ROMANESQUE
ART
The Middle of the Middle Ages
ROMANESQUE PERIOD
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Romanesque means “in the Roman manner”
This is the period between the 11th and 12th centuries
The word was coined in the 19th century to describe
European church architecture which displayed the solid
masonry walls, rounded arches and masonry vaults
characteristic of imperial Rome
Soon the term was applied to all the arts of the period,
even though the influences extended beyond Rome to
include Byzantine, Islamic and early Medieval art
ROMANESQUE PERIOD
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The Norman ruler in England, after the conquest of the
Anglo Saxons, became the King of England
The Normans also took control over Sicily and southern
Italy from the Byzantine and Islamic rulers
France was beginning to emerge as a national state
The Holy Roman Empire (Germany & northern Italy) broke
down and local leaders arose
Although towns and cities gained in importance, Europe
remained an agricultural society
FEUDAL SYSTEM
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The economic foundation for
this political structure was the
Manor, an agricultural estate in
which peasants worked in
exchange for a place to live,
food, military protection and
other services from the lord
These estates became
hereditary over time, and thus
wealth and power came to be
distributed through a network of
largely inherited but constantly
shifting allegiances and
obligations
FEUDAL SYSTEM
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Women, in general, had a
subordinate position
When necessary, though,
aristocratic women took over
managing estates in their male
relatives’ frequent absences on
military missions or pilgrimages
They could also achieve
positions of authority and
influence as heads of religious
communities
Among peasants, men and
women often worked side by
side
THE CRUSADES
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In the 11th and 12th centuries,
Christian Europe, previously on the
defense against expanding Islam,
became the aggressor
In Spain, the armies of the Christian
north were increasingly successful
against the Islam south
In 1095, Pope Urban II, responding
to a request from the Byzantine
emperor, called for a Crusade to
retake Jerusalem and the Holy
Land
This first Crusade was successful in
establishing a short-lived Christian
state in Palestine
THE CRUSADES
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Although subsequent Crusades
were, for the most part, military
failures, the crusading movement
has far-reaching cultural and
economic consequences
The West’s direct encounter with
the more sophisticated material
culture of the Islamic world and the
Byzantine Empire created a
demand for goods from the East.
This, in turn, increased trade and
gave rise to an increasingly urban
society
WEST MEETS EAST
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Western scholars rediscovered
many classical Greek and Roman
texts that had been preserved in
Islamic Spain and eastern the
Mediterranean
The combination of intellectual
freedom and the increase financial
resources enabled the arts to
flourish
The first universities in Paris,
Bologna, Oxford and Cambridge
were established
This renewed intellectual and
artistic activity has been called the
12th century renaissance
MONKS AT WORK
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Monastic communities
continued to be powerful and
influential
Some monks and nuns were
highly regarded for their
religious devotion and the
learning, as well as their lives of
service
Because monasteries were
major landowners, they were
part of the feudal system
Also the children of aristocrats
who joined religious orders
helped forge links between the
monasteries and the ruling elite
Cathedral of St. James, Santiago
de Compostela, 1078-1122
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“Each people in
Christendom rivaled
with the other, to see
which should worship
in the finest buildings.
The world shook
herself, clothed
everywhere in a white
garment of churches”
Radulphus Glaber
Cathedral of St. James, Santiago
de Compostela, 1078-1122
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“Each people in
Christendom rivaled
with the other, to see
which should worship
in the finest buildings.
The world shook
herself, clothed
everywhere in a white
garment of churches”
Radulphus Glaber
Cathedral of St. James, Santiago
de Compostela, 1078-1122
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Increased prosperity made the
resources available to build on a
large scale, and the desire to glorify
the house of the Lord and his saints
In one sense, Romanesque
churches were the result of master
builders solving the problems
associated with each individual
project: its site, its purpose, the
building materials and work force
available, the builder’s own
knowledge and experience, and the
wishes of the patrons providing the
funding
Cathedral of St. James, Santiago
de Compostela, 1078-1122
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Like Carolingian churches, the
basic form of the Romanesque
church follows the plan of the
Basilica, with the following changes:
 Wide projecting transepts
 Complex sanctuaries with
ambulatories and chapels providing
space for additional altars and relics
and accommodating the crowds of
worshipers
 Two towered west façade became
not only the entrance to the church
but the gateway to Paradise
 Many builders turned to stone
masonry for roofs, thus enhancing
the acoustical properties for
Gregorian chant
 Addition of RIBS
Cathedral of St. James, Santiago
de Compostela, 1078-1122
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This church held the body of St.
