Epigrams

Less well known than the ekphraseis, but equally important, are the numerous epigrams that were composed by the Byzantines either as inscriptions to be written on works of art, or as independent poems that responded to works of art. The problems of interpreting these epigrams are in some respects similar to those of the ekphraseis, since the poems embody many of the same topoU and they have a similarly problematic relationship to their referents. The problems are encountered even if the epigram appears inscribed upon an object as an inscription. In many cases, it can be shown that a poem that is written on a given icon, painting, or mosaic, was originally composed for a different work from the one to which it is now attached. Often, the epigram had been composed centuries earlier so that the whole inscription was a quotation (Maguire 1996: 6-7). In some cases the epigram had not originally been composed for a specific work of art at all, but as an independent poem, which was only subsequently used as an inscription attached to a work of art. Collections of epigrams on various subjects may even have been composed by Byzantine poets with the potential to be used as inscriptions, without the author having any specific works in mind for them (Lauxtermann 1994: 567,143). However, in other cases, particularly in manuscripts, one can argue that the "composer of the epigram was also the artist of the very work on which it is inscribed, or else the patron. Even if they were reused, the epigrams, like the topoi in the ekphraseis, were not re-employed unthinkingly. Because of the conservatism of Byzantine religious iconography, sometimes the physical description provided by the reused epigram precisely matched the work of art to which it had been newly attached. In other instances, however, the reused poem did not fit the physical appearance of the image exactly, but it was still appropriate in that it conveyed the spiritual content of the image (Maguire 1996:12-14).

The act of inscribing a particular poem on a particular work of art was an act of viewer response—even if the poem was much older than the painting. The responses show that there was a constant dialogue between the images and their Byzantine spectators. For example, when the reactions of Byzantine viewers to their religious images, as e3q>ressed by the selection of epigrams, became more emotional, so also the images themselves were adapted to their viewers’ needs, becoming more expressive and dramatic in their presentation. Conversely, the more emotive images must have inspired a stronger response from their viewers (Maguire 1996:14-25).