The Byzantium convex mirror frame is made of wood, lacquered black and gilded in bands of gold metal leaf. Each layer is embellished with faceted gold/bronze beads or gold resin jewels. These send out endless shards of light depending on how light hits the frame. The “bowl” of the frame is gold leafed and studded with gold resin jewels and faceted glass beads. The mirror is an actual half dome creating a reflection of the gold bowl itself framing the true reflection.
This mirror is about 20 inches in diameter. It is currently in my studio pending being shipped to one of my showrooms.
The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire and Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire in its eastern provinces during late antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinople(modern-day Istanbul). It survived the fragmentation and fall of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD and continued to exist for an additional thousand years until it fell to the Ottoman Turks in 1453. During most of its existence, the empire was the most powerful economic, cultural, and military force in Europe.
The opulence of the Byzantine Empire is legendary. A true fusion of European and Asian aesthetics the style was an extension of an Orthodox icon; gold, bejeweled, extravagant, stylized and highly spiritual.
The Pala D’Oro in Venice, 976. Gold, enamels, jewels and religious fervor equals Byzantium.
An enamel plaque of Saint Matthew in the Pala D’Oro.
The Nicopeia Icon in San Marco, Venice.
The interior of San Marco in Venice. Gold mosaics everywhere. A person enters heaven here.
Dresses inspired by Byzantium by Dolce-Gabbana, Fall, 2013/14.
A jeweled Maltese “Theodora” cross by Fulco Di Verdura, 1930s.
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