Early Medieval Art
Roman influence largely lost in era of
mass migrations
Early Medieval
Europe
7th and 8th Century
Late 8th century,
Charlemagne will
unite and stabilize
•Great technological breakthroughs of Roman Empire largely forgotten or not
able to be used by migratory people of 7th century
•Age of mass migrations across Europe
•Atilla the Hun conquered and despoiled large areas of Europe (Dark Ages?)
•Vikings came from Scandinavia and invaded Britain & France
•Vandals destroyed remains of Roman Civliization
Time Period: 500 - 1050
Civilization/art
Time
Place
Hiberno Saxon
6th - 8th cent.
British Isles
Viking Art
8th - 11th
century
8th-9th century
Charlemagne
10th-early 11th
Scandinavia
(traveled to Brit)
France,
Germany
Carolingian Art
Ottonian Art
Germany
Early Medieval Painting
Page with Man, Gospel of St. Matthew, Gospel
Book of Durrow, 7th century, Scotland/N. Englane
•
Monasteries main center of
learning, very illiterate population
•
Artists who could both write & draw
created illuminated manuscripts
•
Scribes copied Bible or medical
•
Codices: made of vellum or
parchment, folded into booklets of 8
pages (QUIRES)
•
Scriptoria: room where nuns &
monks painted illuminations, sewn
quires together to make a book
•
Covered with bindings of wood,
leather, precious gems, godl leaf
•
Sacred quality of work
Hiberno Saxon Art
• (Hibernia = Ireland)
• Celtic Christians, isolated from
Rome, developed own art
traditions
• Portable works done in the
animal style
• Metalworks of the Visigothseagle symbol
• Where else do we see Eagle
symbol?
6th century Eagle Brooch
Chi Rho Iota, page from The
Book of Kells
flashcard
Oxgall inks & pigments on
vellum, 12” x 9”
Late 8th or early 9th century,
Hiberno-Saxon period
Monks fleeing Viking invasion
of Scotland made this book
Lavish, richly illustrated book
with great complexity of design
Horror vacui style of interlacing
patterns
Initials are dominant motifs
Heads & figures of people &
animals appear in elaborate
design
What does Chi Rho Iota mean?
Can you find the animals with the
Communion wafer?
Where else do we see horror vacui styles?
?
?
?
Horror Vacui anyone?
Purse Cover from Sutton Hoo Ship Burial, 600 CE, cloissone gold, garnet, enamels
Hiberno-Saxon period; flashcard.
Sutton Hoo ship burial, of a major king or hero; Purse cover designs survive (ivory
backing disintegrated). Animal Style hawks attacking ducks. Interlacing patterns of
ornamental designs. Cloissonne technique (enamelwork-colored areas sep. by bronze)
Viking Art
• Scandinavia expanded
raids on British Isles
w/ fast ships
• Hit monasteries
• Mostly applied art
• Animal style, horror
vacui
• 8th-11th centuries
10th century Rune Stones ordered
by King Harald Bluetooth
Viking ships were used both for
transport, raids, and burials - 200 miles
per day
Ship symbolized dead warrior’s journey
to Valhalla (heaven)
Detail of Gripping Beasts from Oseberg
Ship
Date: 9th century
Vikings traded, raided, explored, and
colonized (todays) England, Scotland,
France, and parts of Russia.
Leif Ericcson reached North America.
•2 highly placed
women from
Viking court
•Animal patterns
& interlacing
•Boat contained
animal sacrifices
as well as jewels,
precious goods
•Prow & Stern end
in snakes’ heads
•“gripping beasts”
design
Queen’s Ship, or Oseberg Ship Burial Wood, 815 CE,
Viking burial ship from Oseberg flashcard
•Women worked
in fiber arts;
spindle and loom
included in burial
ship along with
tapestries
Viking Architecture - Stave
Church from Norway
• Timber architecturelarge horizontal
wooden beams
(staves)
• Steep pyramidal shape
• Crosses & dragons on
the gables
Borgund Stave Church, 1125
Carolingian Art - Charlemagne
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Equestrian Statue, 9th century, possibly
Charlemagne- hierarchy of scale?
Germanic Franks unified parts of
Germany, France, Italy, Low
Countries w/Christianity
Bonds between Pope & Emperor
Charlemagne
Patronage??
Charlemagne revived arts &
learning, emphasized Education
Benedictine monks
Capital at Aachen, Germany
ROMAN REVIVAL!!!!!!!!!
