The other Byzantium

The Venetian Republic had always maintained robust trade and cultural relations with the Easter Roman Empire. After the Fall of Constantinople in 1453, a number of merchants, scholars, scribes, artists, craftsmen, workers, and others left their home in the Eastern Mediterranean to find residence in Venice. These citizens were the most sizable minority in Venice, which at the time was at the peak of its splendour and was called ‘another Byzantium’. This Greek community included artists skilled in icon making. Notable Venetians soon acquired a taste for Greek-style icons to hang in their homes. The saintly depictions embodied the dwellers’ devotion and hope for protection. The upcoming exhibition at Palazzo Ducale, L’oro dipinto (lit. “the painted gold”), opening due April 30, will show this beautiful liaison between Venetian and Greek art between the late 1400s and the late 1600s. Around 60 pieces coming from local museums, the Hellenic Institute of Byzantine and post-Byzantine Studies, and private collections trace the history of artistic themes, tastes, and commissions.

Featured image: Emanuele Tzanes, Cristo Grande Sacerdote, 1665-1675 ca., Venezia, Museo Correr
Michele Damaskinos (e atelier), Adorazione dei Magi, 1575-1580 ca., Venezia, Museo Correr