The Byzantine Tradition of Church Embroidery in the Mediterranean and the Slavic World (1200-1800)

This thematic issue of Cahiers balkaniques (Inalco), which will appear in 2019, celebrates the Byzantine tradition of Church embroidery and its various afterlives. It aims at investigating its evolution within the sphere of Byzantium’s cultural influence and beyond, with a chronological scope which begins from the Late Middle Ages and stretches until the 19th century, when artisanal productions begin to decline.

We welcome proposals on the following subjects:

• The different aspects of Byzantine ecclesiastical embroidery and its artistic and technical evolutions.
• Embroidery techniques and iconographies transmitted from West and/or East.
• The relationship between Byzantine/post-Byzantine productions and the Christian Orient (ex. Armenia,Georgia).
• The management of Byzantine heritage in the Slavic World.
• Italian-Greek borderland productions (ex. the Ionian Islands).
• The circulation of Byzantine embroideries overseas (Italy, Eastern Europe and beyond).
• Christian embroidery in Egypt and the Levant.

Proposals by junior and senior researchers will be equally considered with priority being given to original research, whether based on technical analysis, iconographical interpretation or textual evidence. Subjects which favor interdisciplinarity are particularly welcome. The volume will be bilingual (French and English) and will appear in print in 2019.