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Introduction

There are a growing amount of Byzantine art and Byzantine related images on the Internet. Sites which specialise in such images are listed on the Links to Other Sites page. The intent here in the Gallery is to present available images under topical "exhibitions". This will take some time to do, and at the moment the page is very much "under construction". Beware that a few of the indicated connections may not work.

This version of Gallery contains text references to the art. The older image based version, which alled up inline "thumbnail" never worked satisfactorily, and has been removed.

Because image sites have an unfortunate habit of disappearing, I have made local copies of all linked images. If you cannot load an image, contact me at the address at the bottom of the page.

A Note On My Understanding of Copyright of Byzantine Art Works

In the US owners of a an ancient work of art (one created before 1922) do not have copyright over the work. Copyright does exist in any photographs of such works of art. With some of the items here, especially with "flat" photographs of icons, many of which were collected years ago, it is not possible to determine in many cases who the photographer  was. If your copyright has been infringed, contact me and I will remove an image. Some of the photographs here are by me (marked [PH]) and  these you are free to copy for non-commercial use.

LasBt updated: October 16, 1998

Exhibitions

• Exhibition 1: Byzantine Icons
• Exhibition 2: Byzantine Monasteries
• Exhibition 3: Constantinople, The Queen of Cities
• Exhibition 4: Mistra
• Exhibition 5: Ravenna
• Exhibition 6: Miscellaneous Images

Exhibition 1: Byzantine Icons

• The Theotokos
  • The Virgin of Vladmir perhaps the most famous of Byzantine icons.
• Apostles
  • St. Philip the Apostle
  • St. John the Theologian modern icon?
• Church Fathers
  •  
• The Major Legendary Saints
• Byzantine Era Saints
  • St. Gregory Palamas modern icon?

Additional Icon Pages

• Orthodox Christian Fellowship Icon Archive [At MIT]
  A collection of a variety of icons. I have linked to the individual icons before, but the site creators keep changing the URLs. At one stage this was the best the net had to offer, but now its limitations are apparent. No information on origin or provenance is given for most of these icons, and a number are quite modern. It is basically an exercise in piety rather than an art history site. Images available are of: Christ [modern], Christ [modern: artist given], Theotokos and Christ [modern: artist give], St. Philip the Apostle [unknown period: 14th Cent?], St. Stylianos [I.e Alypios the Stylite] [unknown period], Theotokos [unknown: Italian quattocento?], the deposition of Christ from the cross [unknown: Byzantine 14th Cent painting?],  St. Paraskevi [modern Romanian icon card], St. Mina [very modern], The Forty Martyrs of Sebaste [unknown: modern],   the inside of a Romanian Church [modern ornate]. The other advertized icons are missing.

Jump Back to INDEX

Exhibition 2: Byzantine Monasteries

Athos

Make sure to see the Mount Athos Website for pictures of each monastery, and of art treasures in each.

• Chrysobull of Alexios III Komnenos in Dionysiou [img 124]
• Dionysiou - general view [img 39]
• Philotheou - Katholikon [img 56]
• Simonas Petras, west view [img 57]
• Simonas Petras, south east view [img 76]
• Grand Lavra - Katholicon[img 76
• Vatopedi - Refectory [img 77]
• Icon of Christ Pantokrator, treasury of Chilander, 13th cent. [img 93] and
• smaller version
• Icon of St. John the Evangelist from Dionysiou, 11th cent. [img 102]
• Prayer of Jesus in Gethsemene from Dionysiou, 11th century, [img 107]
• Ivory of the Crucifixion from Dionysiou, date? [img 114]

Art from the Toplou Monastery in Crete

• Icon: Christ Pantokrator end of 15th cent.
• Icon: Virgin Amolyntos, or the Immaculate Virgin, 16th cent.
• Icon: Virgin and St. Nicholas, portable icon. date?
• John Kornaros: "Great You Are my Lord", 1770
• Detail: The Holy Trinity and Angels
• Detail: The Virgin, Adam and Eve

For Meteora see also the Meteora Monasteries Website [At Internet Archive]

Deccani Monastery

These are images from the Monastery of Deccani site near the town of Pech. Its frescoes were painted between 1335 and 1350.

The Church of holy Salvation was founded by King Stefan Urosh III (Dechanski). It was constructed between 1327 and 1335 by the master builder Fra Vita of Kotor. It succeeds in incorporating the multi-naved Western style into the single-naved Byzantine basilica, with a dome, and marble decorations of extraordinary beauty.
Note these images come in GIF format and TIFF format. TIFF format will not display on most web browsers - you may download either, but only the GIF will display. With the TIFF, which carries more information, you must view in another image viewer.

