Art and Text in Byzantine Culture

Art and Text in Byzantine Culture explores the relationship between images and words, and examines the different types of interactions between pictures and texts in Byzantine art. Byzantium is the only major world power to have experienced political upheaval on a vast scale as a result of an argument about art. Consequently, the dynamic between art and text in Byzantium is essential to understanding Byzantine art and culture. It allows us to explore the close linking of image and word in a society where the correct relationship between the two was critical to the well-being of the state. Composed of specially-commissioned essays written by an international team of scholars, this volume analyzes how the Byzantines wrote about art, how images and text work together in Byzantine art, and how the words written on Byzantine artworks contribute to their meaning.