James, the apostle to the Iberian
Peninsula
To accommodate the crowds of
pilgrims, builders added an aisled
transept with additional chapels on
the east and an ambulatory with
radiating chapels around the apse
An octagonal LANTERN TOWER )a
tower with windows) on squinches
over the crossing flooded the
sanctuary with daylight, drawing the
pilgrims forward to the shrines
Pilgrims entered the church through
portals in the transept, entering a
space the rivaled the nave in size
Cathedral of St. James, Santiago
de Compostela, 1078-1122
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The immense ribbed, barrelvaulted nave and transept had
two stories--an ARCADE and a
GALLERY--formed by masonry
piers
The piers have attached half
columns on all four sides, a type
of support known as a
COMPOUND PIER
This is an important
Romanesque innovation that
gave sculptural form the interior
as it marked off individual
vaulted bays
Cathedral of St. James, Santiago
de Compostela, 1078-1122
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A notable feature of a
Romanesque church
was the portal
sculpture, especially in
the TYMPANUM, the
lunette over the
doorway
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communicated the
core doctrines of the
Church
Cathedral of St. James, Santiago
de Compostela, 1078-1122
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This is the Palm Sunday
tympanum, illustrating
Christ entering Jerusalem
on a donkey, a fitting
image for a place of
pilgrimage
These sculptures marked
the passage from the
secular world into the
sacred world within the
church
ABBEY CHURCH OF CLUNY,
Burgundy, 1130
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A different Romanesque
architecture could be
found at this Benedictine
monastery
What do you notice is
same from the Cathedral
of St. James? What is the
different?
Let’s look at the two sideby-side
ABBEY CHURCH OF CLUNY,
Burgundy, 1130
ABBEY CHURCH OF CLUNY,
Burgundy, 1130
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Financed by King Alfonso of
northern Spain, Cluny III (the 3rd
church built) was the largest church
in Europe
Richly carved, painted and
furnished, it was described as the
work of angels
The proportions were based on
harmonic relationships discussed in
ancient Greek musical theory and
mathematics
The towering barrel vaulting--98
feet high, 40ft wide and 450 ft long-enhanced the sound of the monk’s
chant
ABBEY CHURCH OF CLUNY,
Burgundy, 1130
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Cluny had a special independent
status, its abbot answerable directly
to the Pope rather than the local
bishop and feudal lord
This independence led to reforms
that spread to other monasteries,
and garnered the favor and
patronage of successive rulers and
popes
Cluny monks and nuns dedicated
themselves to scholarly and artistic
interests
Most importantly was the
celebration of the 8 hours of the
Divine Office
ABBEY CHURCH NOTREDAME, FONTENAY 1139-47
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The Cistercians turned from
Cluny’s elaborate liturgical
practices and emphasis on the
arts to a simpler monastic life
By the end of the middle ages
there were 1,500 abbeys, half
for women, spread from Russia
to Ireland
Their life was devoted to prayer
and intellectual pursuits
combined with shared manual
labor
How can this perspective be
seen in this church?
