, Brepols, 2019 Paperback, iv + 441 pages, Size:216 x 280 mm, Illustrations:202 b/w, 16 col., 4 tables b/w., Languages: English, French. ISBN 9782503578033.
Summary From a Byzantine province to an independent Latin kingdom under the Lusignan dynasty (11929/27-1474/89) and a colonial outpost of the Venetian maritime empire (1474/89-1571), the island of Cyprus, at the eastern end of the Mediterranean, is blessed with a rich and diverse medieval cultural heritage. Its monumental art and its material culture - architecture, fresco and icon painting, woodcarving, metalwork, glazed ceramics, and so on - exist at the crossroads of several artistic traditions often thought to represent mutually exclusive visual languages, such as the late medieval Gothic and Byzantine styles (in their respective variants), the local art of the Levant, and the classicizing mode of the Italian Renaissance. It is precisely this seemingly 'composite' nature of medieval Cypriot artistic production that, over the years, has both divided and united scholars attempting to match styles and forms to the patronage of the various religious, ethnic, and linguistic groups (Latins, Greeks, Syrians, Armenians, and others) making up the island's complex social fabric. The seventeen essays in this volume offer a snapshot of the most recent scholarship on the art, archaeology, and material culture of Cyprus under Latin rule. Established and emerging art historians and archaeologists, both trained Byzantinists and specialists of European medieval art, come together to re-appraise the field in the light of current research, put forward new evidence from fresh archival, archaeological, or archaeometric research, and propose novel interpretations destined to blaze exciting new pathways to future study of this fascinating body of material. TABLE OF CONTENTS Michalis Olympios and Maria Parani Introduction: Towards a More Holistic Appreciation of the Art, Archaeology, and Material Culture of Lusignan and Venetian Cyprus I. Rethinking Visual Culture in Lusignan Cyprus Michele Bacci The Art of Lusignan Cyprus and the Christian East: Some Thoughts on Historiography and Methodology Anthi A. Andronikou A Panel in Search of Identity: The Madonna di Andria between Apulia and Cyprus Dimitrios Minasidis Hunting with Falcons and Its Symbolism: A Depiction in the Royal Chapel at Pyrga II. Bau und Kult: Architecture and Cult in the Long Perspective Nikolas Bakirtzis Revisiting the Monastic Legacy of Saint Sozomenos near Potamia Thomas Kaffenberger A Rural Church for an Urban Elite? Thoughts on the Unfinished Sixteenth-Century Church of Agios Sozomenos Max Ritter Famagusta and Its Environs in the Venetian Period: The Foundation of the Monastery of Ayia Napa and the Origin of Its Fountain Guido Petras A Stone Iconostasis in a Multi-Confessional Sanctuary in Lusignan and Venetian Cyprus? An Art-historical Approach to the Cave Church in Ayia Napa III. In Search of the Lost Urban Landscapes of Lusignan and Venetian Cyprus Hesperia Iliadou and Philippe Trélat La représentation picturale d'une architecture disparue: quelques sites chypriotes au début de la période vénitienne illustrés dans un manuscrit du XVe siècle Nasso Chrysochou The Investigation and Comprehension of a Medieval Building in the Walled City of Nicosia IV. Facets of Lusignan and Venetian Cyprus through the Lens of Archaeology Fryni Hadjichristofi New Light on the Topography of Nicosia: The "Archbishopric" Excavation Stylianos Perdikis Avli, Tillyria: An Unidentified Medieval Edifice Athanasios K. Vionis, Maria Dikomitou-Eliadou, Maria Roumpou, Nick Kalogeropoulos, and Vassilis Kilikoglou Stirring Pots on Fire: Medieval Technology, Diet, and Daily Life in Cyprus V. Art Production and Consumption in Venetian Cyprus Stella Frigerio-Zeniou Quelques réflexions et quelques portes en vue d'une nouvelle approche des iconostases chypriotes du XVIe siècle Elena Poyiadji-Richter Metalwork Products Destined for Cyprus? The Sixteenth-Century Dishes in the Leventis Municipal Museum of Nicosia Georgios E. Markou Negotiating Identity and Status: The Silverware of the Cypriot Nobles in Renaissance Venice Tassos Papacostas Renaissance Portrait Medals for Eminent Cypriots: An Untold yet Telling Tale Bibliography