Painted Copy of Deesis Mosaic, early 20th century (original dated 13th century). Byzantine. Paint on canvas. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1941 (41.137)
«Art is like ice cream. (A weird analogy, but bear with me.) Every ice cream lover has a preference; some like chocolate, others vanilla. The same holds true of art. Some like Impressionist painting, others prefer medieval armor.»
I've always been a Byzantine art kind of girl. Luckily, the Met has a beautiful collection of Byzantine artifacts. One of my favorite pieces is the Painted Copy of Deesis Mosaic, an exact replica of one of the finest works produced in Constantinople, the capital city of the Byzantine Empire. This work is really just one of many extraordinary things in the Met's Byzantine collection.
To my chagrin, these galleries do not draw nearly the same crowds as do, say, the Modern and Contemporary Art galleries. But why not? Byzantine art has always provided me with a real, tangible link to a heritage long gone—a culture that not only influenced the modern world tremendously but was influenced by other cultures as well. It was through this culture that Christianity created a visual voice for itself. Have visitors lost awareness of how important this heritage is?
So next time you are visiting the Museum—seeing a Costume Institute exhibition or the European Paintings galleries, for instance—maybe try a taste of Byzantium. You never know, it might just become your favorite flavor.