ABBEY CHURCH NOTREDAME, FONTENAY 1139-47
ABBEY CHURCH NOTREDAME, FONTENAY 1139-47
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The Cistercians relied on
harmonious proportions and fine
stone work, not elaborate surface
decoration, to achieve beauty
Another feature is the use of
pointed ribbed vaults over the nave
and pointed arches in the nave
arcade and side aisle bays
Furnishing included little else tan
alters and candles
The large windows in the end wall,
rather than the clerestory, provided
light
The three windows, repeated twice
on the east wall, reminded the
monks of the Trinity
ABBEY CHURCH NOTREDAME, FONTENAY 1139-47
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This simple style spread
from Burgundy to become
an international style
The masonry vaults and
harmonious proportions
were to be influential in the
development of the Gothic
style latter in the Middle
Ages
DOUBTING THOMAS, Abbey of
Santo Domingo de Silos, Spain
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Like Cluny, and unlike the
Cistercian churches, most
Romanesque churches have a
remarkable variety of painting
and sculpture
Superb reliefs embellish the
corner piers in this church
The arch that forms a canopy is
crowned with a crenellated wall
and towers plus musicians.
These images from medieval life
frame the biblical story, just as
preachers used elements of
daily life to create a context for
the biblical stories
DOUBTING THOMAS, Abbey of
Santo Domingo de Silos, Spain
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The composition is expert:
 Christ is larger and off-center
 His right arm forms a strong
diagonal that bisects the space
between his haloed head and
Thomas’
 Thomas’ arm forms an opposing
diagonal parallel to the slope
between their heads, leading the
eye back to Christ
 The massed presence of the
apostles gives visual weight to
scene through the rhythmic
repetition of form
 It echoes the way the repetition of
nave bays in a Romanesque church
culminates in the apse, its symbolic
core
South Portal and Porch, Priory
Church of St. Pierre, Moissac
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Carved portals are
significant innovation in
Romanesque art
These complex works that
combine biblical narrative,
legends, folklore, history,
and Christian symbolism,
represent the first large
scale architectural
sculpture since the end of
the Roman Empire
ROMANESQUE CHURCH
PORTAL
South Portal and Porch, Priory
Church of St. Pierre, Moissac
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The sculpture of Christ in Majesty
dominates the huge tympanum
A Pantokrator-like Christ points to the
“book sealed with seven seals”, a
reference to Revelations
He surrounded by mandorla and a
cruciform halo rings his head
Four winged figures symbolizing the
evangelists frame Him, as do Elongated
angels seraphim and old testament
kings and prophets, the ancestors of
Jesus
The figures reflect a hierarchy of scale
and location
The shifting of poses and off center
composition create a scene of action
and not a rigid mirror image
South Portal and Porch, Priory
Church of St. Pierre, Moissac
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This work would have been
painted and gilded
The two side jambs and a
central TRUMEAU support the
weight of the lintel an tympanum
and have scalloped profiles of
Sts. Peter and Paul, and two
Old Testament prophets.
The many rosettes suggest the
influence of Islamic art, which
makes sense since this was
created after the 1st Crusade
There is also scroll work much
like the animal style of the
Vikings
The Last Judgment, Cathedral of
St Lazare, Autun
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A very different pictorial style
can be seen here in Gislebertus’
work
Christ has returned to judge the
cowering naked human souls at
his feet
The damned writhe in agony on
his left, while the saved enjoy
bliss on the right
Let’s look at both and point out
the similarities and differences
The Last Judgment, Cathedral of
St Lazare, Autun
The Last Judgment, Cathedral of
St Lazare, Autun
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Christ dominates like at Moissac,
but the surround figures are thinner
and taller than at Moissac and are
arranged in less regular
compartmentalized tiers
The overall effect is less
consciously balanced than the
pattern filled composition at
Moissac
The stylized figures, stretched out
and bent at sharp angles, are
powerfully expressive, successfully
conveying the terrifying urgency of
the moment
MAGI ASLEEP, Cathedral of St.
Lazare, Autun
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Gislebertus.1120-32
An important Romanesque
contribution to architectural
decoration was the ingenious
compression of instructive narrative
scenes into geometric confines of
column capitals, called
HISTORATED CAPITAL
Most Romanesque capitals were
flaring Corinthian and in order that
their work could be seen from a
distance they used
UNDERCUTTING, a technique
used sine ancient times to sharpen
contours and convey depth
MAGI ASLEEP, Cathedral of St.
