Medieval Art Study

Map of Jerusalem, 1100, t represents mediterrarean, dividing asia, europe, and africa, big circle is temple of solomon, gate gates represent the gate to the heavenly city of jerusalem, this was interacted with as a touch point, you can see the rubbed off areas. East is at the top because that is the direction of the rising sun and resurrection of christ. This was a manner of spiritually journeying to the holy city, even if you were not doing it physically.

1300s, allegory of good and bad government fresco, king is surrounded by virtues, this connects on a broader scale to the idea of the fate of a city being tied to the moral goodness of its rulers and citizens. Cities tried to have lots of pearl-like features since Jerusalem was covered with pearls and hanging pearls as a symbol of purity and moral righteousness. You can see romulus and remus at the feet of the king, thus he has divinely ordained power.

This is the Burial of St Zenobius and the miracle of the elm, 1400-1500s, basically he died and his dead body touched/was carried past an elm tree it randomly grew, even though it was winter, so they chopped the tree down into tiny pieces because it was a contact relic. This piece itself is on wood, whether it is the actual wood of the tree is unimportant, it’s about it being a touchstone to the St. Zenobius and his connection to god, since both are wood, they are connected.

Khotakerac Reliquary with fragment of the true cross, 1300s, relates to a story about a monk who was in charge of carrying this splinter through a family lineage, but accidentally dropped on the pillow of a dead child who was resurrected, so then people tried to hunt down the fragment. This being in the center of the object, encased by gold and precious stones really emphasizes that it is the most valuable thing in the object. It serves as a touchstone point for the person to feel connected to god and be reminded of christ’s sacrifice, and the wood of the tree that facilitated the whole event, making it a relic. 

Book of hours for catherine of cleves, 1400s, angel is handing a twig to seth, they are probably coming out of the golden gates of the holy city Jerusalem, seth takes the twig and puts it in the mouth of Adam’s dead body, later causing a tree to sprout, and this is the tree used to make the cross for the crucifixion. So basically, story of how the cross came to be.

The Hunt in the Forest, 1400s, everything looks like it is frozen at a point in time, lots of movement, all these bright colors heading into the vast, dark, abyss of the wild forest. the trees are a dark green and loom above all the other figures painted in the work. All the horses have crescent moons on the their reigns to represent artemis, the goddess of the hunt, she is the ultimate prize, and she has a group of eternal maidens/virgins, so a symbol of purity amidst a scene of intense hunting and chaos.

One of the seven unicorn tapestries, 1500s, this particular one shows the unicorn purifying the water, becuase a unicorn’s horn can dissolve poison, you have the fountain of purity surrounded by holly bushes because they have thorns and symbolize eternal life and purity, as they still bear fruit even in the winter time. There are also some oak trees in the back of the painting, which represents the passion and sacrifice of christ. There is a stag in the tapestry, maybe has to do with goddess of the hunt, Artemis, and her eternal virgins, there are also a ton of hyenas and leopards, fairly exotic/savage animals reflecting the intensity of hte hunt done by the humans. 

1500, one of the Unicorn Tapestries, unicorn is domesticated after it was killed reborn as a better creature. Collar represents domesticity, how he is reformed after love and passion, he represents men and why they need to settle down with marriage. Pomegranate tree in the background represents fertility, still surrounded by beautiful flowers and foliage, now living eternally in a vibrant beautiful space of marriage. Wild fierce beast was domesticated by love and marriage, not just defeated by strength but by the touch of a beautiful woman.

Persian ceramic pitcher, would usually hold some sort of refreshing drink. 1200s. The writing on the outside is talking to the women drinking from the jar, the interwoven painted lines are supposed to resemble to intervewavings of a fence into an enclosed garden, you can see the beautiful patterns and natural designs of the garden in between the gaps, thus the words of his romantic poetry are offering her a glimpse into the possibility of their intimate romantic connection within an enclosed garden. She is supposed to drink the refreshing juice from the pitcher and think of him.

