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Medal of John VIII Palaiologos
Antonio di Puccio (Pisano), called Pisanello
(ca. 1394–1455)
Ferrara, ca. 1438–39
Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Cabinet des Médailles,
Paris
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Although
Constantinople remained important until its fall in 1453, it
became increasingly necessary for the Byzantine emperor to maintain
good relations with the West. During the Palaiologan period,
three emperors made trips to Europe, a gesture unthinkable throughout
much of the Byzantine Empire’s history. In 1396, John
V traveled to Rome to commemorate his conversion to Catholicism.
Manuel II went to Italy, Paris, and London between 1399 and
1402 in search of allies against the Turks. The Council of Ferrara-Florence
in 1438–1439 drew John VIII, who hoped that a Union of
Churches might lead to help defending Constantinople against
the Ottomans. The importance of the West was also seen in less
overt ways. In Constantinople fashionable aristocrats wore garments
made of imported, Italian textiles, and images of saints in
aristocratic contexts were given similar dress.
In the later Middle Ages, Byzantine art and artists were incorporated
into the visual culture of Europe, particularly Italy, through
commercial and political interaction and the West’s presence
in the East as a result of the crusades. The movement of relics
and other objects throughout Italy and the Levant helped to
create a shared visual language.
Themes in Late Byzantine Art
1. Introduction | 2. Peoples
of the Byzantine Sphere | 3. Visual
Expressions of the Faith | 4. The Byzantine
Sphere and the Islamic World | 5. The Byzantine Sphere and
the West
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