The Byzantine Art



The Harbaville Triptych
The Harbaville Triptych, late tenth century
The tenth and eleventh centuries have left us the greatest number of ivory objects, many decorated with small, elegant relief. In secular art, ivory caskets covered with minute carvings proved the most popular form. Byzantine ivory carvers of the time showed remarkable ease and skill in imitating classical models. The same technique occurred in small-scale reliefs of religious subjects. The Harbaville Triptych provides an exquisite example.

The triptych , probably intended as a portable altar or shrine, has two wings that folded shut for travelling, across the center panel. In the top center Christ sits enthroned and flanked by John the Baptist and the Virgin Mary, who plead for mercy on behalf of all humanity. Five of the apostles appear below. The two registers of the central panel are divided  by an ornament repeated border, and three heads in the top border. On either side of Christ's head appear medallions decpicting angels holding symbols of the sun and moon. The figure have hieratic formality and solemnity , yet the deciption exhibitis a certain softness that may results from a strong classical influence.

The figure stand on a plain, flat ground ,ornamented only be the lettering of their names baside the heads. The side wings contain portraits of four soldier saints and four bishop saints. Between the levels are bust-length portraits of other saints. All the saints wear the dress of various civillian dignitaries. The triptych thus the powers of Curch and State, within the hierarchical formula of Byzantine art : each personage has his or her own place in the divine hierarcy, with Christ at the top.

This work and other from the same period belong to a class of works known as "Romanus". Similarly fine workmanship and painting of the time; in fact, stylistic development in the ivories were closely associated with those painting.

Refferences :
WEBSITE :
1. https://www.google.com/search?q=the+harbaville+triptych&client=firefox-b&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi3-oLNyYvXAhXEPI8KHYUhCP4Q_AUICigB&biw=1024&bih=530

BOOKS
1.Sporre, Dennis J, 2005. The Creative Impulse An Introduction to the Arts. Seventh Edition. 2005.Florance : Pearson Prentice Hall.

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