Олбани Дженни
Министерство культуры и спорта Греции, Дирекция музеев, выставок и образовательных программ, Эллинский Открытый университет, Греция
It is nowadays generally accepted that the Byzantines were familiar with the art of the antiquity. In this context ancient gemstones, cameos and intaglios, were incorporated in medieval jewelry, especially in rings, although the art of glyptics continued in the Middle Ages. How did the Byzantines “reuse antiquity” in these precious objects of prestige or personal adornment? Can we speculate on the identity of these rings’ owners? Which are the motifs that decorated rings of antiquarian taste? Did the representations of their gems keep their original meaning or was it affected by the Christian faith?
These are some of the questions which this paper will try to answer. The reuse of antique gems in medieval objects, mainly liturgical, is better attested in the West than in Byzantium. However, the surviving Byzantine rings decorated with ancient gems, which have come down to us in a relative good number, can shed light on this topic.