Chapter 11 (Medieval Europe)

Question 1

Irish or Celtic stone crosses are identifiable by which of the following?

Answer 1

…A circle intersecting the cross arms

Question 2

It has been said that the author-portrait of Saint Matthew from the Lindisfarne Gospels shows classical influences. What supports this statement?

Answer 2

…The figure is seated as a philosopher or poet reading or writing.

Question 3

Which group of barbarian invaders at one time controlled part of Italy and formed a kingdom in southern France, and then were forced into Spain by the Franks?

Answer 3

…Visigoths

Question 4

The symbol of Matthew from the Book of Durrow shows frontal head, profile feet, and a cloak and frame that resemble contemporaneous cloisonné metalwork. Which of the following statements explains this work?

Answer 4

…Wedding the abstraction of early medieval adornment and early Christian and Byzantine pictorial imagery

Question 5

____ were centrally important to the revival of learning during Charlemagne’s reign.

Answer 5

…Monastic communities

Question 6

Bernward’s doors for Saint Michael’s, Hildesheim, juxtapose scenes from Genesis with scenes from ____.

Answer 6

…the life of Christ

Question 7

In the image of Saint Matthew from the Ebbo Gospels, the artist merged classical illusionism with ____.

Answer 7

…the northern linear tradition

Question 8

Two silver spoons, “Saulos” and “Paulos,” Paul’s names before and after baptism, were discovered as part of the Sutton Hoo burial. What might be alluded from these spoons?

Answer 8

…The owner’s conversion to Christianity.

Question 9

Later Ottonian church architecture adopted heavy square piers alternating with columns, dividing the nave into vertical units and mitigating the smooth rhythm of early Christian arcades. This system is known as ____.

Answer 9

…alternate support

Question 10

Which work demonstrates that the Carolingian artist had fully absorbed the Classical manner?

Answer 10

…Saint Matthew, Coronation Gospels

Question 11

What church plan was used as the model for the palace chapel at Aachen?

Answer 11

…San Vitale

Question 12

The alternate support system is first found in the architecture of which period?

Answer 12

…Ottonian

Question 13

Who was a major force in the revival of the Classical style in early medieval times?

Answer 13

…Otto III

Question 14

The ____ burial epitomizes the early medieval tradition of burying great lords with rich furnishings.

Answer 14

…Sutton Hoo

Question 15

The epic ____ records that heroes were buried with items of prestige, such as rings and brooches, as a testament to their greatness.

Answer 15

…Saga of Beowulf

Question 16

Equestrian statues were reminders of Rome’s glory. Charlemagne returned to Rome after his coronation with an equestrian statue of Theodoric. Which statue served as the ultimate model for such equestrian portraits?

Answer 16

…Marcus Aurelius

Question 17

In the mid-10th century, the eastern part of the Carolingian empire was consolidated under the rule of the ____.

Answer 17

…Ottonians

Question 18

What manuscript is commonly considered the greatest of the extant early medieval Irish books?

Answer 18

…Book of Kells

Question 19

Early-11th-century England was briefly part of what empire?

Answer 19

…Danish

Question 20

Through the use of illuminated manuscripts, Christian monks impressed the illiterate Christian population by ____.

Answer 20

…making words beautiful

Question 21

The ____ was the most typical object of prestige adornments in the medieval period.

Answer 21

…fibula

Question 22

The art of medieval monasteries in Ireland is described as ____.

Answer 22

…Hiberno-Saxon

Question 23

In which way did the three-aisled basilica for the Monastery of Saint Gall differ from its early Christian prototypes?

Answer 23

…It had a second apse on the west end.

Question 24

What was the primary vehicle used in the Christianization of the British Isles?

Answer 24

…Illuminated manuscripts

Question 25

The two groupings of a man standing between two lions on the Sutton Hoo purse cover can be found in ____.

Answer 25

…​the ancient world

Question 26

The primary sacred text was the Bible, consisting of the Old Testament originally written in Hebrew and the New Testament written in Greek. In what language is the Vulgate version of the Bible written?

Answer 26

…Latin

Question 27

Because of their large scale, ____ are the exceptions of artistic production in Ireland and northern England.

Answer 27

…high crosses

Question 28

The Carolingian architectural plan that demonstrated the beginnings of the modular system was found in ____.

Answer 28

…the Monastery of Saint Gall

Question 29

The Utrecht Psalter is most closely related to which of the following?

Answer 29

…Ebbo Gospels

Question 30

What model may have inspired the presence of two apses and a side entrance at Saint Michael’s, Hildesheim?

Answer 30

…Basilica Ulpia

Question 31

In the later Middle Ages, religious books were created for the private devotions of the laity. They were based on readers used by the monks. These books contained prayers to be read at specific times during the day and were popularly known as ____.

Answer 31

…Books of Hours

Question 32

The Lindau Gospels book highlights the stylistic diversity of early medieval art. Which of the following describes that combination?

Answer 32

…The work highlights the early Christian tradition and Utrecht Psalter style.

Question 33

The style of Saint Matthew from the Ebbo Gospels resembles the illustrations in the contemporaneous ____.

Answer 33

…Utrecht Psalter

Question 34

In the image of Otto III enthroned, the ____ signify his universal authority and conform to a Christian imperial iconographic tradition.

Answer 34

…scepter and orb

Question 35

Why is Christmas day 800 significant

Answer 35

Pope Leo III interrupted Christmas mass to crown Charlemagne emperor of Rome. The event took place in Saint Peter’s basilica. This was the first person to be emperor in more than three centuries

Question 36

The Book of Durrow has pages devoted to pure embellishment with neither text nor illustration. Why is this significant?

Answer 36

The Book of Durrow illustrates its independence from the classical tradition of papal Rome. This type of decoration, pure embellishment, has no precedent in classical art.

Question 37

What purpose did the plan for the monastery at Saint Gall serve, and how was it organized?

Answer 37

The monastery at Saint Gall is the first monastery to employ the modular system. This was a innovation by the Ottonians. The purpose of the monastery at Saint Gall was to provide a place for worship, and also a place for the monks to live. The monastery was also an important area for education and artistic development in similar fashion to those during Charlemane’s reign. Additionally, the space provided a coherent arrangement for the buildings within a monastic community. The fundamental purpose of the design was to separate the monks from laity who also lived within the community.

Question 38

Why is the image of Saint Matthew in the Lindisfarne Gospels exceptional, and what would explain its uniqueness?

Answer 38

It is exceptional among Hiberno-Saxon images because it is not based purely on abstract design. Instead, the artist based the composition on a model inspired by specifically classical art. It is believed that the model for this work was an illustrated book brought from Italy to England.

Question 39

Interpret the portrait of Otto III from the Gospel Book of Otto III.

Answer 39

He is presented as an emperor, holding the cross-inscribed orb and scepter, emblems of his office and his authority. At his sides are the clergy and barons, representing the church and the state. Otto III was very aware of his Byzantine connections (his mother was Theophanu, an imperial princess of Byzantium); even though this portrait is stylistically remote from Byzantium, the political resemblances to Byzantium are clear. This work shows the same political theme as the mosaic portrait of Justinian from San Vitale.

Question 40

Early medieval civilization in western Europe represents a fusion of which cultures?

Answer 40

It was a fusion of Christianity, the Greco-Roman heritage, and the cultures of the non-Roman peoples north of the Alps.

Question 41

What form did much medieval art from this period take

Answer 41

the form of small “status symbols” like fibula. It also took the form of illuminated manuscripts

Question 42

How did the reception of smaller “status symbols” of art change

Answer 42

Earlier scholars viewed these as minor arts but they were very important to people of the time