Early Medieval Art
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EARLY MEDIEVAL ART
(500 - 950 CE)
I.
BARBARIAN KINGDOMS
A. Basic Characteristics
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Collapse of trade and towns
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Loss of literacy
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Rise of Romance (Roman-based) languages
By the 800’s, French, Spanish, Italian and other Romance
languages had evolved from Latin
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Spread of Christianity
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St. Patrick (432 CE0 and the Irish
Clovis and the Franks (496)
“For I have called on my gods, but I find they are from
my aid… Now I call on Thee. I long to believe in Thee.
Only please deliver me from my enemies.”
 St. Benedict (540) and the Benedictine Rule
B. Art of the Warrior Lords
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Animal Style – are where the decoration is in the form of
abstracted animals such as bird and fish. These abstract
animal forms are also known as ZOOMORPHIC
IMAGERY.
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Highly decorative – extensive use of gold and gems using the
technique of CLOISONNE.
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CLOISONNE is a metal working technique in which cloisons
(small pieces of metal) are soldered (welded) onto a metal
background plate and enamel is filled in the spaces. The
decorations often included INTERLACE – a design in which
an artist uses single ribbon or line and intertwines it over and
over for aesthetic purposes.

Portable and functional – the Germanic tribes were itinerant.
So their art is practical and easy to carry. These tribes moved
so much that historians also refer to this period of European
history as the Migration period.
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C. Examples
II.
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Frankish fibula (GARDNER’S 423) – FIBULAS served as
pins to fasten garments. They were like giant safety pins.
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Sutton Hoo treasures
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In 1939, a treasure-laden ship was discovered in a
burial mound at Sutton Hoo in Suffolk, England. The
objects were carefully chosen to reflect the king’s high
status and to equip him for the afterlife.

Among the many precious finds were a gold belt buckle,
ten silver bowls, and 40 gold coins to pay the 40
oarsmen who would row the deceased across the sea on
his final voyage.
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Helmet – (British Museum site under “Highlights of the
British Museum)
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Purse Cover – GARDNER’S 423
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It contains abstract animal imagery, a common feature
of early Medieval art. The art of this period is
sometimes called the Animal Style. The object, a purse
cover, is a small and portable piece, fitting with the
migratory nature of tribes of the early Middle Ages.
The purse cover was made using cloisonné and is highly
decorative; all empty spaces are filled in with enamel
and interlace designs, also a characteristic of art of
early Medieval Europe.
HIBERNO-SAXON ART (600 – 800 CE)
A. Introduction
During the early Middle Ages there was a sudden flowering of
Christian art in Ireland and the various islands off the coasts of
northern Britain. Its style is called Hiberno-Saxon. (Hibernia is Latin
for “Ireland.”)
B. Stone Crosses GARDNER’S 429
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The crosses have a circle in the center of them. These crosses
are known as CELTIC CROSSES and are important to
Hiberno-Saxon art.
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C. Manuscript Illumination
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Lindisfarne Gospels (GARDNER’S 420)
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Lindisfarne is an island of the coast of Scotland which
had a monastery famous of producing illuminated
manuscripts
Monasteries in such remote locations were centers of
learning and produced books in SCRIPTORIA – centers
for producing illuminated manuscripts.
Such monasteries were also wealthy and susceptible to
Viking attacks as was the case with Lindisfarne.

The Lindisfarne Gospels illuminates the Gospels of the
Bible – Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John

It contains a CARPET PAGE – a highly decorative page
with INTERLACE designs which resembles an Persian
carpet

Zoomorphic imagery is often included within the design
Book of Kells
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Greatest achievement of Hiberno-Saxon art
Unprecedented number of full-page illuminations,
including carpet pages, evangelist symbols, and
portrayals of the Virgin Mary and Christ
WOW – “the work not of men but of angels.” (Giraldus
Cambrensis, ca. 1150 CE)

WHEN – The Book of Kells was completed in about 800
CE

WHERE – The scribes and artists who created the Book
of Kells were monks who lived in a monastery on the
remote island of Iona, off the west coast of Scotland.

WHO – The names of the illustrators are unknown. It is
estimated that the artwork took a team of illustrators 30
years to complete!

WHAT – The book consists of a Latin text of the four
Gospels, written in calligraphy and lavishly illustrated in
as many as TEN colors. It contains 680 pages. Only TWO
of its 680 pages are without color.
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
The Book of Kells were written and painted on VELLUM
– made out of calf skin, which had been soaked, stretched,
and scraped clean.