The Salting Carpet, 1500s, there is poetry in the green section around the boarder, probably symbolizes some sort of hedge. There is a large red floral pattern in the center of the carpet, indicating the area where the person should sit, thus when they are sitting in the center of the carpet, reading the poetry on the border, they are inside the garden. This involves the five sense with the poetry, with discussion of smelling the roses, you are seeing all sorts of floral and natural patterns around you, and there is also discussion of drinking wine, the melody of the birds of nightingales. Lots of roses to symbolize purity, metaphorical journey to an enclosed garden space of passion for maidens. 

The Alhambra in Granada, a sort of palace fortress with two sections one from the 1200s and one from the 1400s. Muqarnas are the creation of stalactite forms on stone and title, makes it look like the building is melting away, more of an airy vibe, AND the little dents look like leaves cascading down from the ceiling, integration with nature. The mirador is the construction of a view, so very intentional, you look out from the window and see a perfect, ordered, and holy world, connecting you with god because everything is in its place, but the ‘things’ themselves are nature. Fountain of purity. Also five senses, scent of orange blossoms, hearing the fountain, texture of the walls, and sight of an ordered world.

Levy Mahzor, 1400, book of prayers and rituals stating when they need to be completed. Jewish liturgical book. This one is a love song between christ and the church, the queen represents the church, but she is blindfolded because the man with her is wearing the hats that jewish people were made to wear at the time, thus indicating that they did not believe judaism was an acceptable direction for the church to go in. There are roses in the corners to symbolize purity and love, the birds leaves and trees are all leaning towards and intertwined with each other, and the couple are holding hands, demonstrating how it is a love song. The queen cannot see the true messiah.

1200, emblematic garden of contemplation, lots of emblems that symbolize different things, you are supposed to interact with them by touching and meditating. There is the unciron penetrating hte virgin, symbol of conception with VIrgin mary, the fountain of purity, the burning bush that is not consumed represents Ezekiel and even though the virgin mary will give birth, she will not lose her virginity. There are also closed doors which represent closing doors to sin. Arc of the covenant box also symbolizes gods presence among the people, so you can connect to god by touching it. 

Annunciation, basically telling Mary she is going to give birth to jesus. 1425. You can see adam and eve getting kicked out of the garden in the background, teh sun is above them but chooses not to shine on them, instead a beam of light is directed down towards mary, she and the angel are bowing to each other out of mutual respect. Mary is the true representation of purity, she gets to be in her own enclosed space, separate from the garden that adam and eve just ruined.

Pilgrim flask depicting St. Menas, 6th-7th century, terracotta. These flasks used to hold oil from the shrine of st menas, or they would claim to have the oil, but it basically represents a virtual pilgrimage to the shrine for people who cannot actually go, they can touch the oil or hold the flask and know that they are honoring him and are connected to him.

Lindisfarne Gospels, 715 AD basically pages in books of liturgy, and they serve as breaks for contemplation in between all the reading and analyzing you have been doing. You put everything else aside and just focus on the contemplation. Very vegetal designs, like vines, etc. You can connect to the labyrinths too, it is enacting a pilgrimage in a symbolic space, even if you are not literally journeying somewhere. As longa s you stay on the path, you will remain pure, do not stray for sinful activities.

Temptation of St. Anthony, 1400s, basically showing him with a serene expression on his face, looking away from all the demons, devil, and savage creatures. He is a virtuous man and is frequently depicted going in to deserted areas, actual deserts or not, because he is trying to move away from sin, to humble himself and go back to his roots so he can be more connected with God. Man’s connection with wilderness as a place of humility and resistance to sin, a haven of repentance.

Angel gives sacrament to Paphnutius and the four monks in the desert. 1400s. Monks are related to John the Baptist because they are wearing hairy shirts, they and the traveler are so holy in this sacred oasis, far from the temptation of sin, that the angel decides to give them the sacrament. Emphasizes that desert is not necessarily a barren place, but can have a lot of flowers and vegetation as long as it is far from sin.

