Description
Book SynopsisThe Byzantines surrounded themselves with their saints, invisible but constant companions, who were made visible by dreams, visions, and art. This book aims to analyze the logic of the saint's image in Byzantium, both in portraits and in narrative scenes. It emphasizes on the poems inscribed by the Byzantines upon their icons.
Trade Review"Anyone who has more than a passing interest in icons will find Maguire's book extremely helpful. He provides a decoding of the iconographical tradition that helps us gain a more perceptive eye."--Lawrence S. Cunningham, Commonweal "Henry Maguire's study of saints' images in Byzantine art is a timely contribution to the study of Byzantine saints... The merits of Maguire's book, however, go even further... This study provides ample evidence that medieval artists were able to employ a varied register of different 'languages' and contradicts the still widespread notion that medieval artists were caught up in a particular 'style.'"--Barbara Zeitler, American Journal of Archaeology "A book that is written with striking lucidity, admirable command, and even daring."--Glenn Peers, Speculum "Eunice Maguire and Henry Maguire bring to their project a long and learned experience of Byzantium. From texts to textiles, no one in the field has a greater depth of familiarity with such a range of cultural artifacts. By putting the 'margins' of traditional art--architectural ornament, ceramics, 'minor' arts, and the like--at the center of their study, the authors reveal the imaginative and often subversive power of Byzantine artistic imagination."--Choice
Table of ContentsList of Figures vii Preface xvii Introduction 3 1. Likeness and Definition 5 2. Corporality and Immateriality 48 3. Naming and Individuality 100 4. Detail and Deficiency 146 Conclusion 195 Abbreviations 201 Notes 202 Chapter Bibliographies 210 Saints' Lives in Translation 214 Index 215
