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This outstanding ribbed bronze vessel dates to
the Late Byzantine era, whose power was centred
in Constantinople, and the period when the
European Crusaders had set their sights on the
“liberation” of the Holy Land. Its large size
suggests a secular function, possibly as a water
container. It is unusually manufactured and
decorated. The “ground” is horizontal ribbing
that rises from the faceted base to sloped
shoulders and a tubular, high spout. The spout
itself is decorated with a series of medallions and
a separate decorative band around the apex. The
neck of the vessel is bound with wire extensions
to the handles that rise vertically from the
shoulders to just above the rim attaching to the
decorative band mentioned above. The
decoration on the band and medallions is of
uncertain function, but is likely – characteristic of
the time – to be some form of religious
invocation or blessing.
Byzantium was the largest power in the
Mediterranean for over a thousand years. It went
from being a comparatively small power on the
Bosphorus to becoming Roma Nova (following
the collapse of the Roman Empire proper) and
from there to Constantinople. It possessed
incredible wealth in both fiscal and intellectual
terms, and was the most important repository of
early Christian art in the world. The ecclesiastical
imagery that was produced there was replicated
and then built upon in the European Renaissance
following the sack of Constantinople during the
Crusades, under the inadvertent benediction of
the ironically named Pope Innocent III.
Byzantine metalwork is of exceptional quality,
and even comparatively utilitarian vessels were
often constructed or decorated to a level far
beyond that which would be expected. The
current piece is a good example of this. The
ribbing is exceptionally difficult to produce, and
the object would have had to be hammered,
reheated and hammered repeatedly to get the
appropriate texture. The addition of the
(probably) religious imagery also speaks of
considerable investment of time and effort, and
it is probable that the piece would have belonged
to an aristocratic household somewhere in the
Eastern Mediterranean. It is in itself a striking
piece, and in our eyes a magnificent work of art
and a direct link to a lost empire.
- (LA.533 (LSO))
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