Fine Arts of the Anglo-Saxons By Athena Cahill

Time Period Began with the Migration Period Artwork of the Germanic people ( ) Polychrome Style Animal Style Ended in 1066 with the Norman Conquest Most important centuries were the 7 th and 8th This was when Sutton Hoo occurred

Sutton Hoo Ship used for burial purposes in the Old English poem Beowulf King was buried with a multitude of treasures It is from this place that many jewelry and metalwork pieces are found Swords, bowls, silverware, coins, drinking cups, cauldron were found

Survival of the Arts Illuminated manuscripts Anglo-Saxon architecture Ivory carvings Hardly any metalwork survived Raid of A-S churches

Preservation Artists worked in: Fresco Stone Ivory Whalebone Metalwork Glass Enamel Some of these were able to be excavated, and others were preserved in churches

Illuminated Manuscripts Insular art Influences from Mediterranean, Celtic and German styles Gregorian mission Carpet pages Insular initials Borders with interlace corners

Metalwork Round disk brooches were the most preferred metals Gold and Garnet showed higher status Many metalwork came from Sutton Hoo Most of the larger works were lost Some small things still remain Not many Metal-detecting helped discover more of these artifacts

Sculptures Huge stone sculptures in the shape of crosses remain May have been painted once Most of it was worn and weathered Most significant remaining sculpture is St. Cuthbert’s coffin Durhan Cathedral Approximately made in 698 Linear images Crosses on it

Wall Art According to literature, wall art was common Little has been preserved Mainly fragments have been found Painted face on a reused stone Winchester Before 903

Ivory Carvings Ivory and Bone carving Walrus bone Whale bone Also very common Mixture of Pagan and Christian influences Inscriptions on the carvings Runes in Latin and Old English

Textile Art What AS England was famous for Textile art of embroidery and tapestry Few examples remain Thread was used for other things instead Famous Bayeux Tapestry Embroidered in wool on linen Story of the Normal conquest Best known AS work of art These kinds of tapestries were everywhere Mainly Churches and wealthy houses

Present-Day Little art survives Massive destruction of churches destroyed most of it AS art style was very iconographical There were hidden meaning in the art Portrayed many different things Animals Wars Religion

Bibliography