Empress Theodora and her retinue
Empress Theodora and her retinue, mosaic, 6th century; on the south wall of the apse, church of San Vitale, Ravenna, Italy.
Byzantine art
Byzantine art, architecture, paintings, and other visual arts produced in the Middle Ages in the Byzantine Empire (centred at Constantinople) and in various areas that came under its influence. The pictorial and architectural styles that characterized Byzantine art, first codified in the 6th century, persisted with remarkable homogeneity within the empire until its final dissolution with the capture of Constantinople by the Turks in 1453. A brief treatment of Byzantine art follows. For a treatment...