It is often called an ILLUMINATED manuscript because
the drawings illuminate or illustrate the t ext and the
colors illuminate or brighten each page.
HISTORY

In order to protect it from the Viking raiders, the Book
of Kells was moved to Kells Monastery in Ireland in the
9th century.

Now known as the Book of Kells, the book remained at
the monastery for almost 200 years until it was stolen in
1007. Its golden jewel-encrusted cover was ripped off
the book and never recovered. However, the book itself
was recovered. 30 FOLIOS – pages are missing

The Book of Kells remained in the monastery at Kells
until 1541, when the Roman Catholic Church took it for
protection. In 1661, it was returned to Ireland and given
to Trinity College of Dublin by Archbishop Ussher. It
has remained at the college since then and is now
considered a national treasure.
AMAZING FACTS

The INTERLACE (a complex pattern composed of a
single line that intertwines and overlaps completely
filling the available space) is truly incredible. ONLY
WHEN A TEN-FACTOR MAGNIFYING GLASS IS
APPLIED TO SOME OF THE FIGURES CAN ONE
SEE THE BREATHTAKINGLY INTRICATE AND
EXACT DECORATION. But magnifying glasses of that
power did not exist until hundreds of years later.

In one spot, there are 158 lacings of a white ribbon
contained in a square inch and nowhere can there be
found an error by the artists.

In the late 1980’s, a Swiss firm specializing in the
reproduction of rare illuminated manuscripts produced
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1,480 copies of the Book of Kells and sold each copy for
$18,000!!!
III.
CHARLEMAGNE AND THE CAROLINGIAN REVIVAL
A. The Rise of the Franks

Clovis converts to Christianity (496)
“Meekly bow thy proud head…Adore what thou has burned,
burn what thou has adored.”

Charles “The Hammer” Martel defeats the Muslims at the
Battle of Tours (732)

Pepin forms a close alliance with the Pope and is crowned
“king by the grace of God.”
B. Charlemagne (768 – 814)
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Personality
Conqueror
Reviving the glory of the Roman Empire
Holy Roman Emperor – crowned Holy Roman Emperor by
the Pope on Christmas day 800 in Old St. Peter’s Basilica.
The spot is marked in new St. Peter’s.
Revived learning
 Court at Aachen
 Scholars such as Alcuin were brought into expand
education
 Saved Greek and Roman manuscripts
 Invented Carolingian Miniscule – our own cursive
writing is based upon Carolingian Miniscule
C. Carolingian Art

Imperial Imagery
 Equestrian Portrait of Charlemagne (Gardner 430)
Equestrian portrait is reminiscent of Roman imagery
for emperors
It is a figurine of small statue just 9 ½ inches high

Jeweled Bust
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Actually a RELIQUARY or container for sacred relics
The jeweled bust contained fragments of
Charlemagne’s skull

Two Portraits of St. Matthew
 Classical St. Matthew from the Coronation Gospels
(Gardner 431) – classical calm

Impassioned St. Matthew from the Ebbo Gospels
(Gardner 431)
Matthew wears a toga and the modeling of his head,
hands, and feet create a sense of three-dimensional
illusionism.
Saint Matthew writes with an energy that suggests a
frenzy of divine inspiration. The saint almost leaps
under its impulse. His hair stands on end, his eyes open
wide, the folds of his drapery writhe and vibrate. Even
the landscape seems to be alive. Matthew appears to
take down in frantic haste what his inspiration (the tiny
angel in the upper-right corner) dictates.

THE ETS STRIKES AGAIN!
Identify the art historical period of the manuscript
illustration shown. Discuss the artistic styles evident in
the work.

