Early Medieval Art

476-1330s

The Middle AgesDates and Places:• 5th century through

1300• British Isles• Migration period People:• Germanic Angles and

Saxons invade British Isles (fuse with British tribes already in place)

• Franks invade Gaul (France)

Map of the Early Christian World and Barbarian Invasions, c. 500

The Middle Ages• The period under study,

known as the Early Middle Ages, also known as the “Dark Ages” or Early Medieval period, covers the 5th through 14th century, roughly 476 (fall of the Roman Empire) through the 1330s, or the end of antiquity in the fifth century and the Renaissance, or rebirth of classical learning, in the fifteenth century and sixteenth centuries

Map of the Medieval Europe, c. 1190

Early Medieval Period

• After fall of Roman Empire, many different groups/tribes of people move and settle throughout Europe– Period often

referred to as Migration Period

Migration Map of Europe showing paths of Barbarian tribes, Early Middle Ages

Early Medieval Art

• The Early Medieval period was referred to as “the Dark Ages” as early as the 14th century by Petrarch (1304-1374), an Italian poet and scholar of the fourteenth century, who found no redeeming qualities in civilizations after the loss of the Classical tradition in education and learning until the Renaissance

St. Matthew author page, from folio 18 verso Gospel Book of Archbishop Ebbo of Reims, c. 816-835. Ink, gold, and colors on vellum, 10 ¼” x 8 ¾.” Bibliothèque Municipale, Épernay,

France.

Early Medieval Art

• In the European West, Medieval art is often broken into individualized periods. These date ranges vary by location.476-800 – Early Medieval Artc.780-900 – Carolingian Artc.900-1000 – Ottonian Artc.1000-1200 – Romanesque Artc.1200-1400 – Gothic Art

Animal headpost, Oseburg, Norway, c. 825. Hardwood (probably limewood);

approx. 23 5/8” high. Museum of Cultural History, University of Oslo,

Norway.

Early Medieval

• During this time the church emerges as a dominant force central in European unification (and Christianization)

• Even still, loyalties to family and clan governed social and political institutions as feudalism became the chief political organization

Chi-rho-iota page, Book of Kells, late 8th or early 9th century. Illuminated manuscript on vellum; 9.5” x 13.”

Trinity College Library, Dublin

Early Medieval Period

• Middle Ages not as dark as Petrarch would have us believe

• Middle Ages an exciting period of aesthetic exchange, saw the birth of modern institutions like the university and cities

• Continues to draw upon the influence and example, the ideals and culture of antiquity

Map of Medieval Universities and major monasteries.

Early Medieval Art: The VikingsPeople:•Pagan traders and pirates•Scandinavian warriors inhabited Norway, Sweden, and Denmark•Known for paganism, vicious raids, and violent nature •Extensive travel related to developments in boating•Christianized late 8th-12th centuries

Dates and Places:•“Viks” were their trading places along the Norwegian coastline

Animal headpost, Oseburg, Norway, c. 825. Hardwood

(probably limewood); approx. 23 5/8” high. Museum of Cultural

History, University of Oslo, Norway.

Early Medieval Art: The Vikings• We know that the Vikings

made their ships from wood and that they excelled in wood carving

• They produced excellent boats which allowed them travel east to Russia and west to Iceland and Greenland and even, for a short time, to Newfoundland in North America. And they conquered and colonized large territories in what is now Ireland, England , France — and even Russia.

The Gokstad ship, on display at the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo, Norway with a detail of

its excavation in 1880.

Early Medieval: Viking EraArtwork:• Post discovered 1903 with

Oseburg ship• Part of burial ship dedicated to

2 women robbed before discovery

• Elegant stylization known as “Animal Style”

• Compact monumentality• Part of objects found in burial

ship• Stylized animal bodies coupled

with interlacing patterns• Creature resembles a lioness• Importance lies in its example

of an aesthetic uninformed by Roman tradition— specifically, the display of interlace patterns

Detail animal headpost, Oseburg, Norway, c. 825. Hardwood (probably limewood); approx.

23 5/8” high. Museum of Cultural History, University of Oslo, Norway.

