1.24 FC – Re–Producing Byzantium: Cross–Medial Transfer, Circulation, and Reception of Byzantine Art in the Age of New Media (19th–20th c.)

This session explores the reception of Byzantine art in Western Europe through visual media, print culture, and architecture between the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, a period defined by rapid technological advancement and the emergence of mass cultural industries. The rediscovery of Byzantine heritage during this time coincided with both the proliferation of new visual media—including lithography, chromolithography, photography, and cinema—and the development of innovative architectural practices employing iron and glass structures. Fueled by intensified scholarly travel to the Eastern Mediterranean and a burgeoning interest in decorative and industrial arts, Byzantine visual culture was reinterpreted in the West through evolving regimes of mechanical reproduction. These cross-media transfers introduced significant shifts in both the perception and conceptual redefinition of Byzantine art, prompting debates about authenticity, mediation, and visual authority. Bringing together case studies focused on academic publishing, illustrated periodicals, museum displays, and architectural projects, this session investigates the dynamics of reproduction, together with the underlying visual strategies, epistemological frameworks, and historiographical concepts that shaped the modern reception of Byzantium. By tracing processes of transmission, adaptation, and reinterpretation across different media, the papers offer a critical understanding of how Byzantine art was rendered intelligible—and often commodified—for Western audiences. In addition to highlighting the role of technology in redefining disciplinary boundaries, the session reflects on how these mediations continue to influence both scholarly narratives and public imaginaries of Byzantium.