Deck 8: Byzantine Art

Question 1

The nobility and suffering of the figures of the Crucifixion were meant to _____________.

A) provoke fear
B) move monks and visitors
C) express knowledge of Greek artistic tradition
D) all of the above

Answer 1

B

Question 2

During the Byzantine era, the celebration of the Mass took place behind a(n) _________, which separated the congregation from the sanctuary.

A) ciborium
B) screen
C) ambulatory
D) aisle

Answer 2

B

Question 3

What religious theme unites the mosaics at the Church of San Vitale ?

A) the martyrdom of St. Vitalis
B) the marriage sacrament of Justinian and Theodora
C) Christ's role as King of Heaven
D) the celebration of the Eucharist

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Which of the following is NOT a possible explanation for motivations for the Iconoclasm in the eighth century?

A) Iconoclasts viewed icons as a threat to the authority of Church clergy
B) Imperial concerns about the rising power of monasteries
C) Fear that the use of images in worship could lead to idolatry
D) Anxiety about the weakening state of the Byzantine Empire in the face of Arab invaders

Question 5

What allows the dome of Hagia Sophia to appear to float mysteriously?

A) A ring of windows at the dome's base
B) The use of gold mosaic to cover the surface of the dome and pendentives
C) The obscured support piers
D) All of the above

Question 6

Where would the congregation have focused their attention during religious services at Hagia Sophia?

A) the altar
B) the dome
C) the emperor
D) the apse

Question 7

Created during the Palaeologue Renaissance, mosaics decorating the narthex of the Church of Christ in Chora, Constantinople include ______________ that reflect the period's attitude towards the representation of religious narratives.

A) apocalyptic images
B) details from court life
C) scenes of tenderness and human interaction
D) aloof and detached facial expressions

Question 8

Where are many of the best examples of Christian churches of the Middle Byzantine era located?

A) Ravenna
B) Constantinople
C) Greece
D) None of the above

Question 9

The Archangel Michael is an example of carved ivory diptychs that served what function in Christian worship?

A) They were used to send messages to their friends.
B) They were portable objects of veneration, similar to painted icons.
C) They recorded the names of people who were to be remembered in prayers.
D) They were used as book covers for manuscripts.

Question 10

What pictorial element indicates an otherworldly space in Empress Theodora and her Attendants in the Church of St. Vitale ?

A) the emphasis on illusionistic space
B) three-dimensional modeling of the figures
C) the silhouetting of the figures against a gold background
D) the open doorway to the women's gallery

Question 11

The extensive use of marble, colored glass, and gold mosaics to decorate the interior of the Church of San Vitale had what effect on the structure?

A) It served to reinforce the underlying supports.
B) It made the structure appear to dissolve into shimmering light and color.
C) It called attention to the architectural complexity seen throughout the building.
D) It disguised structural irregularities that were originally visible inside the church.

Question 12

Prior to the iconoclasm of the eighth century, icons were accepted as __________________.

A) illustrations of key Biblical events
B) intermediaries between worshippers and the holy figures they depicted
C) didactic images that reinforced Christian moral values and beliefs
D) images to be worshipped in churches and private settings

Question 13

The Archangel Michael diptych is a portion of a __________-panel object.

A) two
B) three
C) four
D) five

Question 14

Near the end of the first century, the _____________replaced the scroll as the primary form of recording texts.

A) codex
B) manuscript
C) miniature
D) illumination

Question 15

The poet and philosopher Theodore Metochites is responsible for the elaborate program of decorative ________ that cover(s) every inch of the funerary chapel at the church of the Monastery of Christ in Chora.

A) mosaics
B) frescoes
C) tapestries
D) stone work

Question 16

The use of purple vellum in the production of the Vienna Genesis indicates it was probably made for______________.

A) a bishop
B) a woman
C) an imperial patron
D) ritual use

Question 17

Architects of the Cathedral of St. Mark in Venice relied on a Greek-cross plan, marking each square unit with a separate __________.

A) altar
B) apse
C) dome
D) chapel

Question 18

Which object includes a "Dëesis" as a plea to Christ for the owner's forgiveness and salvation?

A) Harbaville Triptych
B) Virgin of Vladmir
C) David the Psalmist,

Question 19

The Paris Psalter reflects ___________________in both its subject matter and artistic style.

A) the continuation of pagan artistic traditions in the Christian art of Constantinople
B) the Byzantine interest in representing an otherworldly space of the mystical
C) the preference for two-dimensional surface patterns in the Middle Byzantine period
D) the spread of Christianity among the masses through the production of manuscripts

Question 20

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of Byzantine churches from the Middle period?

A) emphasis on verticality
B) multiple geometric forms
C) rich use of mosaic decoration
D) plain exteriors

Question 21

The mosaic decoration of St. Catherine's at Mount Sinai is concentrated in the _______________.

A) niche
B) narthex
C) ambulatory
D) sanctuary

Question 22

During the Paleologue Renaissance the administrator of the imperial treasury, __________, was responsible for numerous important structures.

A) Heraclius
B) John Komnenos
C) Justinian
D) Theodore Metochites

Question 23

The Monastery Church of St. Pantaleimon at Nerezi was built under the patronage of _____________.

A) Basil I
B) Prince Vladimir
C) Alexios Komnenos
D) Romanos II

Question 24

A ______________ includes the complete text of Psalms and odes or canticles from the Bible.

