Art and Identity in Thirteenth-Century Byzantium: Hagia Sophia and the Empire of Trebizond

246 Pages·2004·20.03 MB·English

by  Antony Eastmond

ANTONY EASTMON D
ART AND IDENTITY ASHGATE
IN THIRTEENTH-CENTURY BYZANTIUM
HAGIA SOPHIA AND THE EMPIRE OF TREBIZOND
BIRMINGHAM BYZANTINE U TTOMAN MONOGRAP'HS_terial
Birmingham Byzantine and
Ottoman Monographs
About the series
Birmingham Byzantine and Ottoman Monographs is devoted to the history,
culture and archaeology of the Byzantine and Ottoman worlds of the East
Mediterranean region from the fifth to the twentieth century. It provides a
forum for the publication of research completed by scholars from the Centre
for Byzantine, Ottoman and Modern Greek Studies at the University of
Birmingham, and those with similar research interests.
About the book
The church of Hagia Sophia in Trebizond, built by the emperor Manuel I
Grand Komnenos (1238-63) in the aftermath of the Fall of Constantinople to
the Fourth Crusade, is the finest surviving Byzantine imperial monument of
its period. Art and Identity in Thirteenth-Century Byzantium, with extensive
illustrations in colour and black-and-white, provides a new analysis of the
architecture, sculptural decoration and extensive wall paintings in the church.
Antony Eastmond situates the church in the context of political and cultural
developments across the Byzantine world in this turbulent period, and
examines questions of cultural interchange on the borders of the Christian
and Muslim worlds of eastern Anatolia, the Caucasus and Persia. He argues
that a new visualisation of Byzantine imperial ideology emerged in
Trebizond, determined as much by craftsmen and expectations of imperial
power as by imperial decree; and that this was a credible alternative
Byzantine identity to that developed in the empire of Nicaea.
About the author
Antony Eastmond is Reader in the History of Byzantine Art at the Courtauld
Institute of Art, University of London, UK
I dedicate to this book to Marion with love
(and to the baggage handlers at Trabzon Airport, without whom ...)
ART AND IDENTITY IN
THIRTEENTH-CENTURY BYZANTIUM
Birmingham Byzantine and
Ottoman Monographs
Volume 10
General Editors
Anthony Bryer
John Haldon
Centre for Byzantine, Ottoman and Modem Greek Studies
University of Birmingham
Art and Identity in
Thirteenth-Century Byzantium
Hagia Sophia and the
Empire of Trebizond
Antony Eastmond
AS HGATE
VARIORUM
© Antony Eastmond 2004
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the publisher.
Antony Eastmond has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents
Act, 1988, to be identified as the author of this work.
Published by
Ashgate Publishing Limited Ashgate Publishing Company
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Croft Road 101 Cherry Street
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Ashgate website: http://www.ashghate.com
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
Eastmond, Antony, 1966-
Art and identity in thirteenth-century Byzantium : Hagia Sophia and the
empire of Trebizond. - (Birmingham Byzantine and Ottoman monographs)
1. Hagia Sophia (Church : Trabzon, Turkey) 2. Art and state - Byzantine Empire
3. Art, Byzantine - Turkey 4. Church architecture - Turkey - Trabzon
5. Architecture, Byzantine - Turkey 6. Identity (Psychology) in art
7. Trabzon (Turkey) - History 8. Byzantine Empire - History - 1081-1453
9. Byzantine Empire - Civilization - 1081-1453
1. Title
949.5'04
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Eastmond, Antony, 1966-
Art and identity in thirteenth-century Byzantium : Hagia Sophia and the
empire of Trebizond / Antony Eastmond.
p. c. - (Birmingham Byzantine and Ottoman monographs ; 10)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Ayasofya Miizesi (Museum Trabzon, Turkey) 2. Architecture,
Byzantine-Turkey-Trabzon. 3. Christian art and symbolism-Turkey-Trabzon-
Medieval, 500-1500. 4. Art and state-Turkey-Trabzon. 5. Trebizond Empire-
History. I. Title. II. Birmingham Byzantine and Ottoman monographs.
; V. 10.
NA5871.T7E37 2003
726.5'09565-dc22
2003063539
ISBN 0-7546-3575-9 (alk. paper)
This book is printed on acid-free paper.
Printed and bound in Great Britain by Biddies Ltd, King's Lynn, Norfolk
Contents
List of Abbreviations ix
List of Illustrations xi
Acknowledgements xvii
Preface xix
Introduction: The Byzantine empires in the thirteenth century 1
1. Hagia Sophia and its contexts 13
2. Hagia Sophia: architecture and the construction of identity 27
3. Trebizond as imperial capital: ceremonial and processions 47
4. Adam, exile and 'Byzantine' sculpture 61
5. Ornamental sculpture and cultural orientation: Hagia Sophia,
the Seljuqs and the Caucasus 77
6. Wall paintings and politics: rebuilding empire? 97
7. Hagia Sophia: art, the liturgy and modernity 117
8. Manuel I Grand Komnenos: the embodiment of empire 139
Conclusion 153
Appendix of rulers 157
Notes 159
Select Bibliography 185
Index 201

List of Abbreviations
Akropolites Georgii Acropolitae Opera, ed. A. Heisenberg, corrections
by P. Wirth (Stuttgart, 1978); trans. W. Blum, Georgios
Akropolites, Die Chronik, Bibliothek der griechischen
Literatur: 28 (Stuttgart, 1989)
AnatStud Anatolian Studies
AP Arkheion Pontou
ArtB Art Bulletin
BBTT Belfast Byzantine Texts and Translations
BK Bedi Kartlisa
BMGS Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies
Bryer, Winfield, A.A.M. Bryer, D. Winfield, The Byzantine Monuments and
Pontos Topography of the Pontos, Dumbarton Oaks Studies: 20
(Washington DC, 1985)
BSCA Byzantine Studies Conference. Abstracts
BSOAS Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies
Byz Byzantion
ByzBulg Byzantinobulgarica
ByzF Byzantinische Forschungen
ByzSlav Byzantinoslavica
BZ Byzantinische Zeitschrift
CahArch Cahiers Archeologiques
CFHB Corpus fontium historiae byzantinae
Choniates Niketas Choniates, Historia, ed. J.L. van Dieten, CFHB: 11
(Berlin, 1975); trans. H. Magoulias, 0 City of Byzantium,
the Annals of Niketas Choniates (Detroit, 1984)
Chrysanthos Metropolitan Chrysanthos of Trebizond, 'He Ekklesia tes
Trapezountos', AP 4-5 (1935), 1-904
CSHB Corpus scriptorum historiae byzantinae
DDAA Documenti di Architettura Armena (Milan, 1970-)
DOP Dumbarton Oaks Papers
E12 Encyclopedia of Islam, 2nd ed. (Leiden, 1973-)
Fallmerayer, OF J.P. Fallmerayer, Original-Fragmente, Chroniken, Inschriften
and anderes Materiale zur Geschichte des Kaiserthums
Trapezunt, Abhandlungen der historischen Classe der