Nectar and Illusion: Nature in Byzantine Art and Literature (Onassis Series in Hellenic Culture)

Nature and Illusion is the first extended treatment of the portrayal of nature in Byzantine art and literature. In this richly illustrated study, Henry Maguire shows how the Byzantines embraced terrestrial creation in the decoration of their churches during the fifth to seventh centuries but then adopted a much more cautious attitude toward the depiction of animals and plants in the middle ages, after the iconoclastic dispute of the eighth and ninth centuries. In the medieval period, the art of Byzantine churches became more anthropocentric and less accepting of natural images. The danger that the latter might be put to idolatrous use created a constant state of tension between worldliness, represented by nature, and otherworldliness, represented by the portrait icons of the saints. The book discusses the role of iconoclasm in affecting this fundamental change in Byzantine art, as both sides in the controversy accused the other of "worshipping the creature rather than the Creator." An important theme is the asymmetrical relationship between Byzantine art and literature with respect to the portrayal of nature. A series of vivid texts described seasons, landscapes, gardens, and animals, but these were more sparingly illustrated in medieval art. Maguire concludes by discussing the abstraction of nature in the form of marble floors and revetments and with a consideration of the role of architectural backgrounds in medieval Byzantine art. Throughout Nature and Illusion , medieval Byzantine art is compared with that of Western Europe, where different conceptions of religious imagery allowed a closer engagement with nature. This book presents a study of the portrayal of nature in Byzantine art and literature. It shows how the Byzantines embraced terrestrial creation in the decoration of their churches during the fifth to seventh centuries, but then adopted a more cautious attitude toward the depiction of animals and plants in the middle ages, after the iconoclastic dispute of the eighth and ninth centuries. The book discusses the role of iconoclasm in affecting this fundamental change in Byzantine art. An important theme is the asymmetrical relationship between Byzantine art and literature with respect to the portrayal of nature. A series of vivid ekphraseis described seasons, landscapes, gardens (including those of paradise), animals and plants, but these were more sparingly illustrated in medieval art. Likewise, in Byzantine church literature a rich variety of nature-derived metaphors evoked the Virgin Mary, but these images were less frequently incorporated into art, and often in ways that would express the subordination of the terrestrial to the spiritual. The book concludes with a discussion of the abstraction of nature in the form of marble floors and revetments, where the variegated colors of the marbles contrasted with the golden pallor of the sacred icons, and with a consideration of the role of architectural backgrounds in medieval Byzantine art, which acted as a substitute symbolic language unassociated with the veneration of creation. Throughout the book, medieval Byzantine art is compared with that of Western Europe, where different conceptions of religious imagery allowed a closer engagement with nature "'Nectar and Illusion' is the first extended study of the portrayal of nature in Byzantine art and literature, illustrating how the Byzantines embraced terrestrial creation in the decoration of their churches during the fifth to seven centuries but later adopted a more cautious attitude after the iconoclastic dispute of the eighth and ninth centuries. The danger that images of plants and animals might be revered created a constant state of tension between the material, represented by nature, and the spiritual, represented by the icons of the saints. Henry Maguire discusses the role of iconoclasm in affecting this fundamental change in Byzantine art, as both sides in the controversy accused the other of 'worshipping the creature rather than the Creator' and further delves into the asymmetrical relationship between Byzantine art and literature with respect to the portrayal of nature ... Supported by a wealth of visual and textual evidence, 'Nectar and Illusion' provides an exceptional glimpse into Byzantine perspectives on the physical and the sacred."--Front inside flap of dust jacket Cover Contents List of Illustrations Preface Introduction 1. Nature and Idolatry 2. Nature and Rhetoric 3. Nature and Metaphor 4. Nature and Abstraction 5. Nature and Architecture Conclusion Bibliography Index A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Z Nature and Illusion is the first extended study of the portrayal of nature in Byzantine art and literature. It provides a new view of Byzantine art in relation to the medieval art of Western Europe.