Question 1

Compare and contrast the image of Christ in Figure 8-11 and in Figure 8-32. What developments can be described from sixth century to the fourteenth century in Byzantine art?

Accepted Answer

1. Both works are semicircular in the apse.
2. Anastasis is a fresco and, therefore, the colors are less brilliant than in the mosaic.
3. The Transfiguration of Christ shows the main figure as large, surrounded by a few smaller figures and with many boarder medallions.
4. In Anastasis the figure of Christ is closer in scale to the many surrounding figures. It shows some implied motion and is a clear narrative.

Question 2

In the Icon of Saint Michael the Archangel (Fig. 8-29) from the Middle Byzantine period, the archangel is depicted as

Accepted Answer

A)   a messenger.
B)   a military commander.
C)   a Roman deity.
D)   a disciple. B

Question 3

The Lamentation with Standing Monastic Saints Below (Fig. 8-23) at Nerezi focuses on

Accepted Answer

A)   the Virgin's anguish.
B)   the activities of the onlookers.
C)   the background landscape.
D)   the moment of the Crucifixion. A

Question 4

What were the purposes of Byzantine manuscripts?

Accepted Answer

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Question 5

Small, portable luxury items created in the Middle Byzantine period combine exceptional beauty and technical skill with

Accepted Answer

A)   altruistic flair.
B)   philosophical virtues.
C)   religious meaning.
D)   pagan motifs.

Question 6

What pictorial element indicates an otherworldly space in Empress Theodora and her Attendants in the Church of St. Vitale (Fig. 8-9)?

Accepted Answer

A)   the emphasis on illusionistic space
B)   three-dimensional modeling of the figures
C)   the silhouetting of the figures against a gold background
D)   the open doorway to the women's gallery

Question 7

The inscription accompanying the image of the Virgin and Child in the Apse of Hagia Sophia (Fig. 8-16) credited emperors with

Accepted Answer

A)   reviving the use of images.
B)   being great patrons of the arts.
C)   saving the city from its enemies.
D)   following religious decrees.

Question 8

The Archangel Michael (Fig. 8-12) is an example of carved ivory diptychs that served what function in Christian worship?

Accepted Answer

A)   They were used to send messages to friends and colleagues.
B)   They were portable objects of veneration, similar to painted icons.
C)   They were used to record names of people who were to be remembered in prayers.
D)   They were used as book covers for manuscripts.

Question 9

During the Late Byzantine period, the territory of the Byzantine Empire decreased to

Accepted Answer

A)   small areas of the Balkans and Greece.
B)   Constantinople and Russia.
C)   Greece and eastern Europe.
D)   Greece and Macedonia.

Question 10

Which description of the image of the Lamentation with Standing Monastic Saints Below (Fig. 8-23) at Nerezi reflects art under the Komnenians?

Accepted Answer

A)   short, squatty figures
B)   aloof and emotionless quality
C)   flat, two-dimensionality
D)   painterly spontaneity

Question 11

Which medium, which the poet and philosopher Theodore Metochites was responsible for, cover(s) every inch of the funerary chapel at the church of the monastery of Christ in Chora?

Accepted Answer

A)   mosaics
B)   frescoes
C)   tapestries
D)   stonework

Question 12

The extensive use of marble, colored glass, and gold mosaics to decorate the interior of the Church of San Vitale (Fig. 8-6) had what effect on the structure?

Accepted Answer

A)   It served to reinforce the underlying supports.
B)   It made the structure appear to dissolve into shimmering light and color.
C)   It called attention to the architectural complexity seen throughout the building.
D)   It disguised structural irregularities that were originally visible inside the church.

Question 13

Compare and contrast the representation of the Virgin Mary throughout the Byzantine era.

Accepted Answer

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Question 14

Discuss the floor plan of the monastery at Hosios Loukas. What role did it play in the life of the monks?

Accepted Answer

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Question 15

What does the term "Byzantine" mean, and what is the significance of the location?

Accepted Answer

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Question 16

Near the end of the first century, what replaced the scroll as the primary form of recording texts?

Accepted Answer

A)   codex
B)   manuscript
C)   miniature
D)   vellum

Question 17

What was established by the Kievan mosaics (Fig. 8-20)?

Accepted Answer

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Question 18

How is the main dome of Hagia Sophia (Fig. 8-4) supported?

Accepted Answer

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Question 19

The nobility and suffering of the figures of the Crucifixion (Fig. 8-22) were meant to

Accepted Answer

A)   provoke fear in travelers and pilgrims.
B)   move monks and visitors to meditation.
C)   express knowledge of Greek artistic tradition.
D)   emphasize the power of the royal patron.

Question 20

What religious theme unites the mosaics in the Church of San Vitale (Figs. 8-5, 8-6, 8-7, 8-8, and 8-9)?

Accepted Answer

A)   the martyrdom of St. Vitalis
B)   the marriage sacrament of Justinian and Theodora
C)   Christ's role as King of Heaven
D)   the celebration of the Eucharist

Exam 8: Byzantine Art