Le arti suntuarie nel sud d'Italia bizantina

Multiple forms of Byzantine art in southern Italy also include jewellery and metalwork. This art first imitated orientai examples and later developed an originai style, a combination of Byzantine features and Italian craft. In the Early Byzantine period, cross-shaped reliquaries made out of precious metals, cameo portraits of saints, and fabrics lavishly decorated with various ornaments were wildly spread. Despite considerable losses caused by plundering, it is still possible to trace the influence of Byzantine culture and define the stages of its expansion, especially on the basis of the extant Calabrian stuccos, Campanian reliefs, and utility objects, which reflect contemporary popular culture and everyday life. Byzantine culture left visible traces in the whole of southern Italy, especially in those regions where many church buildings (monasteries in particular) were built.