Deck 9: Byzantium

Question 1

What do art historians think was the model for the image of the Archangel Michael on the Early Byzantine ivory diptych?

A) Roman emperor Trajan
B) Arch of Antoninus Pius
C) Winged cupid
D) Winged victory

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Which prominent figure in the Ascension scene from the Rabbula Gospels is not mentioned in the biblical text describing the event?

A) Mary Magdalene
B) The Virgin Mary
C) Saint John the Evangelist
D) The monk Rabbula

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Who was the founder of the "New Rome" of the East?

A) Justinian
B) Diocletian
C) Theodosius I
D) Constantine

Answer 3

D

Question 4

What symbolic form did iconoclasts allow to be used in place of images?

A) Animal statue
B) Crown
C) Cross
D) Ring

Question 5

The marriage of Anna to Vladimir marked the introduction of Orthodox Christianity to which country?

A) Romania
B) Russia
C) Syria
D) Lombardy

Question 6

The overlapping of the figures of Justinian and the bishop in the mosaic at San Vitale is meant as a reference to what?

A) The lack of importance of Bishop Maximianus
B) The balance between church and state
C) The force of Justinian's character
D) The higher importance of the state

Question 7

Which architectural component supports the dome of the Hagia Sophia?

A) Squinches
B) Barrel vaults
C) Pendentives
D) Iron beams

Question 8

What image, embroidered on Theodora's garment, underscored her elevated rank?

A) Chi-rho-iota
B) Virgin and Child
C) Three Magi
D) Imperial eagle

Question 9

The mosaic of the Virgin and Child enthroned in Hagia Sophia was commissioned by Basil I to replace what?

A) One that included Justinian
B) One created in the Roman period
C) One that was iconic in nature
D) One destroyed by "impostors"

Question 10

What is the unifying theme of the images and symbols found in the mosaic program of San Vitale?

A) The martyrdom of Saint Vitalis
B) Christ's redemption of humanity
C) The life of the Virgin Mary
D) The crucifixion and resurrection of Christ

Question 11

Where would a squinch most likely be found?

A) As part of a column
B) Guarding an entryway
C) Supporting a dome
D) In an illuminated manuscript

Question 12

In which country did the monastic movement begin in the third century?

A) Germany
B) Syria
C) Italy
D) Egypt

Question 13

What medium is used for the icon of the Virgin (Theotokos) and the Child between Saints Theodore and George?

A) Oil on panel
B) Mosaic
C) Fresco on plaster
D) Encaustic on wood

Question 14

Which new Byzantine stylistic feature appeared in the mosaics at San Vitale?

A) An elaborate setting
B) Naturalistic action
C) Dematerialization of solid bodies
D) Variety of gestures

Question 15

How did the architects of Hagia Sophia accomplish their fusion of the central-plan form and the basilica?

A) By placing several domes on the nave
B) By subdividing the side aisles
C) By matching the height of intersecting basilicas
D) By placing a hemispherical dome on a square base

Question 16

Which of the following was the likely reason Emperor Leo III chose to initiate iconoclasm?

A) To prepare for a visit from the Roman pope
B) To commemorate his conversion to Judaism
C) Because artists who created images demanded high wages
D) The loss of almost two-thirds of Byzantine territory

Question 17

Which city remained the Byzantine foothold in Italy for two centuries?

A) Thessaloniki
B) Venice
C) Florence
D) Ravenna

Question 18

What comprises the octagon on which the dome of the Katholikon at Hosios Loukas rests?

A) Pendentives
B) Bemas
C) Squinches
D) Pyramidal arches

Question 19

What is the role of Christ in his image as Pantokrator?

A) Redeemer of human kind
B) Slayer of demons
C) Last judge of humankind
D) Lamb of God

Question 20

In the mosaic program of San Vitale, how is the importance of Bishop Maximianus signaled?

A) By his magnificent crown
B) By the hand of God
C) By the other figures
D) By a naming inscription

Question 21

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What is the name of this building?

A) San Vitale
B) Hagia Sophia
C) Santa Costanza
D) Church of the Theotokos

Question 22

Which 11th-century empress has a mosaic portrait in Hagia Sophia?

A) Theodora
B) Zoe
C) Irene
D) Lucia

Question 23

Which Middle Byzantine work assimilates classicism's simplicity, dignity, and grace with Byzantine piety and pathos?

A) Virgin and child enthroned, Hagia Sophia
B) Virgin and Child between Saints Theodore and George, Monastery St. Catherine
C) Anicia Juliana, Vienna Dioskorides
D) Crucifixion , Church of the Dormition, Daphni

Question 24

Which city was laid to waste during the Fourth Crusade?

A) Athens
B) Constantinople
C) Venice
D) Alexandria

Question 25

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What is the location of this church?

A) Ravenna
B) Monreale
C) Venice
D) Kiev

Question 26

Which event in Byzantine history accounts for the loss of much art?

