The Gift of Emperor Michael, Papal Textiles with Chrysoclabas and Figurative Art in the Period of Iconoclasm

Abstract

The dispute over the place and function of images in the Eastern Orthodox Church (726-780 and 815-843), referred to as a controversy among scholars and as iconoclastic heresy among members of the Orthodox Church, constituted a turning point both in the political history of the Byzantine Empire and in the history of its art. It is therefore hardly surprising that this period has enjoyed a great popularity among scholars for nearly one hundred years. 1 However, a vast majority of the discussions associated with the artistic aspect of the discussed issue focus on the analysis of theological arguments used by both parties to the conflict, whereas the art created at that time is very often disregarded or mentioned perfunctorily. The reasons for this are complex and seem to stem as much from the scarcity of preserved artefacts as from the prejudices of the scholars, unwilling to associate the works of figurative art with Iconoclasm. 2