This collection includes a number of Byzantine objects, as well as examples of Byzantine art from Greece, Eastern Europe, the Near East, Russia, and Ethiopia. Of particular international renown is the collection of Coptic textiles, which is currently not on display.
Ivory rosette casket
Among the Byzantine pieces is an ivory casket decorated with ivory and bone plaques, carved into figurative panels and ornamental motifs. Dating from the 10th to the 12th century, this showpiece is exhibited in the spectacular gallery of Romanesque and Mosan Art. It likely arrived in Western Europe as a reliquary storage box.
Icons
Currently on display from the Byzantine period are the finest Greek and Russian icons. These are located in the area connecting the reception hall with the ‘Great Narthex’. From the Greek world, notable works include the Enthroned Pantocrator, the Synaxis of the Archangels, the Crucifixion, and St. Meletios, all dating from the seventeenth or eighteenth century. A rare 18th-century cathedra, or bishop’s seat, in worked and gilded wood depicts an icon of Christ the King and Great High Priest.
Contact
- Alexandra Van Puyvelde: a.vanpuyvelde@kmkg-mrah.be