Lazare, Autun
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Medieval tradition identified the
magi as kings Casper(beard),
Melchoir(moustache) and
Balthazar(clean-shaven, and later
portrayed as a black African)
The angel has arrived and is
awakening Melchoir and pointing
towards the Star of Bethlehem
The sculptor’s use of two vantage
points simultaneously--the Magi and
the head of the bed viewed from
above, the angel and foot of the bed
seen from the side--communicates
the key elements with wonderful
economy and clarity
RELIQUARY STATUE OF SAINT
FOY(FAITH), 9TH CENTURY
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Silver gilt over wood core, 33”
Within is the skull of the saint
The head was made from a
Roman parade helmet
The relics were stolen from her
shrine in Saint-Agens by monks
from Conques
This was called “a holy robbery”
because the new owners
insisted that the saint had
encouraged them because she
wanted to move
VIRGIN AND CHILD, Auvergne,
late 12th century
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One form of devotional image that
became popular during the late
Romanesque period was the seated
Virgin with the child on her lap, a
type known as the Throne of
Wisdom
The throne-like bench symbolized
the lion throne of Solomon
Though his hands are missing, we
can assume that Jesus held a book,
the Word of God, in one and
delivered a blessing with the other
To the medieval believer. Christ
represented the priesthood,
humankind and God, while Mary
represented the Church
BATLLO CRUCIFIX, Catalonia
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In the 12 century, poorer
churches began commissioning
sacred works made from less
costly materials, painted wood
for instance
The crucifixion continued to be a
primary devotional theme in the
Romanesque period
The Batllo Crucifix derived from
Byzantine sources and is quite
different from the Gero Crucifix
BATLLO CRUCIFIX, Catalonia
BATLLO CRUCIFIX, Catalonia
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His bowed head, down-turned
mouth and heavy lidded eyes
convey a sense of deep
sadness and contemplation
His royal robes emphasize his
kingship
His gown has pseudo-kufic
inscriptions--designs meant to
resemble Arabic script--since
silks from Arabic Spain were
highly prized and used to
designate great kings
WALL PAINTING, CHURCH OF
SAINT-SAVIN, POITU
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Wall painting was subject to the
same influences as the other
visual arts. The painters were
inspired by models available to
them--some had seen examples
of Byzantine, some Carolingian
or even Early Christian models
from manuscript
During the Romanesque period
painted decoration largely
replaced mosaic on the wall of
churches, a change largely due
to the request by churches for
less expensive techniques
WALL PAINTING, CHURCH OF
SAINT-SAVIN, POITU
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The tunnel-like vault of the
Benedictine Abbey Church, running
the length of the nave and choir,
provides an ideal surface for a
program of paintings
Biblical scenes inspired by
manuscripts
They did not use the wet FRESCO
technique favored in Italy, but did
moisten the walls before painting to
allow for some absorption of the
pigment
Thus the paintings on the nave
have a soft, powdery tone in
contrast to the richer,more brilliant
hues of the Byzantine-inspired work
in the apse
WALL PAINTING, CHURCH OF
SAINT-SAVIN, POITU
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Tower of Babel
The painters immediately followed the
masons, using their scaffolding, perhaps
accounting for the vividness of this
painting of builders
The tower is a medieval looking
structure, reflecting the practice if
depicting legendary events in
contemporary settings
Workers haul heavy stones which are
lifted by a hoist, while the giant Nimrod,
right, simply hands over blocks
God, left, steps away while confronting
the people
The dramatic action, large figures,
strong outlines and bold colors make it
intelligible from far below
WALL PAINTING, CHURCH OF
SAN CLEMENTE, Catalonia
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Christ in Majesty, 1123
The intensity of color was
created by building up many thin
coats of paint, a technique
called GLAZING
What traditional Byzantine
features do you recognize here?