• The Entrance GIF or TIFF format
• Portal GIF or TIFF format
• Portal - (top) GIF or TIFF format

  Deccani's frescoes were painted between 1335 and 1350, during the reign of Tsar Dushan, and include more than a thousand compositions. The most noteworthy frescoes of Deccani of which there are illustrations are:

• Decanska Bogorodica [The Virgin] GIF or TIFF format icon from 14th cent.
• Decanska Bogorodica [The Virgin] GIF or TIFF Format icon from 14th cent.
• Bogorodica Decanska [The Virgin] GIF or TIFF format, gornji deo ikone is 1350. godine, sa ikonostasa crkve manastira Decani.
• Fragment GIF or TIFF format

Jump Back to INDEX

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Exhibition 3: Constantinople, The Queen of Cities

Sites

• Map: Medieval Constantinople
• General view of the Hippodrome with Hagia Sophia in background
• Panorama of modern Istanbul [PH]
• The Theodosian walls [PH]
• The Theodosian walls - another view [PH]
• Interior of Hagia Irene [img 65]

Hagia Sophia - 6th Cent.

• External view of Hagia Sophia
• Hagia Sophia - without the minarets
• Close-up view of the dome
• Interior view
• Cross Section of Hagia Sophia [img 66]
• Mosaic of Zoe and Constantine IX Monomachos
• Mosaic of Zoe and Constantine IX Monomachus - another image

The Church St. Saviour in Chora - 14th Cent.

• External View of St. Saviour in Chora 14th cent. - from postcard
• External view of entrance photo - [PH]
• Dome Mosaic - Christ central
• Dome Mosaic - close up of Christ
• Dome Mosaic - Virgin Mary central
• Mosaic: Christ Pantokrator
• Mosiac: Christ Pantokrator - close up
• Painting: Virgin Mary Praying
• Painting: the Virgin implore Christ
• Mosaic: Virgin and Child

Jump Back to INDEX

Exhibition 4: Mistra - A late Byzantine town in the southern Peloponnesus

Mistra

• Church of St. Theodore at Mistra 11th cent. [img 91]

Jump Back to INDEX

Exhibition 5: Ravenna

• Tomb of Theodoric 1st 1/2 6th cent. [img 35]
• San Vitale, exterior [img 35]
• The Empress Theodora from mosaic in San Vitale, 1st 1/2 6th cent. [img 41]
• San Apollinare in Classe - exterior 535-49 [img37]
• Tomb of Gallia Placidia 1st 1/2 5th cent. [img 38]

Jump Back to INDEX

Exhibition 6: Miscellaneous Images

Maps

• The Theme System in the 8-9th centuries
• The Byzantine Empire under Basil II
• The Byzantine Empire under the Komnenoi
• The Period of Latin Domination

Byzantine Historical Figures

• Constantine 1
• Justinian I
• The Empress Theodora from mosaic in San Vitale, 1st 1/2 5th cent. [img 41]
• Mosaic of Zoe and Constantine IX Monomachos
• Mosaic of Zoe and Constantine IX Monomachus - another image

Byzantine Views

• The Towers of Trebizond [PH]
• Van Kale Castle at Lake Van, [PH]
• Armenian Town of Ani - walls
• Armenian Town of Ani Ruins of a church.
• Ishaq Pasha Saray 19th cent, but a spectacular site near Mt. Ararat in any case. 1
• Ishaq Pasah Saray 2 [PH]
• Ishaq Pasha Saray 3 [PH]

Byzantine Crafts

• Byzantine Clerical Dress from the The New Jerusalem Mosaic exhibition.
• Byzantine Silk 8th century, from the Musee du Cluny in Paris

Jump Back to INDEX

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OTHER BYZANTINE ART SITES

• World Art Treasures this is a major resource, based on a 100,000 image archive. It organizes a series of web exhibitions. Of special interest to Byzantinists is its
  
• Roman Portraits from Egypt Exhibition. This is a stunning collation of Roman-Egyptian portraiture linked to images from museums all over the world.
• Roman and Byzantine Sites in Israel Part of a much larger illustrated guide to historic sites in Israel, called The New Jerusalem Mosaic
• Art Serve Art history related images from Australian National University. This is a vast resource - over 4000 images on Western Art alone, plus much more.
• Portable icons in the Historical Museum of Crete minor site.
• Paul Boyce: Modern Icon painter "a Greek Orthodox Christian, I have recently turned my attention to painting authentic Byzantine Orthodox icons. I am currently exhibiting my most recent work at Christian Sanctuary Gallery."

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The author and maintainer of this site is Paul Halsall [a picture!]. He can be contacted by email at halsall@fordham.edu

Please do not hesitate to mail comments or suggestions.