HISTORY OF BYZANTINE ART (ADVANCED COURSE)

The course of History of Byzantine Art is scheduled among the characterizing activities of the Master's Degree “History of Arts and Conservation of Artistic Heritage” (program: " Medieval and Byzantine”), and among the the similar and integrative training activities of the Master's Degree “Italian Philology and Literature” (program: Medieval/Renaissance"). This year's course aims to promote the knowledge of the Byzantine artistic heritage in the Veneto area.

- Knowledge and understanding: assimilation of the notions, reflections and concepts transmitted during the lessons;
- Ability to apply knowledge and understanding: to be able to bring back the works of art and the artistic phenomena treated in class in the socio-cultural and spatial-temporal areas of belonging;
- Ability to judge: to be able to grasp the most significant aspects of each work of art, whether they belong to the formal, iconographic, iconological, symbolic, socio-cultural, aesthetic fields;
- Communication skills: knowing how to describe works of art and artistic phenomena treated in class using the specific terminology of the discipline; be able to express clearly, and grammatically correct, notions, reflections and concepts acquired during the lessons;
- Learning skills: at the end of the course the student must be able to provide a reading at the same time analytical and critical of the works of art and artistic phenomena treated, integrating the knowledge acquired during the lessons to read the texts indicated.

No prerequisite is required.

The course aims to introduce the student to the knowledge of Byzantine art through the analysis of its testimonies present in the Venetian lagoon. The monumental works (architecture, sculpture, mosaics) and those belonging to the minor arts (jewelry, glass, ivories, ceramics, illuminated codes, textiles, etc.) will be taken into consideration. Particular attention will be paid to the different channels of origin of Greek-Oriental art in Venice: the imitation of models (iconographic, formal, technical-executive, aesthetic, symbolic, liturgical, cultual, political-propaganda) and the phenomena of direct importation (of materials, artifacts and "savoir faire"), which will take into account, as far as possible, the distinction between objects stolen by the Venetians during the Latin occupation of Constantinople (1204-1261) and specimens acquired through commercial exchanges, devotional circuits or donations. The monumental complex of San Marco, the Duomo of Murano, the basilicas of Torcello, the Byzantine manuscripts of the Biblioteca Marciana, and the many icons preserved in churches and museums of Venice, will allow students to familiarize themselves with the topics covered during the lessons through direct contact with the work of art. In addition to lectures, indeed, on-site visits are planned.

MANDATORY readings for exam:

° For an introduction to the St. Mark's Basilica and to the churches of Torcello and Murano:
- ZULIANI Fulvio, San Marco a Venezia, “Veneto romanico”, ed. F. Zuliani, Milano 2008, 35-65.
- TREVISAN Gianpaolo, Santa Maria Assunta e Santa Fosca, “Veneto romanico”, ed. F. Zuliani, Milano 2008, 67-89.
- PIAZZA Simone, Venezia "romanica": tradizione locale, apporti da Bisanzio e reinvenzione dell'antico, "Arte medievale in Italia", ed. S. Romano, II (Il "romanico". Secoli XI-XII), Roma 2025, 177-207.

° For the identification of subjects and inscriptions in the mosaic decoration of San Marco:
- VIO Ettore, DA VILLA URBANI Maria, Il repertorio iconografico e le iscrizioni, “San Marco, basilica patriarcale in Venezia. I mosaici, le iscrizioni, la Pala d’oro, Milano 1991 pp. 17-215.

° On Tesoro of San Marco and the Pala d’Oro:
- VOLBACH Fritz W., Opere antiche, tardo-antiche e protobizantine, in “Il tesoro di San Marco”, ed. H. R. Hahnloser, vol. 2 (“Il tesoro e il museo”), Firenze 1971, 1-11.
- GRABAR André, Opere bizantine, in “Il tesoro di San Marco”, a cura di H. R. Hahnloser, vol. 2 (“Il tesoro e il museo”), Firenze 1971, pp. 13-97.
- POLACCO Renato, La pala d’oro, in “San Marco: basilica patriarcale in Venezia. I mosaici, le iscrizioni, la pala d’oro”, a cura di M. Andaloro et alii, Milano 1991, 227-238.