 A Pantokrater-like Christ in
power and judgment
 Mandorla
 Open Gospel (reads “I am
the light of the world”)
 Alpha Omega signs
CLUNY LECTIONARY
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Like the other arts, the output of
books increased dramatically in
the 11th & 12th centuries
Monastic and convent
SCRIPTORIA continued to be
centers of production, where
monks and nuns copied books
The illuminated LECTIONARY, a
work containing excerpts from
the Bible read during Mass and
arranged according to the
Church calendar, was made for
the wealthy Cluny monastery in
the early 1100’s
CLUNY LECTIONARY
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Pentecost
The glowing red rays are the tongues of
fire as the apostles speak in tongues
Below is a beautifully interlaced “A”
The subject may have been chosen as a
symbolic reminder of Cluny’s direct tie to
the papacy
Just as the apostles received miraculous
powers from Christ, so Cluny derived its
power from the Pope, the heir of St.
Peter, who sits holding a gold book
The Christ is another reinterpretation of
the Byzantine Pantokrater Christ
The supernatural event is
deemphasized to convey the
psychological bond among the figures
TREE OF JESSE
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Despite their ascetic teachings and
architecture of the Cistercians, they
produced many elaborately
illustrated manuscripts like this one
The Tree of Jesse is a pictorial
representation of the genealogy of
Jesus, illustrating the Church’s
doctrine that Christ was both human
and divine: Jesse was King David’s
father, an ancestor of Mary’s
The growing importance of Mary,
both with the public and with the
Cistercians, emphasized her place
in the genealogy
TREE OF JESSE
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Jesse is asleep at bottom with a
small tree growing out of his body
A monumental Mary dwarfs the
sleeping patriarch
The Christ Child, following the late
Byzantine and Romanesque
tradition, is portrayed as a miniature
adult with his arm raised in blessing
His cheek presses Mary’s in
affection like with the Virgin of
Vladimir icon
Mary holds a flowering sprig from
the tree, a symbol of Christ
The building held by the angel is the
Christian Church, the crown refers
to Mary as Queen of Heaven
TREE OF JESSE
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Beneath the dove, the Holy
Spirit, Mary’s v-shaped folds
and jeweled hems reflect the
Byzantine influence and her
elevated status
The artist has drawn with color,
rather than painted. This
subdued look is in keeping with
the restraint of the Cistercians
Her elongated form also echoes
forth to the beautiful stained
glass work that will be one of the
hallmarks of the upcoming
Gothic period
THE NORTH SEA KINGDOMS
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In the early 10th century, a band of Norse raiders
(damn Vikings!) seized the peninsula in northwest
France known as Normandy
 Within a little more than a century, their leader
Rollo’s (Rolf’s) successors had transformed
Normandy into one of the most powerful feudal
kingdoms, becoming the Normans
 In 1066, their leader William the Conqueror,
invaded England and became ruler, and replaced
the Anglo-Saxon leaders, aligning politically and
culturally with France
NORTH SEA KINGDOMS
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Borgund stave church, Norway 1125-50
The Normans built masonry castles and
churches, but back in Norway and the
north the tradition was to build in wood
There were two kinds of timber
construction:
 Horizontally stacked logs, the
popular log cabin
 Vertical plank walls, with timbers set
directly in the ground or on a
horizontal beam
 Typical buildings had a rectangular
floor plan, wattle and daub walls,
and a turf or thatched roof
supported by interior posts
TIMBER CONSTRUCTION
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Wattle-and-Daub is
composed of woven
light branches (wattle)
covered with clay,
mud, or other
substances (daub)
 The roof, made up of a
ridgepole, rafters, and
eave beams, was
covered by shingles,
turf or thatch
TIMBER CONSTRUCTION
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Most of the wooden buildings are
gone,subject to decay and fire, but some
stave churches--staves are the four
huge timbers(staves) that form the
structural core--survive in Norway
At the Borgund stave church four corner
staves support the central roof, and
additional posts placed within or to the
side of the space that the corner staves
create the effect of a nave and side
aisles, narthex, and choir
A rounded apse covered with a timber
tower is attached to the choir
A steep roofed gallery rings the entire
building, and wooded shingles cover the
roof and some walls
BORGUND STAVE CHURCH
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Steep pitched roofs protect
the walls from rain and
snow
Openwork timber stages
set on the roof ridge create
a tower and an overall
pyramidal shape
On the GABLES are
crosses and dragons to
protect the church and its
congregation
BORGUND STAVE CHURCH
MEDUSELD, ROHAN
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Tolkien’s creation of the Riders of Rohan…and
Peter Jackson’s cinematic interpretation is strongly
influenced by the people and art of the north sea
kingdoms
THE NORTH SEA KINGDOMS
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Doorway Panels,
Parish Church, Urnes,
Norway, 1050-70
 The penchant for relief
decorations seen on
the Osberg ship
endured in the
decoration of
Scandinavia’s earliest
churches
THE NORTH SEA KINGDOMS
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Although it didn’t originate
here, this style of carving
came to be known as
Urnes style
 Animal interlace composed
of serpentine creatures
snapping at each other
 Satin smooth carving of
rounded surfaces, the
contrast of thick and very
thin elements, the
organization of the interlace
into harmoniously balanced
figure -8 patterns
THE NORTH SEA KINGDOMS
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When the British turned
from timber construction to
stone and brick, the
associated the masonry
building with the power of
ancient Rome(and of
Charlemagne).
