Early Medieval Art in Europe: c. 500 – 1100 CE -the roughly 1000 year span between the fall of the Roman empire and the Renaissance in the 1400s is called the Middle Ages; separating 2 golden ages -was a time of conflict between many cultures that developed in Europe during the reign of the Roman empire, but outside its borders -these cultures established the groundwork for most of the modern European nations we know today -though Rome no longer had imperial power, it remained the center for the Western Christian Church and therefore an important spiritual center for the era -art of the early period represents an amalgamation of Classical/Roman influence with “barbarian” styles

-Book of Kells; one of the most beautiful, original and inventive of the gospel books from the British isles that survives -page introduces Matthew’s account of Christ’s birth - Numerous pictorial and symbolic references to Christ throughout; his initials XPI, 3 angels on left = reminders that angels surrounding the holy family during the nativity -shows human and animal forms in the decoration Chi Rho Iota page, from the Book of Kells ; Cats and Mice with Host. Oxgall inks and pigments on vellum, 12 ¾ X 9½" Late 8th or early 9th century

2 cats menace mice eating a Eucharist wafer and they are in turn menaced by 2 more mice; metaphor for struggle between good (cats) and evil (mice) or problem of keeping the wafer from being eating in monasteries.

Eagle brooch, one of a pair Gilt, bronze, crystal, garnets, and other gems Height 5⅜“ 6th century Spain -some cultures infiltrated Roman borders; Visigoths and Lombards -both cultures produced excellent metalwork Visigoths: came from France into Spain by 6 th century; adopted Roman Christianity -eagle brooch shows Visigoth metalworking skill with popular Roman and Christian symbol, the eagle

Lombard; Cross Gilded silver, wood, jewels, glass, cameos, and gold-glass medallion of the third century 50 X 39“; Late 7th–early 9th century Lombards: -came from the north and settled in Italy, the heart of the Roman Empire -cross shows skillful use of precious materials and jewels -Byzantine form, made for Western Church using pagan stones; typifies turbulence of the period

Norse; Gummersmark Brooch Silver gilt height 5¾“; 6th century Denmark People Outside Rome: -Norse speakers, Germanic people, Celtic culture flourished in the North -animal style: dominated northern art, stylized animals like serpents, 4-legged beasts and squat human figures

rlook&id=448# SUTTON HOO ART: Clasp & purse cover are the items we look at in this chapter -Also attached to leather -Millefiori technique -From the same burial In 1938, Mrs. E.M. Pretty, a landowner in Suffolk, England, decided to investigate several mounds on her property

Function: Shoulder clasps from Sutton Hoo, discovered in the burial chamber of the ship. These clasps may have been used to fasten leather armor at the shoulders WHO??? The grave’s occupant at Sutton Hoo had been buried in a ship—measuring 90 feet long and designed for rowing, not sailing—whose traces in the earth were recovered by careful excavators. Both the wood and the hero’s body had disintegrated, and no inscriptions record his name.

Anglo-Saxon; Purse Cover, from the Sutton Hoo Burial Ship; Cloisonné plaques of gold, garnet, and checked millefiore glass; length 8“; First half of 7th century; Suffolk, EnglandPurse Cover -England was part of the Roman Empire and after the Romans left, Angles and Saxons from Germany and the low-lands of Europe, and Jutes of Denmark moved in -Anglo-Saxon literature is filled with references to elaborate jewelry; epic Beowulf describes a hero’s burial that was filled with treasure; such a burial was found with this purse lid in it Near East Norse Germanic colors: Byzantine

British aisles Page with Man,Gospel of Saint Matthew, Gospel Book of Durrow, Ink and tempera on parchment 9⅝ X 6⅛“; Second half of 7th century Probably made at Iona, Scotland, or northern England -Roman Christianity and monasteries flourished in the early Medieval period -monasteries become important cultural centers producing illuminated manuscripts -manuscripts are among the richest surviving works from the early Medieval; show influence of metalwork with their intricate patterns -Gospel books were essential for missionary work; used for education and to represent the splendor and glory of the Word of God -Book of Durrow illustrations represent influence from the many cultures of the time

