Unit 4 - Early Medieval, Romanesque and Gothic

The Kaaba

• holiest spot in all of Islam, holiest city (Mecca) of all of Islam

• 49ft tall cube with granite and brick

• covered by black silk cloth (kiswa) with gold and silver thread embroidery calligraphy

• in courtyard of largest Mosque (qibla wall faces Kaaba)

• Mohammad preaches monotheism, flees to Medina, goes back to Mecca

• rebuilds to take away pagan items

• circuambulate/tawaf to touch/kiss cube

• hajj - largest pilgrimage

The Kaaba identifiers

The Kaaba. Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Islamic. Pre-Islamic monument. Rededicated by Muhammad in 631-632 CE. Multiple renovations. Granite masonry, covered with silk curtain and calligraphy in gold and silver-wrapped thread.

Dome of the Rock

• shrine (NOT MOSQUE) —> sacred spot for all Jews (navel of earth), Christians (tomb of Adam), and Islam (Mohammad began journey)

• domed octagon and two ambulatories for tawaf (like San Vitale)

• gilded dome and Turkish tiles (unlike San Vitale)

• arabic calligraphy (oldest)

• crescent moon

• sits on top of noble enclosure

• four entry ways in 4 cardinal directions’

• gold (influence from Byzantine) and winged crowns from persia

• roman destroyed temple, muslim reclaimed christian territary

• marks islamic context of jeruslem

• on rock, abraham sacrifices isaac

Dome of the Rock

Dome of the Rock. Jerusalem. Islamic, Umayyad. 691-692 CE, with multiple renovations. Stone masonry and wooden roof decorated with glazed ceramic tile, mosaics, and gilt aluminum and bronze dome.

Great Mosque of Cordoba

• roman temple to janice, but visagoths invaded and brought christianity; later became a mosque

• damscus to cordoba as capital

• filled with spolia form temple of janice

• hypostyle hall, geometric patterns, alternating patterns, voussoir (wedged rock in arch) mosaics, calligraphy

• lobed, horeshoe (from visagoth), double flying arch

Great Mosque of Cordoba

Great Mosque. Cordoba, Spain. Umayyad. Began 785-786 CE. Stone masonry.

Alhambra Palace

• over 1 mile of adobe walls creating mini city

• 3 palaces, government buildings, mosque, bathes, widows (mountains behind, city below; interior windows for women)

• Nasrid Dynasty (last Islamic rule in Spain)

• court of the lions (4 segmensts, cross axial plan, chahr bahgh style/islamic paradise and eternity)

  • secular with lions, persian influence

• muqarna - decorative vaulting, repititions

Alhambra Palace

. Granada, Spain. Nasrid Dynasty. 1354-1391 CE. Whitewashed adobe stucco, wood, tile, paint, and gilding.

Great Mosque of Isfahan

• what’s a mosque (sahn - courtyard, fountain, qibla wall, mihrab (niche) and minbar (stepped altar) in qibla wall, minaret (musin religious leader)

• hypostyle halls surrounding sahn

• iwan - rectanhular space, three walsls, and vaulted ceiling

• two story arcades

• safavid muqarnas

• city center, pedestrian stop

• Abbasid, Seljucks, Safavid

Great Mosque Isfahan (Masjid-e Jameh)

Great Mosque (Masjid-e Jameh). Isfahan, Iran. Islamic, Persian. 700 CE. Stone, brick, wood, plaster, and glazed ceramic tile.

Mosque of Selim

• square + dome technology

• NOT Hagia Sofia

  • central plan NOT longitudinal

  • piers with buttresses

  • piers extend over the roof

  • 3 bands on minaret

• schools, bath, market place, hospital

• tallest point at Edirne

• connects piers with rounded arches and pendentives, half domes, clerestories in half dome

• musin platform so prayer leader could stand

• bend spandriels pendentives

Mosque of Selim

Mosque of Selim II. Edirne, Turkey. Sinan. 1568-1575 CE. Brick and stone.

Folio from Qur’an

• arabic calligriphy, kufic family 

• mushaf - brown main text

• gold palmette, ndulating vines marking the sura - or the chapter

• 2:3 ratio biofolium 

• part if oral tradition 

• Abbasid

• parchment

• read right to left

• showpiece for dignity, luxury and devotional art

Folio from Qur'an 

Folio from a Qur'an. MENA. Abbasid. Eighth to ninth century CE. Ink, color, and gold on parchment.