A) Psalter
B) ciborium
C) icon
D) miniature

Question 25

During the Late Byzantine period, the territory of the Byzantine Empire decreased to _____________.

A) small areas of the Balkan and Greece
B) Constantinople and Russia
C) Greece and eastern Europe
D) Greece and Macedonia

Question 26

The Virgin and Child with Saints and Angels in the Monastery of St. Catherine in Egypt is a rare example of a sixth century ________.

A) manuscript
B) platter
C) ivory
D) icon

Question 27

After the Iconoclasm, Byzantine artists continued to create ___________.

A) images with secular subject
B) only symbolic images
C) devotional images in a variety of media
D) subjects that were not religious

Question 28

The manner in which the image of the Virgin and Child at Hagia Sophia floats on an expansive sweep of gold is reminiscent of _____________.

A) Pompeian wall painting
B) Roman dome mosaics
C) page in an illuminated manuscript
D) a monumental icon

Question 29

The Virgin of Vladimir is an example of a "Virgin of _________," where Mary and the Christ Child press their cheeks together and look at one another affectionately.

A) Sorrow
B) Compassion
C) Joy
D) Wisdom

Question 30

______________ originated in the third century when devout Christians retired to the desert.

A) Iconoclasm
B) Monasticism
C) Orthodoxy
D) Pilgrimage

Question 31

The giant mosaic depicting the Virgin and Child at ______________ announced the significance of images after iconoclasm ended.

A) St. Mark's
B) Hagia Sophia
C) Santa Sophia
D) Hasios Loukas

Question 32

Justinian sponsored the reconstruction of the monastery of _____________, which was a popular pilgrimage destination.

A) St. Catherine at Mount Sinai
B) Santa Sophia in Kiev
C) Hagios Georgios
D) St. Mark's in Venice

Question 33

Justinian provided the monastery at St. Catherine's at Mount Sinai with _____________ for protection.

A) vault
B) secret tunnel
C) fortifications
D) a chapel

Question 34

The inscription accompanying the image of the Virgin and Child in the Apse of Hagia Sophia credited emperors with _____________.

A) reviving the use of images
B) being great patrons of the arts
C) saving the city from its enemies
D) following religious decrees

Question 35

The Lamentation at Nerezi focuses on _____________

A) the Virgin's anguish
B) the activities of the onlookers
C) the background landscape
D) the moment of the Crucifixion

Question 36

A common image decorating the central dome of Russian Orthodox churches is Christ ___________, ruler of the universe.

A) emperor
B) as Good Shepherd
C) Pantokrator
D) Apollo

Question 37

The Transfiguration in the apse at St. Catherine emphasizes the notion of ___________ or the appearance of God.

A) theophany
B) parakklesion
C) anastasis
D) symbolism

Question 38

The term _____________ refers to an intensified interest in the styles and themes of classical art during the Middle Byzantine period.

A) Chora revival
B) Palaeologue Renaissance
C) Macedonian Renaissance
D) Venetian period

Question 39

The image of the Lamentation at Nerezi reflects the ______________ of Byzantine art under the Komnenians.

A) short squatty figures
B) painterly spontaneity
C) flat, two-dimensionality
D) aloof and emotionless quality

Question 40

The non-biblical episode of the ___________ portrayed at Nerezi seems to have been developed during the twelfth century.

A) Crucifixion
B) Anastasis
C) David Composing the Psalms
D) Lamentation

Question 41

____________ is related to the Harbaville Triptych in figure style and composition.

A) The Crucifixion
B) The Hospitality of Abraham
C) The Anastasis
D) Christ Crowning Emperor Romanos II and Empress Eudokia

Question 42

What stories do the mosaics of San Vitale in Ravenna tell?

Question 43

What made the third great age of Byzantine art possible?

Question 44

Discuss the development of Byzantine mosaics, using specific examples from churches of the period.

Question 45

Why was Constantinople easy to defend?

Question 46

How does the dome of Hagia Sophia differ from the dome of the Pantheon ?

Question 47

How is the main dome of Hagia Sophia supported?

Question 48

How do the mosaics in the Church of the Dormition at Daphni convey a mood and message?

Question 49

Discuss the iconographic motifs that developed during Byzantine periods for representing events from the Life of Christ.

Question 50

In the Icon of Saint Michael the Archangel from the Middle Byzantine period, the archangel is depicted as _______________.

A) a messenger
B) a confrontational military commander
C) a Roman deity
D) a female

Question 51

What are the "three golden ages" of Byzantine art and when did each occur?

Question 52

Christ Crowning Emperor Romanos II and Empress Eudokia is an emblem of the fusion of ____________ with religious faith.

A) legal codes
B) pagan motifs
C) imperial authority
D) pagan rituals

Question 53

Small portable luxury items created in the Middle Byzantine period combine exceptional beauty and technical skill with ____________.

A) altruistic flair
B) philosophical virtues
C) religious meaning
D) pagan motifs

Question 54

What were the purposes of Byzantine manuscripts?

Question 55

The ____________ on the back central panel of the Harbaville Triptych symbolically evoked paradise.

A) bust-length portraits of saints
B) vegetation inhabited by animals
C) archangel Michael
D) portraits of monks

Question 56

What was the first church to be dedicated to Theotokos?

Question 57

What was established by the Kievan mosaics ?

Question 58

What two forms have books taken?

Question 59

What inspired the doge of Venice to commission the Cathedral of Saint Mark ?

Question 60

What caused the iconoclasm of 726 CE and what was the result?