Early Medieval: Anglo-Saxon

People:•Germanic tribes once subjugated by Romans

•Hail from modern day Denmark and northern Germany•Invade British Isles, which had been colonized for centuries by Celts (occupants of lands stretching from the British Isles to Galatia (modern day Turkey)

The migrations according to Bede who wrote some 300 years after the event, however there is evidence that the original settlers

came from many of these continental locations

Early Medieval: Anglo-Saxon

• Sight found shortly before the outbreak of WW II

• Long boat measuring approximately 86 feet

• It remains the biggest and most complete Anglo-Saxon ship ever found

• Rivers and sea key to communication and travel, parallel between sea travel and travel to after-life

Sutton Hoo Ship Burial, c. 700 (British Museum, London)

Early Medieval: Anglo-SaxonExample:• Discovered in 1939 in Sutton Hoo

cemetery overlooking water• Burial ships (buried in earthen

mound)• Wealthy and important member of

Anglo-Saxon tribe, possibly King Raedwald (d.625)

• Migration art (small portable objects)

• Art demonstrates mix of Celtic, Roman, and Germanic styles

• Excel in metal work• Design echoes Early Christian

interlace patterns and certain Ancient Near Eastern iconography and themes

• Symmetrical design• Metalworkers held in high regard

for skill

Sutton Hoo purse cover, from East Anglia, England, c. 630. Gold with garnets and

cloisonné originally on ivory or bone (since lost), 8” long. British Museum, London.

Early Medieval: Anglo-Saxon• This was the lid of a leather

purse that contained 37 gold coins that were all minted in the Frankish kingdom

• At the bottom, we see an eagle attacking a duck– The eagle probably

symbolizes the king • The red garnet stones are

traditional, but the millifiore glass that can be seen in the the leg joints are new and are part of an English tradition

• Man flanked by two animals, which must have had significance – a motif seen in the art of the

Ancient Near East, and probably represents power

Sutton Hoo purse cover, from East Anglia, England, c. 630. Gold with garnets and cloisonné originally on

ivory or bone (since lost), 8” long. British Museum, London.

Early Medieval: Hiberno-SaxonDates and Places: • 7th-9th century• British Isles• Monasteries become centers of

learning and productionPeople:• Hibernians (Roman term for Ireland)

– Spiritual and cultural leaders Western Europe

– Never part of Roman Empire• Christianized by missionaries from

England in 5th century• Monasteries were founded by desire to

emulate Egyptian and Near Eastern examples of solitude in wilderness

• Working in scriptoria • Living in isolation

Tunc Crucifixerant XPI, from the Book of Kells, fol. 124r, late 8th or early 9th

century. Illuminated manuscript on vellum, 9.5” x 13.” Trinity College Library,

Dublin

Early Medieval: Hiberno-Saxon

Themes: • Gospel books• Symbolic images

Forms:• Interlace inherited

from warrior lords• Stylized human and

animal forms• Illuminated Chi-rho-iota page, Book of Kells, late 8th or

early 9th century. Illuminated manuscript on vellum; 9.5” x 13.” Trinity College Library,

Dublin

Early Medieval: Hiberno-SaxonExample:• Early example of medieval manuscript

illumination• May have originated in Ireland, from

there permeated into England and western Europe

• Illuminated manuscript author page before gospel text

• Design-driven optical illusions created in interlace

• Design seems independent of humanistic taste of Greco-Roman tradition

• No narrative• Stylization of man like animal style• Color patterns repeated in border

decorationMan Symbol of Saint Matthew, from the Book of Durrow, folio 21, c. 650-700.

Illuminated manuscript on vellum; 9 5/8” x 6 1/8.” Trinity College, Dublin.

Early Medieval: Hiberno-Saxon

Example: • Illuminated manuscript produced

Northumbria, England• Presumed to be the work of a

monk named Eadfrith and translator Aldred

• Carpet page before gospel text• Interlace with zoomorphic forms• No narrative, Irish monks prefer

decoration to illustrating biblical text

• Generally regarded as the finest example of the kingdom's unique style of religious art, a style that combined Christian with Celtic and Germanic elements

Carpet/Cross page, Lindisfarne Gospels, ca. 698–721. Tempera on vellum, 13 ½”

x 9 ¼.” British Library, London.

Early Medieval: Hiberno-Saxon

• Scribes often hid details including animals and sometimes angels or people within their design

Carpet page, Lindisfarne Gospels, ca. 698–721. British Library, London.

