72170 - History and Criticism of Byzantine Art

Course contents

The course will be structured into a foundational core section—which, due to time constraints, will focus particularly on the textbooks—and a series of in-depth thematic lectures.

The foundational section will examine the diachronic evolution of Byzantine art, spanning from the Late Antique context of the founding of Constantinople (330) to the fall of the city to the Ottoman Turks (1453). Beginning with a reflection on the status of the artwork and the image in Byzantium, monuments and artistic expressions will be treated as historical sources, vehicles of meaning, and cultural indicators, each operating within its own specific codes of communication and expression. The course will explore how artistic expressions across various media—moving beyond the now obsolete distinction between sculpture, painting, and the so-called minor arts—reflect the historical evolution of thought and taste throughout the long history of the Eastern Roman Empire. This analysis will cover not only Constantinople but also regions outside the capital, including areas where art of a strictly Eastern Roman matrix landed and developed.

The thematic section will then be dedicated to artistic production in ivory, from consular diptychs to Middle Byzantine caskets and icons. Particular reflection will be given to the material itself in relation to sculpture on other mediums, its use within the evolution of the arts in Byzantium, and its ideological function.

Readings/Bibliography

All students are required to study one of the following texts:

• N. Asutay Effenberger, A. Effenberger, Bisanzio. L'impero dell'arte, Torino, Einaudi 2019;

• E. C. Schwartz (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Byzantine Art and Architecture, Oxford, Oxford University Press 2021;

• E. Freeman, A. MacLanan (eds.), Guide to Byzantine Art, Open Textbook Library, 2021 (available in Open Access);

In addition, for the thematic section, all students are required to study:

• F. Morandini, M.V. Montorfani (eds.), Il Dittico di Boezio dall’Antichità al Museo di Santa Giulia, Milano, Skira, 2025.

For the thematic section, specific reference will be made to the following texts:

• R. Campini, "Art from the Borders? Wolfgang Fritz Volbach and the Localization of a Group of Early Christian Ivory Pyxides in the Caucasus," in Re-Thinking Late Antique Armenia. Historiography, Material Culture, and Heritage, ed. by A. Palladino, R. Campini, A. Moraschi, I. Foletti, Convivium. Supplementum 1, 2023, pp. 152–167.

• M.C. Carile, "Ivory Production: Commerce, Culture and Power," in Ravenna and the Traditions of Late Antique and Early Byzantine Craftsmanship: Culture, Labour, and Economy, Berlin - Boston, De Gruyter, 2020, pp. 115–152;

• C.L. Connor, The Color of Ivory: Polychromy on Byzantine Ivories, Princeton, 1998.

• A. Cutler, "The Matter of Ivory and the Movement of Ideas: thoughts on some Christian Diptychs of Late Antiquity," in Objects in Motion: the Circulation of Religion and Sacred Objects in the Late Antique and Byzantine World, ed. by H.G. Meredith, Oxford 2011, pp. 57–71.

• A. Cutler, P. Niewöhner, "Towards a History of Byzantine Ivory Carving from the Late 6th to the Late 9th Century," in Mélanges Catherine Jolivet-Lévy, dir. S. Brodbeck, A. Nicolaïdès, P. Pagès, B. Pitarakis, I. Rapti, É. Yota, Travaux et mémoires 20/2, Paris 2016, pp. 89–108.

• J. De Grossi Mazzorin, Artigiani dell’osso, avorio e palco. Ornamenti, utensili e giochi dalla preistoria al medioevo, Lecce 2011.

• A. Eastmond, "Consular diptychs, rhetoric and the languages of art in sixth-century Constantinople," Art History, XXXIII, 5, 2010, pp. 742–765, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8365.2010.00780.x .

• M. Flamine, "Gli avori del «gruppo di Romano». Aspetti e problemi," Acme, LXIII, 2, 2010, pp. 121–152.

• S. Moretti (ed.), Di ritorno da Bisanzio. Da Venezia a Ravenna, dalle collezioni ai musei, Milano 2025.

Further bibliographical references, useful for the preparation of the thematic section, will be provided during lectures.

Students who do not attend lectures are required to study all of the following essays as well:

• E. Kitzinger, Alle origini dell'arte bizantina: correnti stilistiche nel mondo mediterraneo dal III al VII secolo, Italian edition edited by M. Andaloro and P. Cesaretti, Milano, Jaca Book, 2018.

• B. V. Pentcheva, Icone e potere: la madre di Dio a Bisanzio, Milano, Jaca Book, 2010.

Teaching methods

Generally, lectures will take place in class with the aid of visual materials. Occasionally lectures may take place in situ, with a direct discussion of certain works of art and in collaboration with other colleagues.

Assessment methods

The examination aims to verify the achievement of the following learning objectives:

• In-depth knowledge of the topics and critical tools illustrated during the lectures or acquired from the syllabus texts;

• The ability to employ these tools to analyze and discuss the images presented to the candidate by the examiner;

• An understanding of one's own position in relation to the historiography under review, recognizing one's own cultural background as an inevitable conditioning factor.

The examination consists of an oral test and uses a 30-point grading scale. The examiner will present images taken from the syllabus texts or from class lectures. Candidates are expected to identify them, place them within their chronological, geographical, and historical context, and discuss their relationships with other works. For this reason, it is mandatory to bring the physical copies of the texts to the exam.

In accordance with the University guidelines, please note that:

• Excellent (28–30): Demonstration of an organic vision of the themes addressed in class or in the exam texts, combined with their critical application, as well as command of expression and specific terminology.

• Good/Fair (23–27): A mostly mechanical and/or mnemonic knowledge of the subject matter, limited synthesis and analysis skills, and/or correct but not always appropriate language.

• Pass (18–22): Gaps in knowledge and/or inappropriate language, even if within a context of minimal knowledge of the exam material.

• Fail (<18): Significant gaps in knowledge, inappropriate language, and a lack of orientation within the bibliographical materials provided during the course will result in a negative evaluation.

The use of AI is permitted only if explicitly declared and limited to a supporting role; it cannot replace the student's original contribution.

• Permitted uses: Summarizing, paraphrasing, brainstorming, linguistic clarification, and syntactic suggestions.

• Prohibited uses: Generating original analyses, interpretations, or extended portions of the assessment materials.

The correct and declared use of AI does not, in itself, constitute a merit factor for a higher grade, but is evaluated in relation to the quality of the student's personal contribution.

Teaching tools

Exam materials and further readings can be found online on UNIBO https://virtuale.unibo.it.

Reading lists and publications are available on Virtuale [https://virtuale.unibo.it/] . They can serve as preparatory materials for the course and can be useful to fill any gaps for those who have never had an approach to the Byzantine Art.

Students who are affected by learning disability (DSA) and in need of special tools to compensate it, are kindly requested to contact the Teacher, in order to be referred to the colleagues in charge and get proper advice and instructions.

Office hours

See the website of Maria Cristina Carile