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Why did large three-dimensional figural sculpture decline in the Byzantine Empire?
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Western sculpture
Hagar, marble sculpture by Edmonia Lewis, 1875; in the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C.
The decline of large three-dimensional figural sculpture in the Byzantine Empire was driven by a shift toward stylization and a preference for two-dimensional, symbolic religious expression.12
Several factors contributed to this transition:
- Theological and Artistic Shift: Byzantine art prioritized the "impersonal translation" of church theology over naturalistic representation. Artists moved away from the three-dimensional forms of classical antiquity, favoring a style based on the dynamic of lines and flat areas of color. This approach aimed to suggest a supernatural, timeless realm rather than a physical one.23
- Religious Restrictions: The Iconoclastic Controversy (725ā843) imposed bans on the depiction of saintly or divine figures, which further restricted the production of figural sculpture. Even outside of these periods, the influence of aniconism and the desire to avoid idolatry discouraged the creation of graven images.4
- Architectural Integration: As three-dimensional sculpture faded, it was replaced by flat slabs with low-relief geometric or stylized ornament, which were integrated into church architecture, such as screens and iconostases.1