Eustratius of Nicaea on the accidental nature of the work of art

This paper examines the accidental nature of the work of art in the thought of Eustratius of Nicaea, an eleventh-century Byzantine philosopher and bishop. This perspective is analyzed through his foundational writings: The Dialogue on Holy Icons, The Syllogistic Proofs, and The Commentary on Book VI of the Nicomachean Ethics. His standpoint on the work of art as a depiction of the being’s accidents is a emerged from his reflections on the mode of icon veneration, which are elaborated through debates on the subject with Leo of Chalcedon. The implications of such an understanding are far-reaching; thus, the study also explores the position of art in relation to wisdom and theology as the criterion for the superiority of knowledge. Due to its accidental nature, the visual art occupies a lower position compared to wisdom and theology proper, which is essentially conceptual, although in a broader sense it also concerns itself with the icons.