Early Medieval Art

- cloisonné and chasing techniques

- zoomorphic elements

- small + portable

- decline of classical tradition

- probably owned by rich Merovingian woman; meant to go w/ her to afterlife

- fish below center of each pin

- all surfaces covered; decorations adjust to shape

Merovingian looped fibula

- written by Eadrith, bishop of Lindisfarne

- unusual: made by one person, not a team

- Latin w/ annotations in English between lines; English added around 970, called Anglo-Saxon miniscule

- one of oldest surviving manuscript of Bible in English

- uses Saint Jerome's translation of the Bible: "The Vulgate"

- 130 calf skins used

- colophon discusses making of

Lindisfarne Gospels

- cross depicted on page filled w/ horror vacui decoration

- dog-headed snakes intermix w/ birds w/ long beaks

- cloisonné style used in bodies of birds

- elongated figures lost in maze of S shapes

- symmetrical arrangement

- black background makes patterning stand out

- mixture of traditional Celtic imagery and Christian theology

Cross Page from the Book of Matthew

- traditional symbol associated w/ St. Luke: calf (sacrificial animal)

- identity of calf acknowledged w/ "imago vituli"

- St. Luke identified by Greek words using Latin characters: "Hagios Lucas"

- heavily bearded Saint Luke gives weight to authority as author, but appears younger man

- sits w/ legs crossed holding scroll and writing instrument

- writing his gospels

Saint Luke Portrait

- "incipit": opening words of Saint Luke's gospel: "Quoniam Quidem . . ."

- numerous Celtic spiral ornaments; step patterns appear in enlarged O

- lower right corner: naturalistic detail of cat who has eaten eight birds

Saint Luke Incipit Page