ABSTRACT
The golden altar in the Basilica of St. Ambrose in Milan is one of the most fascinating objects surviving from the Carolingian domination of Milan. At a very general level, it is first of all important to remember Cesare Alzati's study that demonstrated, mostly based on documentary and liturgical evidence, an important and incessant dialogue between Milan and Byzantium throughout the Early Middle Ages and up until the twelfth century. As suggested by the title of this paper, however, the golden altar may also be interpreted as being part of a dialogue, somehow unexpected, with the visual world of Constantinople at that time. The delegation was led by Hilduin of St. Denis, and the people have no document that testifies to the presence of a Milanese emissary among the ambassadors. With the current research, the people cannot go beyond these data that, as a whole, provide important clues to understanding the design of the Milanese golden altar.
