scientific novelty. The article reveals a weakening in the use of the Byzantine artistic heritage in the monumental painting of the churches in the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. The transformation from the systematic use of Byzantine ornaments and the symbolism of gold in the Great Church (the Dormition Cathedral) in the late 19th century to fragments of Byzantine compositions in Art Nouveau ornaments have been traced. The decorative golden background in the Church of Venerable Anthony and Theodosius of Pechersk with the Refectory Chamber (the Refectory Church) in the early 20th century has been explored. The use of the term "Neo-Byzantine style" for the painting of the Great Church is proved to be incorrect. The author made the following conclusions on the basis of archival information introduced into scientific circulation. Firstly, the algorithm of creating ornaments and a golden background as the basis of the Byzantine artistic tradition has been observed. Secondly, the authorship and dating of paintings of the Great Church have been clarified. Thirdly, it is determined that the rejection of the Byzantine tradition in favour of the Art Nouveau style in the Refectory Church took place in 1902, along with the change of artists. The significance of preparatory sketches and paintings of the Great Church for the creation of the compositions of the Refectory Church has been emphasised. Conclusions. The Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra did not have the opportunity to return to the Byzantine tradition in the technique of monumantal painting, namely to the technique of mosaics and frescoes. In the paintings of the Great Church (the Dormition Cathedral) and the Church of Venerable Anthony and Theodosius of Pechersk with the Refectory Chamber (the Refectory Church) the Byzantine tradition was realised mainly in decorative elements, namely in ornaments and the golden background of compositions. In both churches, the artists implemented thematic and narrative lines in the tradition of late academicism. Along with V. Vereshchagin, V. Fartusov was the author of the paintings in the Great Church. The paintings date from 1897 to 1901. The transition to the Art Nouveau style in the decor of the Refectory Church began in 1902. The ornaments of the Refectory contain elements of national (Ukrainian) motifs and fragments of Byzantine ornaments. The preparatory sketches and paintings of the Great Church served as the pictorial basis for the compositions of the Refectory Church and the Chamber. Key words: sacral culture, Orthodoxy, sacral monumental painting, Ukrainian painting, Byzantine art, academicism, Art Nouveau style, Kyiv‑Pechersk Lavra, Great Church, Dormition Cathedral, Church of Venerable Anthony and Theodosius of Pechersk with the Refectory Chamber, Refectory Church.

From Inter-Religious Dialogue to Intra-Religious Dialogue: An Original Perspective of André Scrima’s Thought

André Scrima was confronted from the very beginning with the multifaceted reality of the religious phenomenon. To help us understand this reality, his theological approach can be compared to that of the reverse perspective in Byzantine art: the further away an object is, the larger it becomes, and the closer it is, the smaller it becomes. From this perspective, the usual landmarks of knowledge are reversed, since it is the viewer who decides on the validity and truth of knowledge, and not the objective reality that would force adherence without any right to object. In theological terms, we could say that the ultimate significance of religious pluralism is not its outward manifestation nor the objectivity of its material data. In the final analysis, the person of faith brings their own experience into play as they decide on the truth of religions in general. The vanishing line no longer lies in the phenomenal exteriority of data but within each one. We will call this perspective intra-religious dialogue because, in addition to starting from the inner dimension of the experience of faith, it allows each of these experiences to reflect the “seeds of truth” that the Spirit scatters where it wills.

ART AND HISTORY OF BYZANTIUM IN THE WORK OF ARTIST-JEWELLER EDUARD NIKITIN

The article is devoted to the work of Moscow artist Eduard Nikitin in the context of Byzantine decorative and applied heritage. Eduard Nikitin was born in Chelyabinsk and was educated as a sculptor. He worked as the chief artist at a factory for the production of art products in Chelyabinsk; afterwards, he became an independent jewellery artist. In modern author’s jewellery, the artist-jeweller rethinks the history of Byzantium, creates jewellery in the Art Deco style, basing on the impressions of Byzantine art. The author has always been attracted by the combination of the East and the West, common features and differences that can be expressed in jewellery plastic art. Eduard Nikitin had lived for two years in Finland and worked for Archbishop Johannes. He created a landmark work, The Fall of Constantinople, which is a rethinking of the fall of a great empire. It is worth paying attention to the set of a brooch and earrings, Evening in Byzantium, where the golden parts represent Hagia Sophia and the central blue topaz - the Bosphorus, as a connection between Europe and Asia. The combination of artistic images of monuments presents the organic syncretism of the entire outlined Asiatic region art. This region’s art was born in the regularity of society’s life and its spiritual culture on the basis of reality. The article compares samples of Byzantine art from museum collections with the works of Eduard Nikitin; the author’s views on his own jewellery work are given. In striving for the possible accuracy in the attribution of a work of art, one should not be confined to the era of its creation. Its content and form are often rooted in the distant past. As a result of a long and complex development, a “layered” semantic and artistic structure of the work appears. The fullness of this or that plot is revealed only in the “long time”, during which it is enriched with new meanings. Owing to the author’s interview, there is a synthesis of an artist and a researcher, which is valuable for the analysis of contemporary works. The features of Byzantine art are considered in the context of influence on contemporary artists; the features of the technology for creating jewellery as well as to what extent they are borrowed in modern times and replaced by new technologies are analysed. The main purpose of the article is to show the diversity of Russian contemporary art using the example of one artist.