Early Medieval Art: Carolingian

Interior of Charlemagne’s palace chapel (Palatine Chapel), Odo of Metz, Aachen,

France 792–805.

Dates and Places: • 800-900• Aachen, France centerPeople:• Charlemagne, Emperor Holy

Roman Empire• Education important aspect

of Charlemagne’s Roman revival

• Manuscripts assist in revival• Some maintenance of

Hellenistic traditions

Early Medieval Art: Carolingian

• Charlemagne’s empire bridges gap between Hiberno-Saxon art and Mediterranean tradition

Map of the Empire of Charlemagne to 814

Early Medieval Art: Carolingian

The Lateran during medieval times, from a 17th-century engraving by Giovanni Giustino

Ciampini

• Charlemagne sought to create a “New Rome”

• His center, the Palace at Aachen, is modeled on Constantine’s Lateran Palace in Rome and included a basilica, called the Royal Hall

Reconstruction of Palace complex at Aachen

Early Medieval Art: CarolingianExample: • Central plan inspired by

Ravenna’s San Vitale• Byzantine style• Westwork makes early

appearance• Renewal of architecture of

Christian Rome• Charlemagne’s palace chapel • Availability of ruler royal tradition

dating to Egypt and equates ruler with the sun

• Architecture reinforces Charlemagne’s claim to Holy Roman Empire

Odo of Metz, Plan of the Palace Chapel at Aachen, France, 792–805.

Early Medieval Art: Carolingian

• Debt to San Vitale noticeable in the section plan

• Geometric clarity• Columns and bronze

gratings imported from Italy

• Roman details, including columns, for decorative and symbolic purposes

• Throne in tribune space behind Westwork

Section plan of Palace chapel of Charlemagne at Aachen

Early Medieval Art: Carolingian

• Charlemagne gathered the best scholars of his day at Aachen to reestablish ancient Roman learning and to establish a system of monasteries and cathedrals as centers for learning

• Modeled reign after Constantine and Justinian proclaiming a renovatio imperii romani or “renewal of imperial Rome”

• Artists pull from antiquity for inspiration

Four Evangelists, from the Treasury Gospels, a Carolingian Gospel book,

palace chapel school, Aachen, France ca. 800–810. Aachen Cathedral Treasury,

Aachen, Germany.

Early Medieval Art: Carolingian

• Charlemagne rules 768 as king of Franks until death in 814

• On Christmas day, in 800, Charlemagne is crowned by Pope Leo III as emperor of Rome in St. Peter’s

• He is, in effect, the first Christian emperor, successor to Constantine

Equestrian statue of Charlemagne or Charles the Bald, 9th century. Bronze, height 9 ½.”

Musée du Louvre, Paris

Early Medieval Art: Carolingian• Discovered by Alexandre

Lenoir in the treasury at Metz Cathedral in 1807 and is inspired by equestrian statues from antiquity, such as that of Marcus Aurelius in Rome. The representation of Charlemagne or, more probably his grandson, Charles the Bald, as a horse-riding figure highlights the Carolingian emperors' interest in the thematic repertoire of antique art. The monarch, holding a globe and a sword (now missing), asserts his authority as a conqueror.

Equestrian statue of Charlemagne or Charles the

Bald, 9th century. Bronze, height 9 ½.” Musée du

Louvre, Paris

Equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius, ca. 175CE.

Early Medieval Art: CarolingianExample: •Author page •Artist demonstrates knowledge of Roman tradition of painting—modeling of form, shading of face, hands and feet, wet drapery•Wide frame makes it seem like a window •Artist possible from Byzantium or Italy St. Matthew author page, from the Gospel

Book of Charlemagne (Coronation Gospels), 800-810. Ink and colors on vellum, 13” x 10.”

Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna

Early Medieval Art: Carolingian

• The four Evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, were traditionally represented by

their symbols

The Four Evangelists and their symbols

The Four Evangelists, their symbols, and their meaning

Early Medieval Art: Carolingian

Example: •Author page •Some Classical influence•Follows typical presentation of author pages•Unique is the vibrant energy•Wet drapery covers the figure•Energy present in the design of the grassy hills, trees, and architecture•Quality of line aids energetic fever

St. Matthew author page, from folio 18 verso Gospel Book of

Archbishop Ebbo of Reims, c. 816-835. Ink, gold, and colors on

vellum, 10 ¼” x 8 ¾.” Bibliothèque Municipale, Épernay, France.

