5. The Paris Psalter

In the 10th century A.D., Byzantium was recovering from Iconomachy and going through its first cultural renaissance, the so-called Macedonian after the name of the dynasty in power then (Macedonian dynasty 867-1056 A.D.). This renaissance lead to a revival of the ancient Greek culture concerning literature, arts and education. In painting, particularly, we can distinguish the revival of Hellenistic style and patterns. Brilliant sample of this art is the psalter with the registration number 139 of the National Library of France in Paris. It includes 14 illuminated pages of incomparable beauty and Hellenistic style that overturn the stereotypes we have about the Middle Ages art and prove that the Greek spirit was surviving in Byzantium (the confirmation was to come a couple of centuries later with the Paleologan renaissance).