Gods, Goddesses, and Mortals for the 21st Century: The Reinstallation of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts Collection of Ancient Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Art

Gods, Goddesses, and Mortals for the 21st Century: The Reinstallation of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts Collection of Ancient Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Art

Sacred Shivering

Two tenth-century Byzantine ivories depict the freezing trial of the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste with an unprecedented physical immediacy. If, in late antiquity, the convention was to depict martyrs in states of disassociation from suffering, these ivories capture their passion as an anguished, psychosomatic experience. This essay proffers new evidence to account for this shift. It demonstrates that the martyrs’ shivering posed a dual meaning previously unrecognized by medievalists, namely that the condition could be, in addition to a literal reaction to the cold, also an expression of spiritual dread and divine alienation. In the fourth century, Basil of Caesarea first gave therapeutic value to the Forty Martyrs’ voluntary shivering as a means of attaining psychosomatic purification (katharsis) before divine judgment. This essay traces the sacralization of this condition from the fourth to the tenth century. It follows its role in the patristic conversion of ancient medicine to its cultivation in the ritual life of medieval Constantinople. The ivories attest to how objects came to recreate states of co-suffering by establishing orientations of empathic engagement. These ivories occasion a new account of Middle Byzantine art and affect, specifically the cathartic mediation of fear.

The earlier wall paintings of the south apse in the church of Hagios Panteleemon at Lakkomersina, Naxos. A neglected example of Early Byzantine art from the Aegean

The earlier wall paintings of the south apse in the church of Hagios Panteleemon at Lakkomersina, Naxos. A neglected example of Early Byzantine art from the Aegean

МАРИОЛОГИЧЕСКИЙ ЦИКЛ ПЬЕТРО КАВАЛЛИНИ В САНТА-МАРИЯ ИН ТРАСТЕВЕРЕ: К ВОПРОСУ ВИЗАНТИЙСКИХ И ЗАПАДНЫХ ВЛИЯНИЙ В РИМСКИХ ПАМЯТНИКАХ КОНЦА XIII В.

The Rome artistic profile formation at the end of the 13th century took place in the conditions of organic coexistence and intensive interpenetration of elements of ancient, early Christian, Romanesque, Gothic and Byzantine art. The powerful impetus for the figurative and conceptual city renewal was the lead of prominent Roman pontiffs, as well as bishops and cardinals who wished to write their name in history. The discussion about the role of the patron, which began in the circle of Aby Warburg at the beginning of the 20th century, half a century later led to the emergence of one of the most actual approaches to the study of the Proto-Renaissance art. Another important direction of scientific research of these monuments was the reflections about much broader culture processes, figuratively brought into opposition “East – West”. Within this approach, various elements of iconography, which originated in the “Eastern” or “Western” paradigm, are studied, and the factors that influenced master’s choice when referring to one or another artistic tradition are evaluated. The article examines the iconography of the mosaics of the Mariological cycle by Pietro Cavallini in Santa Maria in Trastevere in the focus of the mentioned aspects of the study

НЕСКОЛЬКО ЗАМЕЧАНИЙ О ХУДОЖЕСТВЕННОЙ ЖИЗНИ В ФЕССАЛОНИКЕ ВРЕМЕНИ ЛАТИНСКОГО ГОСПОДСТВА (1204-1224 ГГ.)

The article summarizes opinions and hypotheses put forward in the research literature regarding the activities of Thessalonian workshops in the time of the Latin kingdom of Thessaloniki (1204–1224). The material under consideration covers works of enamel art, eulogies associated with the veneration of the city’s patron, St. Demetrius, and icons and fragments of monumental paintings preserved in the city and its environs. These works of art, which are remarkable for their stylistic diversity and have not been assigned firm dates, hardly allow us to reconstruct the artistic life of this period in clear outlines. Nevertheless, they provide rich material for further discussion of the interactions of Thessalonian artists with artisans from other regions (both of the Byzantine world and of the West), as well as of their participation in the development of a new pictorial language in Byzantine art.

