STUDY GUIDE / Unit two
The Middle Ages
ONLINE VIDEO ASSIGNMENT: David Macaulay’s Cathedral approx.( 50-55 minutes)
Search on Google ( on the toolbar, click under the ‘More’ tab, then click on ‘video’; key words :
Cathedral Macaulay.)
Chapter 10 Emperor Constantine --- chi rho symbol, catacombs
New Kingdoms – East Rome West Rome . Which area of Europe becomes Byzantine?
Constantinople --, was called Byzantium before what ruler changed its name? What is the city called
today?
Symbolism in early Christian art. Common symbols: good shepherd, chi rho, red circles, domes, halos,
mandorlas, groupings/ divisions of 3, 4, 5, and 12 & what the #s symbolize
Laurel Victory wreaths become olive branches
Jonah and the Whale motif—typology
The color purple signifies what?
How is a Roman sarcophagus of the early Christian period different from a pagan one?
What do the halos look like at this time period vs. the more modern way of depicting them???
The Hagia Sophia (Istanbul) – what is its most prominent feature? How is the dome supported?
Clerestory windows
Basilica construction. This pagan Roman convention center/ multipurpose building becomes the ‘building
block for the development of the cathedral. (Be able to recognize a building with a longitudinal axis
versus a centrally planned structure, as well as the shape of a basilica)
Mosaic technique undergoes a shift in the materials used to make the tesserae, as well as a shift in where
they become located ( hint: they aren’t right under your feet any more.)
Parts of a basilica--- see figure 10.4 in the text
nave, apse, altar, transept. – be able to label these on a floor plan of a church
Know the parts of the basilica compound (these churches are not one, but a small ‘campus’ of
buildings)—campanile, baptistery, martyrium (these are usually centrally-planned structures)
Additions to the Basilica Plan that come about by the Romanesque period:
The Ambulatory The Cruciform floor plan
Drawing Painting--- Icons, Madonna and Child images,
Iconoclastic Controversy—why did the early church order that so many religious images and icons be
destroyed
The shift from Papyrus to parchment / end of scroll era, beginning of the age of hardcover books. What
are some advantages to this shift in material?
Parchment/ vellum what is the average size page of a Gospel manuscript?
Continuous narration p. 167
Ch. 11 Early Middle Ages / Northern European Art
Anglo-Saxon metalwork / the Sutton Hoo purse cover
What is cloisonné enamel?
Interlace (sometimes called ‘knotwork’)
Zoomorphic decoration (also called animal style decoration) -- what areas of Europe use this??
Phyllomorphic decoration
What are some characteristics of Hiberno-Saxon Art? (This is also called Celtic art )
The Book of Kells / The Book of Durrow who made them?? Where??
Monasteries -- look at the diagram of a monastery in our text. Besides a chapel or church, what are some
other common features of a monastery compound and the activities that went on there? See pages 178181.
What is the scriptorium of a monastery?
Ch. 12 Romanesque Art
What does the term ‘Romanesque’ mean?? What countries did it flourish in?
What is a pilgrim during the Romanesque/ Gothic period? What was a pilgrimage at this time? Also,
what is the relationship between the pilgrim route and the development of the major cathedrals in
Europe? What was the ‘end of the line’ or final stop on the pilgrim route, and why did they not go to the
Holy Land at this time?
Relics/ Reliquaries—what did a reliquary contain? What is a ‘relic’ in the Middle Ages?
Know the difference between a triptych and a diptych
The Stavelot Triptych (what materials is it made of, and what important fragment does it display?
Architectural terms: (watch the online video Cathedral see top of first page of the study guide. )
Barrel vault / ribbed barrel vault
Romanesque arches
Cluster piers (column style)
Groin vaulting (also called cross vaulting), ribbed cross vaulting
Portal / tympanum
Ambulatory / radiating side chapels
How is a mandorla different/ similar to a halo?
Gislebertus: The Last Judgment, Flight into Egypt, the Sleeping Magi
The Bayeux tapestry What is a secular work of art?
Chapter 13 Gothic Art
Who is credited personally with the development of the Gothic Style?
In what countries does the Gothic style develop and flourish?
Between 1230 and 1250, how many French Gothic cathedrals were built?
Standard buttress / flying buttress
Rose Windows
Chartres Cathedral (what is its most beautiful feature?)
The Nave of St. Chapelle, Paris
Often French Gothic style, it is said that there is an “increased verticality of the architecture” this doesn’t
mean the buildings necessarily get taller, but how do the buildings appear more vertical? Be able to note
some changes in the interiors and exteriors that create this effect
Gothic Arches / Lancet windows & arches
Stone tracery
Trefoils, quatrefoils
Fan vaulting ( The Chapter House, Salisbury Cathedral; King’s College Chapel, England. )
Chapter 14 Precursors to the Renaissance
>>>Read mainly the sections on Giotto, the comparison between Giotto and Cimabue’s Madonna
Enthroned, the comparison between the two versions of the Kiss of Judas, Gothic International style, The
Limbourg Brothers/ The Book of Hours.
Gothic Classicism –
International Gothic Style
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End