Pyxis of al-Mughira

• cosmetic box (this used for perfume)

• made of carved ivory 

• cyllinder with a domed lid (byzantine and roman influence)

• kufic inscription, blessung to son al-mughira

• ummayad 

• wrestlers, griffins, peacck, birds, goats

• lobed medalion (eggs from falcon nest, lion attack bull, date palm

• given to son of a Khalif

Pyxis al-Mughira

Pyxis of al-Mughira. Umayyad. 968 CE. Ivory.

Batistere de St. Louis

• brass basin inlaid with silver and gold

• bottom in sea animals,

• outside with randeells with people n horseback

• fleur de li

• banquets used in

• mamluk - show silk and wealth

Basin (Baptistere de St. Louis)

Basin (Baptistere de St. Louis). Muhammad ibn al-Zain. 1320-1340 CE. Brass inlaid with gold and silver.

Ardabil Carpet

• one of twin

• weaving wool, silk for remain

• dyes (pomegrantae wine and indigo)

• 39 million knots

• center medallion

• blossoms, pallmettes, lanterns

• cartoosh

• tomb shrine of sufi saint (safavid)

The Ardabil Carpet

The Ardabil Carpet. Maqsud of Kashan. 1539-1540 CE. Silk and wool.

Bahram Gur fights the Karg

• illuminated manuscript

• neo-persia

• folio from shanama (book of kings)

• Persian calligraphy (pre-islamic, poetry)

• decorative border. rich sumtuous clothing, chines mystical look = persian

• Bahrug has slayed karg (horned wolf)

• good over email

• Bahram Gur large, in european clothing

• persian + mongol

• brough paper

• ilkhanad legitimize rule

Bahram Gur Fights the Karg

Bahram Gur Fights the Karg, folio from the Great Il-Khanid Shahnama. Islamic. Persian. 1330-1340 CE. Ink and opaque watercolor, gold, and silver on paper.

The Court of Gayumars

• folio from the shanama (greatpersian)

• 19 in x 12 in

• circular compositions, jewel tones

• chines influence (narled trees)

• farsi calligraphy

• image breaks out of the train

• human, animal at peace/harmonious within leader presence

• Safavid, Sultan Mohammad

• Gayumar, first King of Persia (son died, grandson

• Shah Tamash establishing rule and continued reverance towards ikamid dynasty

The court of Gayumars,

The court of Gayumars, folio from Shah Tahmasp's Shahnama. Sultan Muhammad. 1522-1525 CE. Ink, opaque watercolor and gold on paper.

Merovingian Looped Fibula

• fibula - decorative pin

• three parts: body, pins, clasp

• cloisonne - sauter, f

• interlaced pattern, stylized animals, small and portable

• Merovingian conquers Galls, Visagoths, and became most powerful group in Western Europe

• eagle - migratory

• rich status prestige like rolex

Merovingian looped fibulae

Merovingian looped fibulae. Early medieval Europe. Mid-sixth century CE. Silver gilt worked in filigree, with inlays of garnets and other stones.

Lindisfarne Gospels: St. Matthew, cross-carpet page, St. Luke portrait page, St Luke incipit page

• illuminated manuscript

• from Lindisfarne monstaries

• roman emoire split , western roman empire, unification of the celtoc people/hibernosaxon christianity

• insular

• high tide - cannot walk onto island

• made by irish monks in mostaries -

• vellum - over 200 calves

• interlacing knots, spiral forms, minute details

• incipit page - first words or letters of the gospel

  • highly decorated, bird imagery

  • niam - negative space from stippling, rosary beaded necklace style

  • english translation

• portrait page -

  • winged bull - symbol of luke and sacrifice that jesus made

• carpet page

  • page dedicated to cross

  • stacked wineglass page

  • long birdforms, steps, woven knots and lattice forms

• pigment + eggwhite

• sacred objects imbued with spirits

Lindisfarne Gospels: St. Matthew, cross-carpet page, St. Luke portrait page, St Luke incipit page

Lindisfarne Gospels: St. Matthew, cross-carpet page, St. Luke portrait page, St Luke incipit page. Early medieval (Hiberno Saxon) Europe. 700 CE. Illuminated manuscript (ink, pigment, and gold).

