A wide-ranging selection of magnificent and historically important works of art brings to life the fascinating history and art of the Byzantine empire. The exhibition in the Kunsthalle in Bonn (Germany) provides a comprehensive survey of the ‘Byzantine millenium’ which began with the foundation of Constantinople by Constantine the Great in 324 AD and ended with the conquest of the city by the Ottomans in 1453. The exhibition focuses on the period of Byzantium’s greatest glory from the time of Justinian I (527–565) to the sacking of Constantinople at the hands of Christian crusaders in 1204. More than 400 loans from European and American museums – precious ivories, spectacular icons and manuscripts, architectural fragments, sculptures and everyday objects – are presented in their original contexts. Digitally reconstructed sites address key questions about the Byzantine state, its art, culture, society and economy.
