Page:The Classical Heritage of the Middle Ages.djvu/361

 x] BYZANTINE PAINTING 343 show sculpture truly sculpturesque, as well as natural in its reproduction of vine leaves and animals, although the aversion to human images has weakened the carv- ing of the human figure.* Byzantine sculpture, how- ever, soon ceased to observe nature ; its foliage became conventional, its animals fantastic. Except in ivory work, sculpture did not flourish with the Byzantines. Even in the best period, the characteristic type of the Byzantine column is that of S. Sophia or S. Vitale, where the carving is mainly designing by incision.* In the century after Justinian's death, disasters be- fell the Eastern Empire, and a decline in art set in. Leo the Isaurian inaugurated the iconoclastic conflict in 726 ; that lasted with varying fortunes till the mid- dle of the ninth century.^ Sometimes the reform- ing iconoclasts were in power ; again the monks and all the hosts of image-worshippers gained ascendency. The latter finally won the day, and, soon after, the line of Macedonian emperors came to the throne, to retain it for two centuries (867-1057), during which the Eastern Empire prospered and art flourished. But this period is less progressive than that of the first development of Byzantine art, which culminates in Justinian's reign. Many typical sacred compositions 1 Strzjgowski, Byzan. ZeiUchrift, 1892, p. 674, etc, especially pp. 082 and 689. basket capital is evolved from Theodosian capitals (eine Umbil- dung) ; the basket takes the place of the acanthus leaves, and ani- mals replace the volutes. sponds to this period of decline in Byzantine art, Krumbacher, Oes. der Byz, Lit., 2d ed., p. 12.
 * Strzygowski, Byt. Denkmaler, I, p. 10, says that the Byzantine
 * A barren period (690-860 a.d.) in Byzantine literature corre-