Soon they began to
experiment with masonry
vaults as can be seen in
Durham Castle and
Cathedral
DURHAM CASTLE &
CATHEDRAL
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Durham Castle (1075) is a perfect
example of a Norman fortress
The only way in or out was over a
drawbridge, which was controlled
from gatehouse
Beyond the gatehouse was the
BAILEY, or courtyard
In times of danger, the castle’s
defenders took up their battle
positions in the KEEP(DONJON in
French)
Though many medieval fortresses
had moats to protect them, Durham
had the Wear River
DURHAM CASTLE &
CATHEDRAL
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The cathedral’s scale and décor
are both ambitious
Enormous compound piers
alternating with robust columns
support the nave arcade
The columns are carved with
CHEVRONS, spiral fluting, and
diamond patterns, and some of
scalloped, cushion shaped
capitals
The arcades have round
moldings and chevron
ornaments
All this ornamentation was
originally painted
DURHAM CASTLE &
CATHEDRAL
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Above the cathedral
wall rise ribbed vaults
 The typical
Romanesque ribbed
groin vault used round
arched that produced
separate, domed
spatial units, such as
at Sant’Ambrogio in
Milan, left
DURHAM CASTLE &
CATHEDRAL
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To create a more unified interior
space, the Durham builders
divided each bay into two pairs
of crisscrossing ribs, and so
kept the crown of the vault at
almost the same height as the
keystone of the transverse
arches
This system of vaulting was
carried across to Norman
France and adopted by masons
in the Gothic period
ENGLISH BOOKS
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Hellmouth, Winchester Psalter,
1150
The pages depicts the gaping
jaws of hell, a subject that
inspired poetry and drama as
well, besides enlivening many
preacher’s sermons
The inscription at the top of the
page reads “Here is hell and the
angels who are locking the
doors”
The ornamental frame that fills
the page represents the door to
hell
BAYEUX TAPESTRY, 1066-72
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Probably the most famous work of Norman art, a narrative wall
hanging, 230 ft long and 20 inches high, documenting events
surrounding the Norman Conquest of England in 1066
This not tapestry, but an example of embroidery done by women,
scholars now believe
This is a major political document, celebrating William’s victory,
validating his claim to the English throne
BAYEUX TAPESTRY, 1066-72
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The section above shows Bishop Odo and William feasting on the eve
of battle
The man on the right of Odo points impatiently to the next evemt, a
council of war between William (central) Odo and Rotbert, the three
men who held power after the conquest
BAYEUX TAPESTRY, 1066-72
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At the beginning of the Bayeux,
Harold is the crowned king of
England
The tapestry is a justification for the
conquest
In this section, after Harold’s
coronation, Halley’s comet crosses
the sky, seen as a portent of
disaster
A man rushes to inform the new
king, Harold slumps on his throne
because he forsees what will
happen
Below his feet is his vision of a
ghostly fleet, the last great Viking
flotilla to assemble on the
Normandy coast