Pami͡atniki vizantiĭskogo prikladnogo iskusstva

The Hermitage collection of Byzantine ceramics derives primarily from finds made at Chersonesos, first by the Imperial Archaeological Commission and then by the State Hermitage Museum, which sponsored expeditions continuously from 1947 until 1991. Throughout the Middle Ages, Chersonesos was an important outpost of the Byzantine Empire and center of trade between different parts of the Mediterranean. Works produced in Constantinople, Asia Minor, and Thessaloniki have thus been found there in abundance. Published here are works of decorative art that vary in function, form, style, and technique; omitted are works of a purely utilitarian nature. -- Summary written by John W. Emerich, Bronze Horseman Literary Agency.