Frescoes in Nerezi near
Skopje
(1164), with their unique blend of high tragedy, gentle
humanity, and homespun realism, anticipate the approach of
Giotto
and other proto-Renaissance Italian artists.
The most famous of the surviving Byzantine mosaics of
the
Hagia Sophia
in
Constantinople - the
image of
Christ Pantocrator on
the walls of the upper southern gallery. Christ is flanked by the Virgin
Mary and John the Baptist. The mosaics were made in the 12th century.
Leaf from an ivory diptych
of Areobindus, consul in Constantinople, 506.
Areobindus is shown above, presiding over the
games in the Hippodrome, depicted beneath..
The
Annunciation
from
Ohrid,
one of the most admired
icons
of the Paleologan
Mannerism,
bears comparison with the finest contemporary
works by Italian artists.