Church of Saint Foy

• pilgrimage Church

• route of Santiago de compesteia

• young girl Foy was killed for refusing to die for Pagan

• roman-esque - rounded arches, thick walls, small windows, buttresses, stone barrel vault oover the nave, cluster piers along the nave

• transepts - enter sides

• tympanum - half circle, last judgement piece

• reliquary - silver, gold, jewel, stone

Bayeux Tapestry

• embroidery (sirs on top)

• 2o in tall x 230 ft

• tulli - latin inscriptions 

• 8 differnet color of threads

• hieratic scale

• decorative borders 

• Norman conquest battle of hastings

  • Herald of Wessex. swears alleigience to Duke of Normandy (william) who says he has right to English throne; herald broke vow and took english throne

• Normans brought horses and arches - william the conquerer kig of france

• feasting, chicken and stick,pointing inthe direction of next scene, shields as plates

• battle: horseback norman changing the english, bottom has fallen english

Bayeux Tapestry.

Bayeux Tapestry. Romanesque Europe (English or Norman). 1066-1080 CE. Embroidery on linen.

Chartres Cathedral

• pilgrimage site

• gothic: pointed arches, soaring towers, ribbed vaultings, groin vault nave, stained glass, flying buttresses

• linen belonging to Mary inside

• Carolingian Dynasty

  • Charlomaine unify most of Europe

• Church is epicenter of city

• apsidial chapels, side aisles, transepts for pilgrims (cruciform plan)

• main portal: tymphanum last judgement: winged bull, winged lion, jesus reborn, jesus sitting on mary last

  • frieze scultures

  • jamb - collumn placed around doorframe (french royalty)

  • jamb figure elogated (romanesque)

• the rose window - is a rose window using tracery technique

• mary crowned, blessed, dove

Chartres Cathedral

Chartres Cathedral. Gothic Europe. Original construction 1145-1155 CE. Reconstructed 1194-1220 CE. Limestone, stained glass.

Blanche of Castille

Dedication Page from Blanche of Castille

• illuminated manuscript

• mother teaches Louis IX until he’s king

• vellum and gold leaf

• tonsure headed monk capturing creation of moralised bible

• medallion page

• medallion page - blue, red, simple

  • comes from apolacpse stories

  • lobed arch decor → now representative of the trinity

Dedication Page with Blanche of Castle and King Louis IX of France

Dedication Page with Blanche of Castle and King Louis IX of France, Scenes from the Apocolypse from Bibles moralisées. Gothic Europe. 1225-1245 CE. Illuminated manuscript.

Rottgen Pieta

• pity statue

• painted wood

• enlarged head

• jesus protruding ribs, emaciated skeleton, pustules wounds (like grapes), red streaks

• chiaroscuro - drmatic use of light and dark

• andachtsbilder - devotional pieces

Rottgen Pieta

Rottgen Pieta. Late medieval Europe. 1300-1325 CE. Painted wood.

Arena (Scrovegni) Chapel

• barrel vault ceiling, rose stained glass, blue paint (unity)

• 3 registry lines, 4 panels '

• diagnals lines and angels lament

• Giotto is frescomaker (freco buono)

• Scrovengi is famous moneylender

Arena (Scrovegni) Chapel

Arena (Scrovegni) Chapel, including Lamentation. Padua, Italy. Unknown architect. Giotto di Bondone (artist). 14th century CE. Brick and fresco.

Golden Haggadah

Golden Haggadah (The Plagues of Egypt, Scenes of Liberation, and Preparation for Passover). Late Medieval Spain. 1320 CE. Illuminated manuscript (pigment and gold leaf on vellum).

Golden Haggadah

• jewish, hebrew

• seder

• diagonal lines created depth

• used during satyr dinner and read from book, teaching tool 

  • eaten on the eve of Jewish holiday

  • jews/israelites captured —> eygpts doesn’t release, and plague are sent to Egypt 

  • Aror - wild beasts

  • Final plague - put blood of calf on door or first born son dies

  • moses parts the sea for the israelites

  • angalicized

• al -andalus - islamci art tha ocmes out of spain