Early Medieval Art: Carolingian

Jeweled upper cover of the Lindau Gospels, c. 880, Court School of

Charles the Bald, 350 x 275 mm, cover may have been made in the Royal

Abbey of St. Denis (Morgan Library and Museum, New York)

Example:•Probably made for Charlemagne’s grandson•Highly decorated book cover to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (plus other writings)•Continuation of classical tradition

•Iconography on front cover preview of text inside

•Design of cover promotes brilliance of sun and effect

•Repoussé technique•Return of naturalism from the abstract

Early Medieval Art: CarolingianExample:• Marriage of new interest in

naturalism and the persistence of medieval style

• Architectural niche (Greco-Roman influence)

• Drapery stylized with indication of organic form

• Shading defines body• Footstool evidence of artist’s

effort to reconcile the early medieval traditions with Greco-Roman tradition

Saint John, from the Coronation Gospels, fol. 178v, late 8th century. Parchment, 12 ¾” x 10.”

British Library, London.

Early Medieval Art: Ottonian

Dates and Places: • 900-1000• Territories included Germany

and northern Italy

People:• Heirs of Carolingians• Advantageous marriage

allows Otto II to claim title as Holy Roman Emperor

• Revived the disintegrated Holy Roman Empire

• Inspired by RomeOtto Enthroned, Aachen Gospels, 966. Aachen Cathedral Treasury, Aachen,

Germany.

Early Medieval Art: Ottonian

Example:• Ottonian artists

replicate Carolingian style with blend of Byzantine style

• Otto III shown with imperial regalia (crown, eagle scepter, and cross-inscribed orb)surrounded by representatives of church and state

Otto III Receiving the Homage of the Four Parts of the Empire and Otto III Between Church and State,

from the Gospel Book of Otto III. Ottonian, ca. 997-1000. Tempera on vellum, each folio 13” x 9

3/8.” Staatsbibliothek, Munich

Early Medieval Art: Ottonian• The representations of Slavinia, Germania, Gallia, and

Roma recall the poses of the Magi noticeable on the hemline of Theodora’s gown

Otto III Receiving the Homage of the Four Parts of the Empire and Otto III Between Church and State,

from the Gospel Book of Otto III. Ottonian, ca. 997-1000

Detail of Theodora’s hemline from the mosaic in San Vitale,

Ravenna

Early Medieval Art: OttonianThemes: • Biblical themes• Church

Forms:• Stylized and

conceptual figures• Expressive

exaggeration• Basilica

Section and plan Saint Michael’s, Hildesheim, 1001–1031.

Early Medieval Art: Ottonian

Example: • Ottonian Renaissance (951-

1024)• Basilica• Towers at both ends• Alternate-support system• Modular plan based on

crossing• Two transepts• Architecture bridges gap

between Carolingian and the superficial simplicity of the Romanesque

Saint Michael’s, restored abbey church, Hildesheim. 1001–1031. The building had

been badly damaged during WWI.

Early Medieval Art: Ottonian

Example: • Impact of Roman influence on

Bernward and Otto III• Patron is Bishop Bernward

(tutored Otto III)• Inspired by Early Christian doors• First large-scale work cast in

one piece since antiquity

Bronze doors Saint Michael’s abbey church, Hildesheim, 1015. Doors with relief panels. Bronze, 16’6” high.

Dom-Museum, Hildesheim.

Early Medieval Art: Ottonian

Bronze doors Saint Michael’s abbey church, Hildesheim, 1015. Doors with relief panels.

Bronze, 16’6” high. Dom-Museum, Hildesheim.

Diagram of bronze doors

Early Medieval Art: OttonianExample: • Commissioned by Bishop

Bernward• Story of Original Sin and

redemption• Prefiguration, emphasis on

typology in left-right pairing of Old and New Testament scenes

• Relatively high relief• Expressive exaggeration• Figures maintain tradition of

Byzantine and Carolingian styles and foretells Romanesque aesthetic

• New drama combined with linear, fluid rhythm

Adam and Eve reproached by God, detail from the bronze doors, Saint Michael’s abbey church,

Hildesheim; completed 1015. Doors with relief panels. Bronze, 16’6” high. Dom-Museum,

Hildesheim.