Byzantium: Studies in World Art, Book 17 (Unabridged‪)‬

Byzantine art has a slightly odd reputation. It is regarded, on the one hand, as something remote, hieratic, and difficult. On the other hand, the word Byzantium has a very romantic ring - it lives in our minds as the name of a citadel of civilization, a place that preserved for posterity both intellectual and material treasures that would otherwise have vanished forever.

The remarkable exhibition now at the Royal Academy in London touches on both of these aspects. It is extremely rich in objects made from precious materials, such as gold or ivory, and it is equally rich in things that are usually inaccessible to all but the most intrepid and persistent travelers. As the catalog introduction points out, Byzantine art responded to the ebb and flow of often-conflicting historical forces.