Bejeweled Books of Gold and Ivory
 The Four Gospel Writers
 Scenes from the New Testament (Cleansing the Temple,
healing of the leper, healing of the blind man, woman
taken in adultery)
D. Carolingian Architecture
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The Problem
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Charlemagne want to have a Royal Chapel
But what plan should he use?
Solution One: The Basilica-Plan
 Nave – a large central hall where the congregation sits
Early Medieval Art
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Clerestory – row of windows in the upper part of the
wall
Apse – a projecting part of a basilica, usually
semicircular in shape
Transept – cross arm placed at right angles to the nave
Narthex – an entrance porch of a church
Solution Two: The Central Plan
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The rectangular basilica church was long the favorite in
Western Europe.
But Early Christian architects also adopted another
architectural type: THE CENTRAL PLAN building.
This type is so named because the building’s parts are of
equal or almost equal dimensions around the center.
In Western Europe, CENTRAL PLAN structures were
first used by Christians as tombs, baptisteries, and
shrines to martyrs
In the CENTRAL PLAN, the DOME is the natural focus
of the church. The DOME functions symbolically as the
“vault of heaven.”
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What did Charlemagne choose? (Gardner 441)
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Charlemagne’s Palatine Chapel at Aachen
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Palatine Hill in Rome is where the patricians and
emperors lived. It was the site where Romulus founded
the city of Rome.
Charlemagne’s Palatine Chapel was designed by Odo of
Metz
Influenced by SAN VITALE in Ravenna – Charlemagne
probably related better to the Germanic kings who ruled
Ravenna, and he made several trips to Ravenna
Notice the significant Roman elements of Palatine Chapel
– It reflects how Charlemagne wanted to revive the glory
of the Roman Empire
E. Carolingian architecture left a legacy on the development of Western
European church design.
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Carolingian architecture favored the basilica plan which was
used in Western Europe for centuries to come
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At the west entrance of the basilica, architects included two
large towers at the corners. The architects enlarged the entire
western façade to unite it with the towers. This large western
entrance made popular during the Carolingian period is called
a WESTWORK.

The Carolingian period left a legacy on the building of
MONASTERIES
o Saint Benedict established rules for monks that ordered
the day into periods of manual labor and sacred
reading. These rules are considered the Benedictine
Rule.
o Monks followed these rules and separated themselves
from worldly living in MONASTERIES.
o Charlemagne encouraged the building of monasteries
which were centers of learning
o Monasteries continued the literary culture of the GrecoRoman world (Gardner’s)
o SEE THE SCHEMATIC PLAN FOR THE
MONASTERY OF SAINT GALL, SWITZERLAND
o Monasteries were self-sufficient communities.
o Notice a new feature attached to the church – a
CLOISTER - a courtyard surrounded by columns
similar to the Early Christian ATRIUM but attached to
the side of the church
o Much of the Met’s Medieval Art collection is housed in
a separate museum called the CLOISTERS
F. Decline of the Carolingian Period and the Frankish Empire
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
After the death of Charlemagne, his son Louis the Pious
reigned. Louis the Pious was not a strong ruler like his
father.
After his death, three of Louis’ sons split the Frankish
Empire
 Charles the Bald – inherited the western lands which
eventually formed the foundation of France
 Louis the German – took the eastern Frankish lands
which eventually became Germany
 Lothair – took the “Middle Kingdom” which extended
from the North Sea to Italy
Early Medieval Art
IV.
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OTTONIAN ART
A. Who are the Otto’s?
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A line of Saxon kings
Ruled what are now parts of Germany, Austria, and
Northern Italy
Three Otto’s ruled from 936 – 1002
Supported culture and the arts – carried on the tradition
established during the Carolingian period
B. Bishop Bernward
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Tutor of Otto III
Skilled in diplomacy
Scholar
Lover of the arts
Expert craftsman and bronze caster
C. Cathedral of Saint Michael’s Hildesheim
 Built for an Ottonian Monastery
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Resembles a basilica – long rectangular structure
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Notice the use of an ALTERNATE-SUPPORT SYSTEM –
This means that the nave arcade is supported by columns
alternating with piers (rectangular).
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A distinctive feature of the Saint Michael’s church that
separates it from Early Christian basilicas – It has TWO
TRANSEPTS
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Note the arch at the end of the nave – it resembles a Roman
triumphal arch
D. Bronze Doors of Saint Michael’s at Hildesheim
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16 feet high
8 scenes from the Book of Genesis on the left and 8 scenes from
the life of Christ on the right
Old Testament scenes prefigure the New Testament scenes.
EXAMPLE – the panel with God judging Adam and Eve for
the original sin is juxtaposed with Jesus being judged by
Pontius Pilate
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EXAMPLE 2: On the left, we see Eve (who caused humanity’s
fall from grace) and her son Cain (who committed the first
murder). On the right, we see Mary (the new Eve) and her son
Jesus (humankind’s savior)
An inscription mentions their initiator and their date of origin:
"In the year of the Lord 1015, Bishop Bernward, in divine
memory, had these cast door wings suspended on the façade of
the Angels' Temple, for his remembrance."
E. Bronze Column in Saint Michael’s Hildesheim (Gardner page 448)
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Triumphal column reminiscent of the Roman tradition of
recording great events
12 ½ feet high
Modeled after Trajan’s Column in Rome
Narrative tells the story of Jesus’ life in 24 scenes
F. Crucifix carved for Archbishop Gero (Gardner 449)
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Commissioned by Archbishop Gero
Carved in oak and then painted and gilded
Highlights Christ’s agony and intense suffering