Final answer:
Byzantine artists created mosaics, a decorative art utilizing tiny pieces of glass or stone placed in cement or plaster, to decorate church interiors and create miniature icons.
Step-by-step explanation:
The decorative art that Byzantine artists created by using tiny pieces of glass or stone in wet cement or plaster is known as mosaic. Mosaics often depicted religious subjects and were a significant form of artistic expression in Byzantine culture.
Materials like tesserae, which are small, individual bits of stone or glass, sometimes with gold leaf sandwiched between layers, were intricately placed to create these elaborate designs.
These could be found ornamenting the floors, walls, and ceilings of early Christian and Byzantine churches, like the famous Hagia Sophia. Not only did the Byzantine Empire produce large-scale mosaics for architectural decoration, but they also crafted portable miniature mosaics from the twelfth century onward, which showcased the enduring creativity and patronage of the arts in the Byzantine era.