Medieval Europe Flashcards
Pair of Merovingian looped fibulae, from Jouy-le-Comte, France, mid-sixth century. Silver gilt worked in filigree, with inlays of garnets and other stones
fish and jewels
Purse cover, from the Sutton Hoo ship burial
The combination of abstract interlace with animal figures is the hallmark of early medieval art in western Europe.
Cloisonne-cross between stained glass and mosaics
Viking ship burial, Oseberg, Norway
boats were their main weapon
has interlaced animal reliefs and contained the remains of two women, 14 horses, three dogs, an ox, and probably also a treasure of jewelry and metalwork.
animal head post form Viking ship burial
Wood portal of the stave church at Urnes
By the 11th century, Scandinavia had become mostly Christian, but Viking artistic traditions persisted, as in the intertwining animal-and-plant decoration of this Norwegian church portal.
Man (symbol of Saint Matthew), folio 21 verso of the Book of Durrow
This early Hiberno-Saxon Gospel book has four pages devoted to the symbols of the four evangelists (Matt, Mark, Luke, John)
Psalters: 150 Psalms of King David and Solomon
Books of Hours
Pentateuch Five books of the Jewish Torah
Cross-inscribed carpet page, folio 26 verso of the Lindisfarne Gospels
exemplifies the way Hiberno-Saxon illuminators married Christian imagery and the animal-and-interlace style of the early medieval warlords
Cross=ultimate trap for Satan
Not a scripture
Cross keeps us safe
Saint Matthew
folio 25 verso of the Lindisfarne Gospels
Gospels symbols
Matthew: winged man (The ancestry of Christ)
Mark: Lion (A voice crying from the dessert. King of the
Desert)
Luke: Ox (Zacharias sacrifices and Ox)
John: Eagle (Connected with his apocalyptic visions)
Chi-rho-iota (XPI) page, folio 34 recto of the Book of Kells
most decorated illuminated manuscript
the painter transformed the biblical text into abstract pattern, literally making God’s words beautiful. The intricate design recalls early medieval metalwork.
High Cross of Muiredach (east face)
exaggerates Bible stories
center= final judgement
symbols of fortune
Equestrian portrait of Charlemagne or Charles the Bald
The Carolingian emperors sought to revive the glory and imagery of the Roman Empire. This equestrian portrait depicts a crowned emperor holding a globe, the symbol of world dominion.
Saint Matthew, folio 15 recto of the Coronation Gospels (Gospel Book of Charlemagne)
More color/formal
made of purple pages
The Carolingian painter used light, shade, and perspective to create the illusion of three-dimensional form.
Saint Matthew, folio 18 verso of the Ebbo Gospels (Gospel Book of Archbishop Ebbo of Reims)
looks more nervous and frantic
winged man in top right corner
West facade of the Palatine Chapel of Charlemagne
Porphyry (purple marble)
similar to San Vitale
The innovative design of Charlemagne’s palace chapel features two cylindrical towers with spiral staircases flanking the entrance portal, foreshadowing later medieval dual-tower church facades.
Restored plan (left) and cutaway view (right) of the Palatine Chapel of Charlemagne
connected to the palace
Horseshoe arch (Islam Characteristic)
Interior of the Palatine Chapel of Charlemagne
Charlemagne’s chapel is the first vaulted medieval structure north of the Alps. The architect transformed the complexity and lightness of San Vitale’s interior (Fig. 9-1) into simple, massive geometric form.
Schematic plan for a monastery, from Saint Gall
self-sustaining community
The purpose of this plan for an ideal, self-sufficient Benedictine monastery was to separate the monks from the laity. Near the center is the church with its cloister, the monks’ earthly paradise.
Westwork of the abbey church
An important new feature of Carolingian church architecture was the westwork, a monumental western facade incorporating two towers.
emeterius, the tower and scriptorium of San Salvador de Tábara, colophon (folio 168) of the Commentary on the Apocalypse by Beatus
the painter carefully recorded the tower’s Islamic-style glazed-tile walls and elegant windows with horseshoe arches, a Visigothic legacy.
Westwork (left; with 12th-century apse) and nave (right; looking east) of the church of Saint Cyriakus
Ottonian builders modified the interior elevation of Early Christian basilicas. The Gernrode designer added a gallery above the nave arcade and adopted an alternate-support system of piers and columns
Saint Michael’s
Built by Bishop Bernward, a great art patron, Saint Michael’s is a masterpiece of Ottonian basilica design.
Longitudinal section (top) and plan (bottom) of the abbey church of Saint Michael’s
Saint Michael’s entrances are on the side. Alternating piers and columns divide the space in the nave into vertical units.
similar to Abbeys
Doors with relief panels (Genesis, left door; life of Christ, right door), commissioned by Bishop Bernward for Saint Michael’s,
fall an redemption of man
Bernward’s doors tell the story of original sin and redemption, and draw parallels between the Old and New Testaments, as in the expulsion from Paradise and the infancy and suffering of Christ.
God accusing Adam and Eve, detail of the left door of Saint Michael’s
The Hildesheim bronze-caster recounted the story of original sin with a flair for anecdote. With vivid gestures, God accuses Adam, who passes the blame to Eve, who points in turn to the serpent.
Column from Saint Michael’s
Otto III enthroned, folio 24 recto of the Gospel Book of Otto III, from Reichenau
Wanted to bring the greatness of Rome to his empire
appears in this Gospel book enthroned and holding the scepter and cross-inscribed orb signifying his universal authority.
Abbess Uta dedicating her codex to the Virgin, folio 2 recto of the Uta Codex
represents self as close to religious figure as possible
The Uta Codex illustrates the important role that women played both in religious life and as patrons of the arts. The dedicatory page shows Abbess Uta presenting her codex to the Virgin Mary.
