Medieval Ages

When was Medieval time period?

5th to late 15th century

Early Medieval time

410-768

What occurs during early Medieval?

Europe was patchwork of different city states

Barbaric warlords brought along personal adornments, often featuring cloisonné with animal-and-interlace patterns

Purse cover from the Sutton Hoo ship burial in Suffolk, England, ca. 625. Gold, glass, and enamel cloisonné with garnets and emeralds.

7 cloisonné plaques

• placing metal strips on a support cloison

• creates tiny compartments that are filled with coloured glass, gems, enamel

• fired so that glazed surface sparkled

animal interlace pattern

• twisting lines that turn into animal shapes

typical of medieval war lord

What were Monks responsible for in terms of art?

copied texts

illuminated manuscripts

• elaborately designed pages

• ‘everything other than letters/text’

• religious texts but also works of art

Describe + what are carpet pages?

Carpet page from the Linidsfarne Gospels, 715-720 CE

little to no narrative but purely for decoration

stimulates and creates a divinity

complex patterns borrowed from local decorative traditions

hybrid art

• marriage between Christianity and barbarian cultures

stimulates spiritual experience

cross in centre brings order to chaos

• symbolizes what Christianity was attempting to do

• bring stability to a non-uniform society

Carolingian Period time

768-919

Who was Charlemagne?

Pope Leo crowns Charlemagne as emperor of Rome

he was the King of Francs

role in bringing Christianity to Rome

• reviving idea that Rome is now in a Christian form and in a different location

alliance between papery and political power

How did Charlemagne revive Roman culture and its traditions?

supported monasteries and learning Greco-Roman antiquity

reviving classical antiquity and traditions

illuminated manuscripts with Roman culture/clothing

wanted to communicate the revival of Roman greatness adapted to Christian goals

Saint Matthew, the Coronation Gospels, ca. 800-810. Ink and tempera on vellum

• more detailed, realistic

• body is shown through fabric

• engaged in action (writing)

• natural background, sky is shown

• halo

• toga-like garment

• cross-legged chair from era

• framing with folio

What is period and plan type?

The Palatine Chapel, Aachen, Germany, 792-805

• royal Christian chapel

• borrowing stylistic elements

  • using columns, arches, capitals from Greco-Roman architecture

• dome structure

• spolia

  • taking existing elements of buildings

• Carolingian

• central plan

What type of plan does Charlemagne adopt?

basilica plan

Who is architect? What often occurred to naming the architects of buildings during this time?

Westwork of the abbey church, Corvey, Germany, 873-885 CE

Carolingian creation

massive twin towers that frame the main portal of the church

very visible structure

• becomes landmark

• emphasize power and presence of the church

• visibility = power

anonymous architect

• names often went to the patrons or bishops of these buildings

• buildings sometimes took many years and were constructed by multiple generations

Ottonian Period time

919-1024

What were the main innovations of Ottoman time period?

revival of free-standing sculpture