A) The Second Crusade
B) The Seljuk Turks' capture of Anatolia
C) The rise of the Macedonian dynasty
D) The Iconoclasm

Question 27

What ancient figural type accompanies the Old Testament harpist in the image of David Composing the Psalms ?

A) Images of pagan gods
B) Roman emperors
C) Allegorical figures
D) Fantastical animals

Question 28

Basil I (r. 867-886), head of the new dynasty, thought of himself as the restorer of which empire?

A) Justinianic empire
B) Hellenistic empire
C) Roman Empire
D) Byzantine empire

Question 29

Whose relics were brought from Egypt to Venice?

A) Saint Matthew
B) Saint Luke
C) Saint John
D) Saint Mark

Question 30

The portrait of which empress appears on the choir wall to the right of the apse of San Vitale?

A) Irene
B) Theodora
C) Galla Placidia
D) Zoe

Question 31

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What is the approximate height of this image?

A) One foot
B) Ten feet
C) Five feet
D) Five inches

Question 32

Who proclaimed Orthodox Christianity the only lawful religion of New Rome?

A) Constantine
B) Justinian
C) Theodosius
D) Honorius

Question 33

What is the oldest preserved illustrated manuscript containing biblical scenes?

A) Vatican Vergil
B) Vienna Genesis
C) Rabbula Gospels
D) Vienna Dioskorides

Question 34

What is the significance of the explanatory labels written in both Greek and Latin in the interior mosaic program of Saint Mark's?

A) Their presence accommodates the needs of Venice's diverse population.
B) Their presence reflects the political ambitions of the bishop of Venice.
C) Their presence reflects Venice's position as a link between East and West.
D) Their presence accommodates the needs of the patriarch of Constantinople.

Question 35

Which of the following is not a feature of Middle Byzantine architecture?

A) Variations on central-domed plan
B) Small and vertically oriented
C) Exterior surface patterns
D) Dome over cylinder plan

Question 36

Which of the following events did NOT worsen the outlook of Byzantium in the Late Byzantine period?

A) The Seljuk Turks captured most of Anatolia.
B) The Byzantine Orthodox Church broke with Rome
C) Michael VIII recaptured Constantinople in 1261.
D) The Crusades brought Westerners into its lands.

Question 37

Where does the image of the Pantokrator appear in the church of Monreale?

A) Central dome
B) King's chapel
C) Aisle vaults
D) Semidome of apse

Question 38

Which aspect of the Lamentation scene in Saint Pantaleimon, Nerezi, contributes to an emotionally charged realization of the theme?

A) The abstracted figures and background
B) The natural setting and modeled figures
C) The architectural backdrop and garments
D) The gold background and architectural fantasies

Question 39

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What is the title of this icon?

A) Vladimir Virgin
B) Madonna of Saint Catherine
C) Virgin of Compassion
D) Virgin and Child between Saints Theodore and George

Question 40

The appearance of the Norman king, William II, in the Monreale mosaic program continues which practice?

A) Depicting kingly humility
B) Royal presence and patronage
C) Copying mosaic cycles
D) Honoring predecessors

Question 41

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What is the material of this artwork?

A) Wood
B) Ebony
C) Ivory
D) Plaster

Question 42

Which monument in Constantinople is an example of pre-Justinianic Byzantine art?

A) Hagia Sophia
B) Obelisk of Theodosius
C) Church of Christ in Chora
D) Church of the Holy Apostles

Question 43

What two authors wrote about the wonders of the Hagia Sophia around the time it was built?

A) Procopius and Vitruvius
B) Procopius and Paulus
C) Procopius and Justinian
D) Paulus and Anthemius

Question 44

What color are the pages of the Vienna Genesis ?

A) Brown
B) White
C) Purple
D) Gold

Question 45

Which region rose after the fall of Constantinople in 1453 to become the Third Rome?

A) Italy
B) North Africa
C) Russia
D) Scandinavia

Question 46

Which of the following Byzantine artworks is not carved in ivory?

A) Archangel Michael diptych
B) Harbaville triptych
C) Pala d'Oro
D) Throne of Maximianus

Question 47

What biblical figure is most closely associated with the monastery at Mount Sinai?

A) Christ
B) Moses
C) Virgin Mary
D) Saint Catherine

Question 48

What do art historians view as the origin of icon paintings?

A) Roman wall painting
B) Byzantine manuscripts
C) Roman portraits on wood panels
D) Egyptian textile decoration

Question 49

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What scene from the life of Christ is depicted here?

A) Lamentation
B) Anastasis
C) Transfiguration
D) Annunciation

Question 50

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This is the apse of which Byzantine-era church?

A) Monastery of Saint Catherine, Sinai
B) Cathedral of Monreale, Italy
C) Church of Christ in Chora, Constantinople
D) Sant'Apollinare in Classe, Ravenna