Emeterius and Senior Colophon Page, Commentary on the Apocalypse by Beatus and Commentary on Daniel by Jerome Tempera on parchment 14¼ X 10⅛" Completed July 27, 970 Made for the Monastery of San Salvador at Tábara, León, Spain. -in 711, Muslims from the Near East end Visigoth rule in Spain -Muslims, Jews and Christians in Spain lived and worked together, while officially separated -another level of cultural/stylistic exchange in the Early Medieval; Mozarabic style -colophon: page at the end of a book with information about its production

Carolingian EmpireCarolingian Empire: 768 – 887 CE Introductory video: -while Muslims controlled Spain, a new power emerged in Continental Europe led by Charles the Great (Charlemagne)Charlemagne -controlled Western Germany, France, Lombard kingdom in Italy, Belgium and Holland -sought to revive the Western Empire as a Christian state, and to revive the arts and education -enlisted monks to help with this revitalization -Charlemagne was endorsed by the Pope in Rome, strengthening the bond between secular government in the West (Europe) and the papacy in Rome

Carolingian Empire

-this was Charlemagne’s private chapel and the church of his imperial court; a place for relics, and his mausoleum after he died -to satisfy all these needs, architects built a central plan building similar to San Vitale in Ravenna, but brought Northern influence to create Carolingian style—characterized by emphasis on verticality (building up) and dividing larger spaces into separate parts westwork: church entrances traditionally face west Church of San Vitale, Ravenna c. 546–48

Palace Chapel of Charlemagne, interior view 792–805; Germany -made 3 level church to accommodate the king (second level) and the public visitors (ground level) and relics (third level); that looked like a tower from the outside -rich interior was covered with lavish materials; showing influence of Byzantine style; flat walls and angled piers contrast the flowing interior spaces of the Byzantine -northern influence brought towers into churches inspired by Roman predecessors -towers began to function as an outward and very visible sign of an imperial building

Abbey Church of Saint Riquier, France, dedicated 799 Engraving dated 1612, after an 11th-century drawing -the Aachen Palace Chapel with its rotunda style was unusual in the Carolingian period -most churches followed the Roman basilica plan, often with a transept added -cloisters: arcaded courtyards linking the church and the living and working areas of the monastery -main church is the large one on the top; shows Carolingian variations of the basilica plan; many towers and multi-story westwork on left side, with structures of equal weight on the right side -many towers would have been its most striking feature—vertical emphasis was northern contribution to basilica plan churches

Plan of the Abbey of Saint Gall (Redrawn), c. 817Saint Gall

scriptorium: workshop where manuscripts were created; usually in monasteries -Carolingian monks copied religious texts with the goal of making them error-free -handwriting had gotten terrible because of successive generations of copying -they reworked penmanship to create a simple, legible Latin script -every monastic scriptorium developed its own style in harmony with local artistic traditions

Carolingian Evangelist portraits Godescalc; St. Mark -evangelist portraits; shows evangelist seated at his desk writing a book of the gospel -3 examples show how regional differences affected the artistic styles Godescalc: commissioned by Charlemagne; -style suggests the artists were familiar w/ author portraits from imperial Rome as shown in Byzantine manuscripts -some realism in the figure and the surrounding space, but it is disrupted by the awkward knee and reverse perspective of the furniture

Coronation; St. Matthew -Coronation gospels: reflects rediscovery of Roman realistic painting; shown in a naturalistic environment Size: 12 ¾ X 9⅞" (36.3 X 25 cm) Date: Early 9th century

Ebbo; St. Matthew -Ebbo gospels; style associated with area in Reims, France -very emotional and intense with swirling lines -focused on the saint’s inner fervor and spiritual excitement as he writes the word of God, rather than on his physical appearance

Godescalc; St. Mark late 8 th century Coronation; St. Matthew early 9 th century Ebbo; St. Matthew later in 9 th century

Page with Psalm 23, Utrecht Psalter Ink on vellum or parchment 13 X 9⅞“; Second quarter of 9th century The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name' sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: For thou art with me; Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies; Thou annointest my head with oil; My cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the House of the Lord forever. psalmist; sits in front of a table laden w/ food; holds a cup enemies House of the Lord angel holds “rod and staff” and anoints head with oil herd; by the still waters most famous Carolingian manuscript; Utrecht Psalter