° For the preparation for the exam, in addition to the texts listed above, the reading of ONE essay chosen from the following is required:
- ANDREESCU-TREADGOLD Irina, L’ingresso a San Marco nell’XI secolo: i primi mosaici del Portal Grande, “San Marco, la Basilica di Venezia: arte, storia, conservazione”, ed. E. Vio, Venezia 2019, I, 249-270.
- BARSANTI Claudia, PILUTTI NAMER Myriam, Da Costantinopoli a Venezia: nuove spoglie della chiesa di S. Polieucto; nota preliminare, “Néa Róme”, 6, 2009, 133-156.
- BEVILACQUA Livia, Le porte ageminate bizantine della basilica, in “San Marco, la Basilica di Venezia: arte, storia, conservazione”, ed. E. Vio, Venezia 2019, II, 105-116.
- LAZZARINI Lorenzo, I marmi dell’edicola nota come “capitello del Crocifisso”, “San Marco, la Basilica di Venezia: arte, storia, conservazione”, ed. E. Vio, Venezia 2019, I, 177-188.
- MINGUZZI Simonetta, Lastre scolpite in San Marco: riflessioni sui plutei delle gallerie, in “San Marco, la Basilica di Venezia: arte, storia, conservazione”, ed. E. Vio, Venezia 2019, II, 21-26.
- PIAZZA Simone, Mosaici d’oro nelle chiese di Venezia. Luci sull’ingente patrimonio perduto, "Convivium", VII, 1, 2020, 54-79.
- PIAZZA Simone, Un bue zebù a Venezia: la lastra con Natività in San Giovanni Elemosinario e le sue probabili origini paleologhe, in "Sulla scultura. Studi in onore di Clario Di Fabio", ed. G. Ameri et alii, Milano 2025, 273-281.
- RICHARDSON Joan, Elementi bizantini nell'architettura delle chiese di San Marco, di Santa Fosca di Torcello e del duomo di Jesolo, in “Storia dell’arte marciana”, ed. R. Polacco, Venezia 1997, I,176-183.
- SINDING-LARSEN Staale, A walk with Otto Demus: the mosaics of San Marco, Venice, and arthistorical analysis, in “Acta ad archaeologiam et artium historiam pertinentia”, 8, 1992, 145-205.
- TIGLER Guido, I pilastri "acritani": genesi dell’equivoco, in "Florilegium artium. Scritti in memoria di Renato Polacco", ed. G. Trovabene, Padova 2006, 161-172.

OPTIONAL Text:
° For an overview of the wall mosaics of the upper Adriatic between the 11th and 13th centuries:
- RIZZARDI Clementina, Mosaici altoadriatici: il rapporto artistico Venezia-Bisanzio-Ravenna in età medievale, Ravenna 1985.

For specific topics and works of art, other bibliographical references may be indicated during the lessons. Any cited texts that cannot be found will be provided in PDF format.

The oral test will focus on the contents of the lessons and compulsory texts (see above, "Reference texts") and will serve to measure the level of learning and critical processing of the notions, based on the following verification method:
- description and commentary of a work of art covered by the course based on a photographic reproduction chosen by the professor;
- a question about the compulsory exam texts;
- a question on the essay chosen by the student.

oral

- Grades 18-22:
Sufficient knowledge of the texts and topics covered in the exam;
Sufficient ability to highlight relevant aspects and formulate critical judgments;
Sufficient communication skills.
- Grades 23-26:
Fair knowledge of the texts and topics covered in the exam;
Fair ability to highlight relevant aspects and formulate critical judgments;
Fair communication skills.
- Grades 27-28:
Good knowledge of the texts and topics covered in the exam;
Good ability to highlight relevant aspects and formulate critical judgments;
Good communication skills.
Grades 29-30:
Excellent knowledge of the texts and topics covered in the exam;
Excellent ability to highlight relevant aspects and formulate critical judgments;
Excellent communication skills.
- Grade 30 cum laude:
Outstanding knowledge of the texts and topics covered in the exam;
Outstanding ability to highlight relevant aspects and formulate critical judgments;
Outstanding communication skills.

Classroom-taught with PowerPoint projection containing documentary and illustrative material, specially prepared by the teacher.
Use of the Moodle multimedia platform, for the provision of documentary and illustrative materials in pdf format.

If, for health reasons, distance lessons become mandatory, the course will be delivered via Zoom, always with the support of documentary and illustrative material in Power Point (access can take place both in real time and through video-audio recordings).

Frequency of the course, either face-to-face or remotely, is highly recommended.

Ca 'Foscari applies the Italian law (Law 17/1999; Law 170/2010) for support and accommodation services available to students with disabilities or with specific learning disabilities. If you have a motor, visual, hearing or other disability (Law 17/1999) or a specific learning disorder (Law 170/2010) and request support (assistance in the classroom, technological aids for carrying out exams or exams individualized, accessible format material, notes retrieval, specialized tutoring to support the study, interpreters or other) contact the Disability and SLD office disabling@unive.it.