Ancient and Sasanian Influences in the Artistic Features of Wedding Belts and Body Chains of the Byzantine Empire

Дмитренко, Наталія Віталіївна (2025) Ancient and Sasanian Influences in the Artistic Features of Wedding Belts and Body Chains of the Byzantine Empire АРТ-платФОРМА, 12 (2). pp. 226-253. ISSN 2708-5325

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Abstract

The article focuses on the examination of ancient and Sasanian influences in the artistic style of Byzantine jewelry, specifically wedding belts and body chains dating from the 3rd to the early 7th centuries, as well as their analogues. It examines decorative motifs, techniques and materials used to create these items of jewelry art, as well as their symbolic, ritual, and aesthetic significance. Particular attention is paid to the artistic analysis of forms, ornamental compositions, and decorative techniques in goldsmithing – embossing, casting, minting, and inlaying – which reflect a synthesis of ancient traditions and Sasanian influences. Based on modern scientific research and museum collections, key technical, technological, and stylistic features have been identified that allow us to outline the artistic canons and local variations of Byzantine jewelry art. The article examines examples from public and private collections, including those of Dumbarton Oaks, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the British Museum in London, and private collections in North America, enabling a comparative analysis of the works and ensuring the validity of the sample material. The study also reveals the functional and sociocultural aspects of wedding belts and body chains as objects of ritual practice, markers of social status, and symbols of marital unity. By analyzing their role in wedding ceremonies and as elements of dowry, the article demonstrates the significance of these artifacts in shaping stylistic and decorative traditions in Byzantine goldsmithing. Particular attention is paid to the interaction of artistic and technical practices, reflecting the processes of cultural transformation and adaptation of ancient and Sasanian motifs in the Byzantine context. The study’s results contribute to a deeper understanding of the aesthetic, semantic, and functional features of jewelry art in the Eastern Roman tradition, and they open up prospects for further interdisciplinary and comparative studies in the field of material culture in the Near East and the Mediterranean.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	fine arts; jewelry art; decorative and applied arts; sculpture; tradition; style; synthesis of arts; antiquity; Byzantium; Western Asia; the Near East
Subjects:	Статті у періодичних виданнях > Фахові (входять до переліку фахових, затверджений МОН)
Divisions:	Факультет образотворчого мистецтва і дизайну > Кафедра образотворчого мистецтва
Depositing User:	доцент Наталія Віталіївна Дмитренко
Date Deposited:	29 Dec 2025 08:32
Last Modified:	29 Dec 2025 08:32
URI:	https://elibrary.kubg.edu.ua/id/eprint/55708

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