Crucifixion with Angels and Mourning Figures, outer cover, Lindau GospelsLindau Gospels Gold, pearls, sapphires, garnets, and emeralds 13¾ X 10⅜“; c. 870–80 -illustrated manuscripts had equally elaborate, jeweled covers -cross and crucifixion were common themes -jewels are raised which allowed light to enter them from behind, creating a lustrous glow -figures around the jewels recall the style of the Utrecht Psalter, while Christ’s realism recalls Classical sculpture

Viking Era: -in 843, the Carolingian empire was divided into 3 parts, ruled by 3 grandsons of Charlemagne -in 700s, seafaring bands of Norse seamen called Vikings descended on Europe and put an end to the Carolingian empire -Vikings raided and settled a large area from Iceland and Greenland in the north to France -impressive ships that could travel as far as 200 miles/day in good weather are their most lasting contribution to world architecture -came to an end in Europe south of the Baltic Sea in the 1000s when the new Ottonian Empire defeated them

Queen’s Ship Wood; length 75' 6“; c. 815–20; burial 834 -Viking ships were used for travel, warfare and burials -ship design reminiscent of a sleek, sea serpent -carved wood (originally painted) shows “Gripping Beast” design

Ottonian Empire: 919 – Viking era ended south of the Baltic Sea in Europe in the 11 th century when they were defeated by this Germanic power -Charlemagne’s grandson and his family who overtook the German and Austrian parts of the Carolingian Empire soon died out, leaving room for a Saxon dynasty to come to power -Ottonians named for 3 principal rulers: Otto I, Otto II, and Otto III -Ottonians defeated the Vikings, blended with the Lombard Kingdom in Italy and re-established Charlemagne’s Christian Roman Empire -this union of Germany and Italy under German rulers with strong ties to the Pope in Italy is sometimes called the Holy Roman Empire

Ottonian/Holy Roman Empire

Otto I Presenting Magdeburg Cathedral to Christ Ivory; 5 X 4½“; c. 962–68 One of a series of seventeen ivory plaques known as the Magdeburg Ivories, possibly carved in Milan -this ivory carving from the Ottonian period shows the unity of Church and state -may have been part of an altar or pulpit in a cathedral, originally -shows St. Maurice (an African Christian commander who refused to denounce Christianity in the 3rd century) with his arm around Otto I who is handing a model of the cathedral to Christ and St. Peter -hieratic scale accounts for the varying sizes of the figures

Church of Saint Cyriakus; Begun 961; consecrated 973; Germany -Ottonian architecture tried to emulate the buildings of Christian Rome -locally trained craftsman could only struggle to comply; most didn’t survive -this church is based on a basilica plan with a westwork (a feature that takes on greater importance with the increasingly elaborate liturgy) -transept on east end and two towers on west gave the church a ‘double ended look”; considered characteristic of Ottonian churches

these doors from a late Ottonian Abbey were constructed under the supervision of a well-known goldsmith, Bishop Bernward; they represent the most ambitious and complex bronze-casting undertaken since antiquity Bishop Bernward

Judgment of Christ by Pilate

Gero Crucifix Painted and gilded wood height of figure 6'2" c. 970 Cologne Cathedral, Germany -Ottonian artists worked in ivory, bronze, wood and other materials, but not stone -like Early Christian and Byzantine artists they focused on Church furnishings and portable art rather than architectural sculpture (like Classical artists) -created large wood sculptures drawing on Byzantine, Roman, Early Christian and Carolingian influences that would have a significant influence on later medieval art -Gero Crucifix is one of few large works of carved wood to survive from early Middle Ages -figure is more than 6 ft tall -focus, like Middle Byzantine examples, is on Christ’s suffering

Page with Christ Washing the Feet of His Disciples, Aachen Gospels of Otto III Ink, gold, and colors on vellum approx. 8 X 6“; c second gospel book made for Otto III in same scriptorium as the other gospel illustrates the painters’ narrative skill -shows Jesus about to wash Peter’s feet, though elderly Peter initially protested—the 2 figures gesture and gaze toward each other, carrying the meaning of the scene -importance of gesture and gaze is a convention of Ottonian painting -from this groundwork emerges the arts of the Romanesque and Gothic periods in Western Europe— next 3 chapters

Pickin’ up what I’m layin’ down?