Umetnička razmena između Bolonje, Padove, Venecije i vizantijsko-balkanskog Istoka - fragmenti ciklusa Stradanja Hristovog u crkvi u Vedrani (Bolonja)

The church of the Santa Maria Annunziata in the village of Vedrana, near Bologna, is situated along the medieval road that connects Bologna with Ferrara, Padua, and Venice. Between 2008 and 2010, fragments of frescoes, dating from the second half of the 13th century, were uncovered in the church. In these frescoes, which originally adorned the upper parts of the central nave walls until the 18th-century reconstructions, decorative elements, busts of the apostles in the scene of the Last Supper, remnants of the figures of Christ and Judas, along with several soldiers in the Betrayal of Judas scene were identified. Early researchers noted that the frescoes exhibit a stronger influence from the Veneto region, particularly the Paduan culture, rather than the influences of the art of nearby Venice. However, these frescoes also display notable influences of Byzantine art from the region of the Balkan Peninsula, received directly or through Venice.

Liturgical furnishings of the City Basilica at Patara (Lykia): Templon arrangement and its suggested reconstruction

The City Basilica of Patara, which dates back to the second half of the 5th century AD, offers valuable evidence regarding the interior design of buildings of this type and the liturgical traffic-flow within them. Excavations conducted at the basilica have revealed diverse liturgical furnishings, including the templon, the altar, column bases associated with the ciborium, the sacred water well, the synthronon, and a section of the opus sectile flooring in the bema. This study focuses on the analysis, evaluation, and indication of potential connections among the remains of templon elements found at the City Basilica of Patara, encompassing templon stylobates, bases, slabs, columns, and column capitals. Its primary objectives are to examine the marble objects excavated in the basilica, particularly those attributed to the templon, with the intention of proposing a reconstruction of the basilica’s interior, as well as to describe these objects, especially their decorative motifs, and assess their resemblance to other examples of Byzantine art and architecture. The remains of the templon in the City Basilica at Patara are carefully examined and compared to similar specimens. The analysis considers the characteristics of the decoration, dimensions, style, and materials used in the high templon arrangement. Based on this evaluation, the templon is assigned to the second half of the 5th century AD, which corresponds to the dating of the first phase of the basilica.

Love is Blind! in Byzantium The Blind Cupid Figure in Byzantine Art Through The Middle Ages

Antik dönem sanatında çok sevilen Eros, yetişkin rollerini oynayan tombul oğlanlar veya kanatlı/kanatsız putti imgeler şeklinde, circus konulu tasvirlerde, dövüş, her türden av ve kovalamaca sahnelerinde, sarkofaj konteksinde cenaze sanatında, sıkıcı tarımsal faaliyetleri neşeli ve heyecan uyandıran aktivitelere dönüştüren yaramaz çocuklar olarak tasvir edilmişlerdir. Bu uygulamaların Bizans sanatında devam ettiği görülür. Kimi zaman bağ bozumu sahnelerinde, euchariste (ökariste) bağlamında ya da öteki dünya ile ilişkilendirilerek cennete giden yolda görev alarak kristolojik sembolizm dâhilinde kullanılmışlardır. Erken Hristiyanlık dönemi katakomp resimlerinden Ortaçağın sonuna kadarki çeşitli Bizans eserlerinde yer alan Cupid figürünün ikonografisi iki kavramı barındırır: Tanrı aşkı ve dünyevi aşk. Etimolojisi ile bir Hıristiyan adaptasyonu olarak karşımıza çıkar zira sevgi/aşk anlamına gelen eros kelimesinin -dini ya da profan kavramsal bir yer edinmesi küçük aşk tanrısını ikiye bölmemiş zaten geçmişte de aşkın her türlü yüzünü temsil etmesi ile kişilere yabancı bir figür değildir. Hıristiyan metinlere nüfuz eden Θείος Έρως (İlahi Eros) kavramını Tanrı ile insan arasındaki sevgiyi anlatmanın bir yöntemi olarak kullanır; öte yandan manastır pratikleri figüre simgesel yaklaşım göstermiş, zengin dini metin ve figüratif içeriği ile dini sanatta sıradışı uygulamalar ortaya koymuştur; seküler edebiyatta ise başlıca konusu aşk olan destan ve romanslar incelendiğinde ulaşılan belirgin özelliklere sahip bir eros tarifine rastlanmış, bu tarifin ortaya konan sanatsal üretimler ile örtüştüğü görülür. Bizans sanatının farklı dönemlerine tarihlenen metal, fildişi, mozaik, dokuma, elyazma resmi ya da fresko gibi farklı ürün gruplarına ait örneklere yansıyan tasvirler figürün kavramsal boyutlarını yansıtır. Ancak Aşk Tanrısı Cupid -ya da diğer isimleriyle Eros veya Amor- Helenistik ve Roma sanatında hiç kör temsil edilmemesine karşın, Bizans Sanatında sıra dışı bir körlük örneği gösterir. Bu araştırma yazısı, çok-tanrılı geçmişin hatırasını taşıyan bir figürün ağır başlı Bizans kültür ortamında, dinin tüm ağırlığına rağmen anlamını devam ettirmesi sürecinde üstlendiği kavramlar uyarınca ortaya konan sanatsal temsillerinin ikonografisi üzerine bir çalışmadır.