An allegory of civilization, 1400s, basically what architecture looked like in the most simple of time, people are barely wearing clothing, but there are a lot of exotic animals and features of the land, so they didn’t really know what the new world looked like, but some of the logs still have branches on them. Humanity living in harmony with nature. Fascination with the exotic. 

Book of Hours, labors of the months, duc de Berry’s book of hours. This month is July, they are reaping the wheat and shearing the sheep because it is hot. The red abreviations are kalends, ides, and nones, which are set points in teh roman calendar, golden numbers are to truck to moon cycle to figure out when easter will fall. The zodiac signs are cancer and leo, and this really shows the relationship between the purpose of the land and the people that interact with it, for example when the environment is loss hospitable because of extreme temperature, the commonfolk are represented because they still have to work in extreme heat or cold, whereas during more mild months, like april and may, the environment serves as a leisurely space so rich people are displayed.

Image from the bestiary, 1200s, people don’t really get to see these animals, so this is their way of connecting with them, especially since there stories are very related to christianity. For example, the unicorn is christ only drawn to the purity of a maiden, that’s how you kill a unicorn and it is reborn, resurrection of christ. Silver ball being thrown toward a tigress, she gets confused by the reflection and you can take her baby. Pelican piercing its own breast to feed its children is like christs blood sacfrifice feeding christianity for the rest of humanity. A way of knowing the world and its creatures since there aren’t really zoos at this time. 

Frau welt, warning of vanity because death is inevitable, this beautiful woman has frogs and lizards all up and down her back. Deceptive nature of beauty and sin. Appearance is fleeting.

In the book of hours, depicts the plague, and Gregory the Great’s journey around the city of rome to create a ring of prayer and cure everyone. They believed that rituals had significant power with health, and that people might be plagued because of since that they committed, it is very much a divine thing.

The three living and the three dead. Basically the three dead are at different stages of decay. Three men are riding home after hunting and they stumble upon these dead bodies. Surrounded by leaves, autumn is the season of decay. There is a claim that the dead have on the living, of rememberance and humility, like I was once like you, and you will be like me in the future. Falcon waiting to take flight at any moment is a symbol for the soul.

Transition Tombs, they are tombs of crossing into the afterlife, corpses are naked, but living body is dressed very finely. Angels supporting his head, showing off his piety and wealth. Some sculptures have frogs and snakes in places that are associated with sin, like the eyes, mouth, and groin.

Nara hell scroll, medieval artists depicting he11ish landscapes, this is what will happen to you if you are not good and pious, reflects societal values.

Harrowing of hell. Christ in his sheet and solar glow, pulling adam and the other righteous people out of hell, very rocky landscape, barren. Exact opposite of eden.

Tundale is a knight who falls unconscious and is given a tour of hell by an angel, viewes the hell mouth that looks fiery, seems to have flames coming out of it, sharp teeth, people cooking inside. Angel is dressed in blue, a contrast to the orange and red flames. Soundscape and imagery, audience can feel themselves there.

Tres riches heures, angels pulling people out of hell, it is a result of their prayers, and repentance that they can come out of the burning furnace. Only God can save you, so you should want to be right with god before you die.

The crossing of the red sea, carved into african onyx. You can see beautiful oozing veins of sediment through the rock, they chose the rock to emphasize the fluid related to the biblical scene. Any sort of natural marble form is miraculous because it is not man made, it was made by god.

Floor tiles from teh Hagia sofia, meant to look like waves, queen of sheba was deceived by them and thought they were real water, so she takes it as a sign to fully submit to god.

Relic box, each rock is taken from a holy place, thus they become holy as well, connects the owner with god because they are connected to areas where biblical events happened.

Inlaid gems from sutton hoo burial. Candlelight is reflected off the surface, these gems are special because they reflect different shades of light and glimmer, making them look like they have fire inside of them. These properties make them valuable.

