The Applied and Decorative Arts of Byzantium.
The Byzantine civilization takes a special place in the history of the world culture. Byzantium surpassed all the countries of medieval Europe in the development of erudition, material culture and spiritual life.
Applied art took a great part in the art culture of Byzantium. Richness of patterns, refined forms, luxury of materials were the main characteristics of the Byzantine decorative applied arts. Byzantine crafts inherited technologies of the Greek-Roman and Asian-Roman crafts. All technical novelties of the Roman crafts influenced on making utensils. The memory about late Roman forms was long kept in craft production, but owing to increased richness East taste was declaring all the rights more strongly. In comparison with other countries national traditions were of no importance. The art methods of the "barbarians" affected a number of jewelleries decorated with precious stones. Craft production imitated the ancient Roman patterns. Less valuable materials, such as marble, bronze, wood served for making utensils which were used by people of a small income.
It is possible to consider the VI-th century to be the time of resolute turning to Asian forms. It was the epoch of Justinian marked with unknown earlier church magnificence. The Christianity admission was an official religion and Byzantine governors’ pecuniary aid stimulated extensive building of churches. The boldness of architectural plan, richness of internal decoration, multi-coloured columns, marble polychromatic incrustations on the walls, valuable utensils and products of jewellery art - these were the characteristics of an absolutely new art style. Art traditions of Syria, Egypt and Asia Minor played the major role in the formation of the style. From the VII-th century luxury became the passion prevailing in the society. For its satisfaction the most expensive materials were required: gold, silver, ivory, jewels, pearls, expensive carpets and others. The striving for luxury was not confined to the decoration of churches. It was diffused both to imperial palaces and domestic furniture of noble people. Secular subjects were decorated with the images of antique myths plots. Among these things there were argentine dishes, ladles, amphoras made of ivory and пиксиды (caskets). Such subjects are sometimes conventionally named as «the Byzantine antiquity».
The Хth-XIth centuries were the time of the great development of various kinds of the applied art in Byzantium. The relations with Italian cities grew stronger, hence silk Byzantine fabrics got in great correspondence with the demands of the Italians. Besides the Byzantines delivered works of art and craft to the Italian cities. Among provincial towns of the Byzantine Empire the most significant was Thessalonica - the trading and craft, administrative, military-strategic and cultural center. Treating of metals, production of various kinds of weapon (arrow, darts, boards), fabrication of various textiles, mainly high-grade linen and wool, were developed in Thessalonica.
Thus learning of the decorative applied arts throws light upon some unknown sides of ideology and the way of life of the Byzantines.