Introduction to Medieval and Byzantine Art History

Concept and Terminology of the Middle Ages

  • Origins of the Term: The 14th-century Italian poet Petrarch (c. 1330s) used "Dark Ages" to describe the period between the fall of the Roman Empire (c. 476) and his own era, viewing it as a loss of classical learning.
  • Timeframe: The Middle Ages spans European history from the 5th century to the Renaissance in the 15th and 16th centuries.
  • Key Characteristics:
    • Fragmentation of the Roman Empire into smaller political entities that established modern European boundaries.
    • Flourishing of Christianity and Catholicism in the Latin West.
    • Growth of universities, rule of law, ecclesiastical reform, and tourism.
    • Major literary achievements, including Canterbury Tales, Divine Comedy, and The Song of Roland.
    • Extensive commissioning of religious and secular art, architecture, and manuscripts by wealthy patrons.

Saint Matthew portrait and cross-carpet page from the Lindisfarne Gospels, c. 700

Chronology of Western Medieval Art

  • Early Medieval Art: c. 500–800
  • Carolingian Art: c. 780–900
  • Ottonian Art: c. 900–1000
  • Romanesque Art: c. 1000–1200
  • Gothic Art: c. 1200–1400

North Transept Rose Window, c. 1235, Chartres Cathedral

The Byzantine Empire and Art

  • Political Structure: Unlike Western Europe, the Byzantine East remained a centralized political entity ruled from Constantinople ("New Rome").

Map of the Byzantine Empire in the mid-6th century

  • Major Monuments: Hagia Sophia, built 532–37 by Isidore of Miletus and Anthemius of Tralles for Emperor Justinian in Constantinople.

Hagia Sophia in Istanbul

  • Iconoclasm: Two periods of image destruction (720s–787 and 815–843) restricted artistic subjects and representation.
  • Periods of Byzantine Art:
    • Early Byzantine / Early Christian Art: c. 250 – 843 (ends with the conclusion of Iconoclasm).
    • Middle Byzantine Art: 843 – 1204 (ends with the sack of Constantinople by Latin Crusaders).
    • Late Byzantine Art: 1204 – 1453 (ends with the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Turks).