Carolingian Architecture
• Charles the Great =
Charlemagne
• Planned Aachen to be new
Rome
• Built bath houses, monasteries,
churches, etc. such as St.
Riquier
• Elaborate westworks (central
entrance beneath 2nd story
chapel, flanked by elaborate
towers)
• Cloister = open air courtyard
Abbey Church of Saint Riquier,
Carolingian interpretation of Roman
basilica
Plan of the Abbey of St. Gall, Original from 1092, (redrawn)
Ideal monastic
community
Church symbolic
and literal center
Cloistered monks
never leave except
to farm
Workshops for
leather, pottery
Carolingian church
w/westwork
Church was never
built AFAIK
flashcard
Palace Chapel of Charlemagne, 9th century, Aachen, Germany
Odo of Metz (interior), Centrally planned chapel for Charlemagne; Dome made of
spherical triangles. Throne located in gallery halfway between heaven & earth
Largest arches on2nd floor, columns fill space, don’t support arch
Design inspired by Church of San Vitale - Ravenna Italy. Byzantine syle mosaics.
Design inspired by Church of San Vitale on right
Utrecht Psalter
(page with Psalm 23)
13” x 10”
9th century (Caroiingian)
Flashcard
Richly illustrated ink
drawings on vellum of the
psalms of the Bible
One color (unlike Book of
Kells & other manuscripts)
Small initials
Literal translation of psalms
Style with agitated
gestures, active violence
Coronation Gospels, Page
with Matthew the
Evangelist (flashcard)
13” x 10”
Early 9th century
(Carolingian period)
Carolingians promoted
learning & Christianity
Imperial workshopscarefully edited texts
RETURN OF THE HUMAN
FIGURE in these books
Each monastery had
distinct style..
Godelscalc, Ebbo, Etc.
Influence on figure???
(REVIVAL)
This page of Matthew the
Evangelist is from the Ebbo
Gospels.
Successor of Charlemagne,
Louis the Pious… Ebbo was
friend and patron of arts.
Expressive intensity
Uses brush like a pen
Created new style of writing
Lindau Gospels, outer cover
Late 9th century, Carolingian
period
Gold with pearls, sapphires,
emeralds & garnets
Monastic workshop of
Charlemagne’s grandson
Became the cover of
magnifcently illustrated Lindau
Gospels
Goldsmith technique = ________
Jesus in classical pose
Carolingian empire ended when
Vikings took over at end of 9th
century.
Ottonian Art & Architecture
• Otto defeasted Vikings
and reunited Europe
• Revitalized church &
spiritual values
• Rome & Early Christian
influence
• Imperial imagery from
Carolinian
• Bronze doors, large stone
Mon.
• Interior arches &
windows don’t line up
Church of St. Cyriakis, Belgium
Doors of Bishop Bernward,
Church of St. Michael,
11th century Germany (Ottonian)
16’6” high, bronze doors
FIRST Bronze major casing since
antiquity, style looks like Utrecht
Psalter
Imperial influence: Pantheon,
Aachen had bronze doors w/o
decoration
Rectangular panels with few figures,
bare landscapes, lively gestures
Bony figures, vitality and lively
Emphasis on feet, hands, heads
flashcard
Diagram of the Doors
of Bishop Bernward
Aachen Gospels
Page with Otto III Enthroned
Late 10th century
Ink, gold, colors on vellum
•Otto III shown enthroned in center
•Surrounded by a mandorla and
symbols of the evangelists
•Made in scriptoria near
Reichenau
•WHAT WAS THE FUNCTION OF
THIS ARTWORK?
•WHO WAS THE PATRON?
•Warriors & Bishops face each
other in bottom of page
•flashcard
Gero Crucifix,
Cologne Cathedral
Ottonian period (10th century)
Painted & gilded wood
6’2” figure
Return of large monumental
sculpture
Emotional suffering
Rounded forms
Hanging from a cross for the
first time!!!!!!
flashcard
Aachen Gospels of Otto III
Page w/Christ washing the feet of
his disciples
Ink, gold, colors on vellum
Early 11th century
What influences do you see in the
figures here? The colors?
Emeterius & Ende, scribe Senior
Page with the Bird and the
Serpent
Islamic influence in Spanish art
ART OF THE BOOK PROJECT!!!
You may use this as an example…