Dai Comneni agli Angeli: immagini di «grandezza» prima della «catastrofe»

This article outlines Byzantine imperial patronage during the last troubled years of the 12th century, which led to the Latin conquest of Constantinople (1204). Alt- hough a few material evidence survives, Nicetas Choniates’ Chronike Diegesis and other written sources offer a vivid account of the architectural, pictorial and luxu- rious production of the time. The restoration of churches, which were then deco- rated with paintings and precious objects, and the interest in public works celebrated the imperial authority as a response to a period of crisis. Coins and seals might offer a reflection of the lost monuments and certainly were one of the most suitable vehicle for ideological messages. The Crusaders’ conquest of Constantinople ended the Middle Byzantine period and the related imperial pat- ronage but, notwithstanding the destructions, the plunder of artworks and their move to European countries contributed to the preservation of the legacy of By- zantium in the West.