Donor Portraits in Byzantine Art: The Vicissitudes of Contact between Human and Divine

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Rico Franses (American University of Beirut)

Donor Portraits in Byzantine Art

The Vicissitudes of Contact between Human and Divine

Rico Franses (American University of Beirut)

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English

Cambridge University Press
23 March 2023

History of Art & Design Styles; History of art: Byzantine & Medieval art; European history; Early history: c 500 to c 1450&1500

This book explores the range of images in Byzantine art known as donor portraits. It concentrates on the distinctive, supplicatory contact shown between ordinary, mortal figures and their holy, supernatural interlocutors. The topic is approached from a range of perspectives, including art history, theology, structuralist and post-structuralist anthropological theory, and contemporary symbol and metaphor theory. Rico Franses argues that the term 'donor portraits' is inappropriate for the category of images to which it conventionally refers and proposes an alternative title for the category, contact portraits. He contends that the most important feature of the scenes consists in the active role that they play within the belief systems of the supplicants. They are best conceived of not simply as passive expressions of stable, pre-existing ideas and concepts, but as dynamic proponents in a fraught, constantly shifting landscape. The book is important for all scholars and students of Byzantine art and religion.

By: Rico Franses (American University of Beirut)
Imprint: Cambridge University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 244mm, Width: 170mm, Spine: 14mm
Weight: 457g
ISBN: 9781108407588
ISBN 10: 1108407587
Pages: 261
Publication Date: 23 March 2023
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Rico Franses is an Associate Professor in the Department of Fine Arts and Art History, American University of Beirut, and Director of the University Art Galleries and Collections.

Reviews for Donor Portraits in Byzantine Art: The Vicissitudes of Contact between Human and Divine

'This is a book that takes a broadly synchronic look across the Byzantine world, a view that different works of art in different media from different times and places nonetheless speak to the same broad Christian world-view, to similar structures … This is a perspective that makes us think and it makes us question, and that is what the best scholarship should do.' Liz James, The English Historical Review