Liz James (University of Sussex)

That the Byzantines appreciated colour for qualities of lustre, brightness and shine beyond that of hue has been appreciated for some time. The nature of colour and how it works in Byzantine religious art has been discussed, but the way in which colours were used in secular art and the roles of brightness and shine in this context has not been considered. Focusing on household objects, including glass, metalwork and textiles, this paper will consider the interplay between colour and brightness in the contexts of aesthetics, symbolism and function.