The Hellenistic gold hairnet from the Benaki Museum showcases exquisite craftsmanship, centred on Athena’s medallion and intricate filigree, reflecting aristocratic luxury and the refined artistry of ancient Greek jewellery.
Ring of Michael Stryphnos
The Ring of Michael Stryphnos from the Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection encapsulates Byzantine power and decline, symbolizing the troubled reign of Alexios III Angelos and the empire’s approaching catastrophe.
Gold Coin Pendant of Constantine the Great
The gold coin pendant of Constantine the Great in the British Museum celebrates his 321 consulship, combining imperial portraiture, dynastic imagery, and intricate opus interrasile goldwork.
The Iron Crown
Teodolinda’s Iron Crown of Monza unites legend, devotion, and power—an Early Christian masterpiece of gold and gems, entwined with Constantine’s relic and Italy’s royal coronations through centuries of sacred history.
Aelia Galla Placidia
Imperial daughter, captive, empress and regent — Galla Placidia’s astonishing life traversed courts, battles and exile, leaving behind her magnificent Ravenna Mausoleum as an eternal testament to her extraordinary resilience.
Nea Herakleia Reliquary
The Nea Herakleia Reliquary embodies the transition to Christian art—rich in symbolism and expressive form—blending classical tradition with emerging spirituality in a refined example of Theodosian craftsmanship.
Hercules and the Lion of Nemea
The Byzantine silver plate of Hercules and the Nemean Lion showcases late antique mastery, merging mythological power and refined craftsmanship in a dynamic composition of strength, tension, and classical elegance.
Reverence for Nature and Tiffany
Reverence for Nature and Tiffany is my latest BLOG Post. It is about an extraordinary Hair Ornament in the MET Collection portraying two Dragonflies and Dandelions. Created in 1904 for Louisine Havemeyer, a great collector of Impressionist Art and one of Tiffany’s most ardent patrons, the Metropolitan Museum Hair Pin is my favourite Art Nouveau piece of Jewelry. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/2046
When I think of Louis Comfort Tiffany, I think of nature’s power, its brittleness, yet joy. I think of radiance, luminosity and brilliance in colour. I think of superb craftsmanship… as exemplified in the MET’s Dragonfly and Dandelion Hair Ornament. According to Alice Cooney Frelinghuyse in the MET, the Hair Ornament “epitomizes his earliest jewelry designs, which were based directly on modest forms in nature, such as field flowers and wild fruit, as well as his affinity for enamelling and semiprecious stones with unusual colors. The dragonflies rest on dandelion seedballs, one of which is shown partially blown away, underscoring the fragility of nature. Highly skilled artisans conveyed the transparency of the insects’ wings through delicate metalwork filigree. The temporal quality is revealed in the subject: dragonflies rest in one place for mere seconds before flitting away; dandelions disperse into thousands of airborne seeds with the gentlest of breezes.” file:///C:/Users/aspil/Downloads/Recent_Acquisitions_A_Selection_2002_2003_The_Metropolitan_Museum_of_Art_Bulletin_v_61_no_2_Fall_2003%20(1).pdf
For a short PowerPoint on Louis Comfort Tiffany… click HERE!
A Grade 4 or 5 student Activity on Reverence for Nature and Tiffany is HERE!
The Jasper Cup from Vatopedi
The Jasper Cup from Vatopedi is one of the most famous Late Byzantine works of art. It is a Chalice of silver-work and stone-carving, a rare example of refined craftsmanship, one of the finest pieces of the Palaeologan period. It belonged to Manuel Cantacuzenos Palaeologos (1349-80), Despot of Mystra, son of Emperor John VI Cantacuzenos (1347-54) and grandson of Theodore Palaeologus, Despot of Mystra.
The Cup, carved out of a piece of jasper, was created in a Byzantine workshop, in the shape of an antique broad-lipped wine-cup. The inscription on its rim reads “and he gave it to his disciples and apostles saying, drink of this, all of you …”. As this is the prayer from the Eucharist, as given in the Liturgy of St Basil, the Vatopedi Chalice was used as an ecclesiastical vessel.
The base is octagonal, its eight sections decorated with medallions containing, alternately, cruciform monograms and half-length hierarchs holding open scrolls. The monograms identify the owner of the vessel: M (Manuel), Δ (Despot), Κ (Cantacuzenos), Π (Palaeologus). For a more detailed presentation of the Chalice, please check: https://www.elpenor.org/athos/en/e218ci14.asp
The metalwork decoration, following byzantine models, intriguing techniques, and borrowed Gothic motifs, proves that a “Byzantine-Gothic” marriage of styles can create exquisite results.
For a PowerPoint on Byzantine Chalices, please… Check HERE!
For the Student Activity, I was inspired by Sarah Stone’s Work on “Byzantine Chalices”. I showed the students her work http://www.sarah-stone.net/byzantine-paintings.html and HERE! is what my Grade 4 students created!!!
