Byzantine Empire Craftsmanship: David Plates
The David Plates, located in The Metropolitan Museum of Art, is an example of silversmithing and relief sculptures created during the early Byzantine empire. The plates were commissioned pieces constructed in Constantinople. This research paper explains David Plate’s historical context and how they appear to the onlooker.
The David Plates were created in 629-630 AD in the early Byzantine Empire. Christianity played a powerful role in the political and social culture of the Byzantine Empire. Christianity’s influence is apparent in the David Plate. They tell the infamous tale of David slaying Goliath from the old testament in the Bible.
The David Plates were created while Christianity thrived in the empire after Justinian I death and a year after the Persian wars ended in 628 AD. Byzantium was a historically metropolitan empire which can be attributed to its location beside the Mediterranean Sea and it's containing the Bosporus strait that ran from the Mediterranean Sea to the Black Sea. Because of Bosporus and its coastal location, the Byzantine empire was ideal for importation, exportation, trade, and travel and attracted people from all over the world.
Many cultures appeared in Constantinople and the Byzantine people adopted customs and habits from their visitors. The plates were discovered in 1902 in Lapithos in Greece. Although it has been concluded that the plates were made in Constantinople they contain imperial seals of Heraclius, an emperor of Rome who reigned from 610 - 641 AD. Some researchers believe that they may have been created for Heraclius while he was battling Iran in Cyprus. This theory would support the plate's burial and discovery in Lapithos, Cyprus, and speculates that Heraclius commissioned the plates to represent himself as a victorious soldier.
The craftsmanship that was involved in creating the David Plates shows influences from Egyptian and Greek silversmithing and carving. Engraving and carving were used in the creation of the plates as well as Niello, a mixed metal powder that once melted sunk into the grooves of the metal from the carving and settled in as outlines. Using Niello is a technique originally found in Egypt. Metal sculptures in Byzantine were characterized by religious themes in the context of their pieces, and it was not uncommon for Church officials to commission metal plates for secular purposes. The David Plates of Cyprus was created in 629-630 AD and marked with Emperor Heraclius’ imperial seal. This seal ensured the authenticity and quality of the silver from which it was made. In the Byzantine empire the wealthy and elite commonly commissioned art pieces to hang in their home for larger gatherings. The context of the plates was indicative of the owner and likely their family's span of knowledge and religious involvement.
It has been suspected by historians that Heraclius may have wanted the David Plates to tell the story of David and Goliath as a metaphor for his recent victory over the Sasanian Empire. But, it is also said Heraclius may have commissioned the plates as a gift to a close war comrade to hang in his dining area at home during dinner celebrations.
The plates tell the story of David and Goliath from the Old Testament in the Bible. They were found in North Cyprus at Karavas in 1902. There were 9 plates discovered in total and today the collection is split between the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and the Cyprus museum located in Nicosia, Cyprus. Because the Byzantine empire was invaded by the Arabs in AD 600, it is suspected by researchers that the plates were buried by the wealthy person who owned them to hide them from being stolen.
The nine plates consisted of two subgroups of four, obviously indicated by the size of the plates, and one large plate that served as the centerpiece. The largest plate measured 49.4 centimeters in diameter, the four medium-sized plates 26 cm in diameter, and the four smallest plates 14 cm in diameter. The David Plates tell the story of David and Goliath from book 1 of the old testament in the bible, chapters 16.12 - 18.27.
David’s battle with Goliath served as the focal point in the piece containing the climax of the story, David’s slaying of Goliath. This large plate is separated into three portions, two smaller sections on the top and bottom of the plate and the largest chunk in the center. The top section depicts David initially confronting Goliath, the center shows the battle between the two men with soldiers onlooking nearby, and David cutting Goliath’s dead off in the last section of the plate. The four medium-sized plates show four different scenes: David being anointed by Samuel, Saul meeting David for the first time, Saul offering David armor, and lastly Saul leading the marriage of David and Michal. The smallest group of the nine plates depicts fights between David and wild bears and lions, David playing the harp, David being called upon by a messenger to be anointed by Samuel, and David having a conversation with a soldier.
The David Plates is a remarkable piece of craftsmanship of historical and religious significance that survived one of the longest-standing empires in history. They reveal the influence that Christianity had on the Byzantines, how sophisticated of a society they were, and give us an insight as to how the people of the empire lived.
