Early Medieval Art

Roman influence largely lost in era of mass migrations

•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

•Attila 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

Early Medieval Europe7th and 8th Century

Late 8th century, Charlemagne will unite and stabilize

Time Period: 500 - 1050

Civilization/art Time Place

Hiberno Saxon 6th - 8th cent. British Isles

Viking Art 8th - 11th century

Scandinavia (traveled to Brit)

Carolingian Art 8th-9th century

Charlemagne

France, Germany

Ottonian Art 10th-early 11th Germany

Early Medieval Painting

• 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, gold leaf

• Sacred quality of work

Page with Man, Gospel of St. Matthew, Gospel Book of Durrow, 7th century, Scotland/N. Englane

Hiberno Saxon Art

• (Hibernia = Ireland)• Celtic Christians, isolated from

Rome, developed own art traditions

• Portable works done in the animal style

• Metalworks of the Visigoths-eagle symbol

• Where else do we see Eagle symbol?

6th century Eagle Brooch

Chi Rho Iota, page from The Book of Kells

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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?

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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.

Queen’s Ship, or Oseberg Ship Burial Wood, 815 CE, Viking burial ship from Oseberg flashcard

•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

•Women worked in fiber arts; spindle and loom included in burial ship along with tapestries

Carolingian Art - Charlemagne

• 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!!!!!!!!!

Equestrian Statue, 9th century, possibly Charlemagne- hierarchy of scale?

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 courtyardAbbey 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

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 on 2nd floor, columns fill space, don’t support arch

Design inspired by Church of San Vitale - Ravenna Italy. Byzantine syle mosaics.

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Design inspired by Church of San Vitale on right

Matthew the Evangelist page 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

Carolingians promoted learning & ChristianityImperial workshops-carefully edited textsRETURN OF THE HUMAN FIGURE in these booksEach monastery had distinct style…Godelscalc, Ebbo, Etc.Influence on figure???(REVIVAL)

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 magnificently 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

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Diagram of the Doors of Bishop Bernward

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!!!!!!

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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

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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!!!