Paten, plate for the bread and body of christ. A ton of valuable gemstones on the border, all enclosing fish which appear to be in an ocean because the stone chosen for the middle is serpentine and looks like the ripples and shadows of a deep body of water. Because this stone has this property, it is more valuable, in order to worship the divine, it is used.

Chalice of Abbot suger, very valuable, covered with gems and pearls, pearls are a symbol fo rjesus christ, not just becasue they are pure white, but because oysters do asexual reproduction, they are pure and untouched like the virgin mary. The really cool thing for this one is that the cup part is made out of sardonyx, which as wave like patterns, also divine because it is not man-made and was made by god, it looks like water, and liquid is what is supposed to go in here, and it is also semi-translucent, just like water/wine.

Christ dying, he is made out of mother of pearl, making him look almost translucent, emphasizing that he is holy and dying. the blood coming out of his side looks like the ruby, and there are sapphires which symbolize the blood and water coming out of his side, the blood and body of christ in the communion. Dual existence.

Spolia, the use of architects using old pieces of architecture to build new things. Political technique, showing that you are strong enough to dismantle the structure of an old power empire.

Death of lacoon and his sons, there were tons of plates depicting it, but no one could find the actual statue until later on. Sometimes it is depicted as an active scene with vibrant colors and intense facial expression, and plant life. The other one makes them all the color of stone, there is ancient arched architecture in the back, faces are all frozen in time. Sense of melancholy for the past.

Chinese handscroll, ruins as conveying emotion. The trees all look like gnarled old people, it is clear that they have stood the test of time. However, there is a bridge and architecture in the back, may not stand the test of time, everything is temporary, evokes feelings of melancholy.

Crib of the infant jesus, but it doens’t look like a crib, the window panels on the side are gothic, they make it look like a church. Jesus is the foundation of the church, he has angels praying over him.

Reliquary arm, made out of silver and gemstones. You can see him depicted in teh circle, and it’s also supposed to be his arm. Used for blessing people, made out of valuable materials because it represents an important person.

Reliquary head that carries bone fragments. Made out of valuable materials like gemstones and gold. It is supposed to have a human face that you can pray to, you feel connected, but the materials make it divine, the portrayal of golden skin reminds that this person is not human and way more powerful than you.

Reliquary casket with scenes from the martydom of St. Thomas Becket. Gilded silver with a glass cabochon set over tinted foil. Specifically chose a red stone to represent his murky red blood being spilled as a result of people prosecuting him for his faith. Features different scenes, you move around the object, praising his memory.

Natura artifex, the jealousy of art towards nature. Nature is portrayed as an aristocratic woman who is working hard to keep up with death, she is manufacturing enough humans to keep up with all the humans who are dying. However, nature still make permanent things, art cannot, art is always temporary. Art can’t make things that are animated, that can move and walk.

Book of Wonders, the wall of gog and magog, who represent so-called “monstrous races” that are kept behind the wall of the fear eastern part of the world, these automata have horns and will alert the rest of the world should these people break out and cause chaos.

Table fountain, very mechanical looking, reservoir at the top that you put wine into and then the hydraulic pressure carries it down through the mouths of the animals and ringing the bells. The farther east you go, you’re closer to magic but farther from humanity.

The book of ingenious devices of al-jazari, discussion of organic and artificial forced labor, mostly focused on wine pouring, even the automata are made to look human-like, as if the represent the slaves that already exist to serve the court.

History of Alexander, he is having this wall constructed between his own people and the “savage” people” whom are portrayed as naked in order to make the more monstrous, and they have boar tusks. Making the unfamiliar scary. Idea of self and other.

Chronica Majora, Matthew Paris. Depicts the mongols being cannibals, feasting on humans. Even their horses are savage because they just eat trees instead of grass. THey are depicted with larger more intense facial features in order to make them appear inhuman, and not like the culture reading this book.

People portrayed like dogs, but they are well dressed wealthy dogs, and the artist chooses to portray them this way because they value the spices that they produce, they have civilized architecture in the back, they are unfamiliar but not savage, it is important to have a relationship with them.