Deck 8: Byzantine Art

Question 1

Before the iconoclasm of the eighth century, icons were accepted as

A) illustrations of key biblical events.
B) intermediaries between worshipers and holy figures.
C) didactic images that reinforced Christian moral values.
D) images to be worshiped in churches and private settings.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

The nobility and suffering of the figures of the Crucifixion (Fig. 8-22) were meant to

A) provoke fear in travelers and pilgrims.
B) move monks and visitors to meditation.
C) express knowledge of Greek artistic tradition.
D) emphasize the power of the royal patron.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

During the Byzantine era, to separate the congregation from the sanctuary, the celebration of the Mass took place behind a(n)

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

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Near the end of the first century, what replaced the scroll as the primary form of recording texts?

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

Question 5

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) chapel.
D) dome.

Question 6

The Archangel Michael (Fig. 8-12) is an example of carved ivory diptychs that served what function in Christian worship?

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

Question 7

The monastery church of St. Panteleimon at Nerezi was built under the patronage of

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

Question 8

Which 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 9

In both its subject matter and artistic style, the Paris Psalter (Fig. 8-27) reflects

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 10

Justinian provided the monastery at St. Catherine at Mount Sinai with

A) vaults.
B) minarets.
C) fortifications.
D) a chapel.

Question 11

Which medium, which the poet and philosopher Theodore Metochites was responsible for, 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) stonework

Question 12

What originated in the third century, when devout Christians retired to the desert?

A) iconoclasm
B) monasticism
C) orthodoxy
D) pilgrimage

Question 13

The use of purple vellum in the production of the Vienna Genesis (Fig. 8-13) indicates it was probably made for

A) a bishop.
B) a woman.
C) an imperial patron.
D) public display

Question 14

The inscription accompanying the image of the Virgin and Child in the Apse of Hagia Sophia (Fig. 8-16) 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 15

The extensive use of marble, colored glass, and gold mosaics to decorate the interior of the Church of San Vitale (Fig. 8-6) 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 16

Which description of the image of the Lamentation with Standing Monastic Saints Below (Fig. 8-23) at Nerezi reflects art under the Komnenians?

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

Question 17

Which notion was emphasized in The Transfiguration of Christ (Fig. 8-11) in the apse at St. Catherine?

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

Question 18

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

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

Question 19

What pictorial element indicates an otherworldly space in Empress Theodora and her Attendants in the Church of St. Vitale (Fig. 8-9)?

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 20

What religious theme unites the mosaics in the Church of San Vitale (Figs. 8-5, 8-6, 8-7, 8-8, and 8-9)?

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

Question 21

What was established by the Kievan mosaics (Fig. 8-20)?

Question 22

What inspired the doge of Venice to commission the Cathedral of Saint Mark (Fig. 8-24)?

Question 23

Describe the formal and stylistic elements of David Battling Goliath (Fig. 8-1). How does this exemplify the Byzantine aesthetic?

Question 24

Compare and contrast the representation of the Virgin Mary throughout the Byzantine era.

Question 25

What were the purposes of Byzantine manuscripts?

Question 26

The Lamentation with Standing Monastic Saints Below (Fig. 8-23) 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 27

What does the term "Byzantine" mean, and what is the significance of the location?

Question 28

Compare and contrast the image of Christ in Figure 8-11 and in Figure 8-32. What developments can be described from sixth century to the fourteenth century in Byzantine art?

Question 29

Which work of art is related to the Harbaville Triptych (Fig. 8-25) in figure style and composition?

A) Crucifixion and Iconoclasts
B) The Hospitality of Abraham
C) Christ Pantokrator with Scenes from the Life of Christ
D) Christ Crowning Emperor Romanos II and Empress Eudokia

Question 30

On the back of the central panel of the Harbaville Triptych (Fig. 8-25B), what symbolized paradise?

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

Question 31

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 32

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

Question 33

How is the main dome of Hagia Sophia (Fig. 8-4) supported?

Question 34

How does math play a role in Late Byzantine works, such as The Hospitality of Abraham (Fig. 8-36)?

Question 35

In the Icon of Saint Michael the Archangel (Fig. 8-29) from the Middle Byzantine period, the archangel is depicted as

A) a messenger.
B) a military commander.
C) a Roman deity.
D) a disciple.

Question 36

How does the dome of Hagia Sophia (Fig. 8-4) differ from the dome of the Pantheon (Figs. 6-48 and 6-49)?

Question 37

How do the mosaics in the monastery church of the Dormition at Daphni (Figs. 8-21 and 8-22) convey a mood and message?

Question 38

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

Question 39

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

Question 40

Discuss the floor plan of the monastery at Hosios Loukas. What role did it play in the life of the monks?