At stake in this book are the very identity and stability of Byzantine art. Accustomed to understanding Byzantine art as a settled category, we often perceive this material culture as expressions of the powerful piety and pious power emanating from Constantinople. The authors of this book, however, perform a remarkable feat in undermining those perceptions to the point where new categories become possible. Remarkable is the persuasive power of their prose, which is measured, self-effacing, and lucid. Moreover, their book is methodologically unthreatening: The prose is streamlined, the notes are not fat, and the illustrations are many, often unusual and wisely chosen. The book’s arrangement and presentation are nothing if not tasteful, and its arguments diplomatically made. Indeed, in such a highly conventionalized field, this study will be easily and readily assimilated. But I would argue that if read carefully and sympathetically this book is a rich source for re-thinking fundamental assumptions we hold about Byzantine art. For it reveals ways in which objects in the world Byzantines inhabited sought identities and fought type. We need to contend now with this world that produces such active and changeable objects. In typically modest fashion, the authors state in their introduction that...