Early Medieval Art and Culture

Early Medieval Art

• Illuminated manuscripts transitioned from scrolls to bound books (codices), allowing for preservation of writing and learning.
• Benedictine monks preserved and copied manuscripts.
• Small, portable art was common during this time of migration and war.

The Middle Ages

• The term "Dark Ages" refers to our lack of knowledge about this era.
• Barbarians invaded and settled, creating a chain migration across Europe.
• Charlemagne and Otto brought peace and stability, spreading Christianity.
• Art fused Roman, Northern, and Christian influences.

Cultural Leadership Shift

• Cultural leadership moved away from Rome, north to France, Germany, and the British Isles.

Art of the Warrior Lords

• As the Roman Empire dissolved, conflicts for power were frequent.
• Celtic, Huns, Vandals, Franks, Goths, Merovingians, and Vikings were some of the groups involved.

Interlace

• Ribbon interlace and animal interlace decorated art objects from Sweden, Norway, and the British Isles.

Merovingian Looped Fibulae

• They were decorative pins used to fasten clothes together at the shoulder.
• Made of gold, silver, bronze, and precious and semiprecious stones.
• Utilized cloisonné technique, using thin metal bands to separate colored areas on metal.
• Imbued with great power, similar to stained glass windows and mosaics.
• Covered in decorative patterns emphasizing shape.
• Featured zoomorphic motifs, including highly-stylized animal forms like fish and eagles.
• The eagle symbolized power and status, inheriting from the Roman Empire.

Visual Characteristics of Merovingian Looped Fibulae

• Horror vacui: avoidance of empty spaces.
• Symmetrical design.
• Cloisonné style evident on birds.
• Rich, vibrant colors.
• Lack of shading or value.
• Depictions of motion and change.
• Central Celtic cross provides stability.

Lindisfarne Gospels

• Earliest manuscript to dedicate an entire page to the cross.
• Combines Christian imagery with animal interlace.
• Function: Meditative viewing.
• Influences: Celtic curvilinear organic motifs, Roman brackets, and Asian carpet page designs.

The Lindesfarne Gospels: St. Luke incipit page

• Filled with animal life and spirals.
• Large Q forms the opening sentence “Quoniam…”.
• Letters are used as negative space.
• It is part of St. Luke’s gospel.
• Red text under each word is the oldest translation of the Gospels into the English language.

The Lindesfarne Gospels: St Matthew, cross-carpet page; St.Luke portrait page

• Decorative luxury item.
• Requires skilled labor to create.
• Indicates social status and prestige.
• Found in a grave, buried with the owner.
• Demonstrates the sophistication of Northern artists (France).
• Design combines various influences.

Hiberno-Saxon Art (Christian Ireland and England)

• Most distinctive products were illuminated manuscripts featuring animal style patterns.
• They brought the Word of God to a largely illiterate population.
• Created in scriptoriums: cold workplaces where monks worked in silence.
• Books were rare and guarded treasures.
• Medium: vellum (calfskin) and parchment (sheepskin).
• Manuscripts were treated as objects with spiritual power.
• They were carried in processions and placed on the altar (holiest spot in the church).
• Used by missionaries to convert people to Christianity.

The Lindesfarne Gospels: Context

• The Gospels were written by the Four Evangelists: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
• They are four versions of the story of Christ.
• An evangelist is someone who seeks to convert others to Christianity.

The Lindesfarne Gospels: Images

• St. Luke portrait page, St. Matthew, cross-carpet page, St.Luke incipit page.
• Created around 700 CE.
• Illuminated manuscript made from ink, pigments, and gold on vellum.

Early Medieval Art

• Illuminated Manuscripts: transitioned from scrolls to bound books, allowing for preservation of writing and learning.
  • Benedictine monks preserved and copied these manuscripts to keep literacy alive during a time of upheaval and war.
• Small, Portable Art: more common because of a time of wide-scale migration and warfare across Europe.
• Early Medieval Period: a time between the Roman Empire and the Renaissance
  • known as the "Dark Ages" because historians know relatively little of this period.
• Cultural Leadership: moved away from Rome and to the north: France, Germany, and the British Isles.
• Art of the Warrior Lords: the art of rulers in the British Isles, Scandinavia, and Celtic areas.
  • the collapse of the Roman Empire led to constant conflict over control and power.
  • different groups controlled these areas, including the Celts, Huns, Vandals, Franks, Goths, Merovingians, and Vikings.
• Interlace: a common decorative style in Sweden, Norway, and the British Isles, using ribbon interlace and animal interlace.

Merovingian Looped Fibulae

• Fibula: a decorative pin that fastened clothing at the shoulder.
  • Etruscan and Roman cultures first used fibulae.
• Materials: gold, silver, bronze, and precious and semiprecious stones.
  • Cloisonné: a technique that uses thin metal bands to separate colored areas on metal.
  • Imbues the object with great power: similar to the symbolism of stained glass windows and mosaics.
• Visual Design: covered in patterns to emphasize the shape.
  • Zoomorphic: a stylized use of animal forms, with the most prominent examples being fish and eagles.
    • Eagle Symbolism: taken from the Roman Empire, symbolizes power and status.
• Function: decorative luxury item.
  • requires many hours of highly skilled labor to create, indicating the skill of the artist.
• Significance:
  • demonstrates social status and prestige.
  • found in graves, buried with owners.
• Impact: displays the sophisticated technique and material use of Northern artists (France).
• Design Influences: eclectic and complex, reflecting the migration and multiple influences of the time period.

Hiberno-Saxon Art

• Distinctive Products: illuminated manuscripts with animal style.
  • Animal Style: stylized animals in combat patterns.
• Purpose: brought the Word of God to a predominantly illiterate population.
• Scriptorium: where monks worked in silence at slanted desks.
  • a cold, quiet workspace.
• Books as Treasures: rare and highly valued.
• Medium: vellum made from calfskin and parchment made from sheepskin.
  • extremely time-consuming and expensive to create.
• Spiritual Power: manuscripts were treated as objects with great spiritual power.
  • carried in processions to mass and placed on the altar (the holiest spot in the church).
  • visual manifestations of spiritual power.
  • used by missionaries to convert locals to Christianity.

The Lindisfarne Gospels

• Content: consists of the four Gospels written by the Evangelists: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
  • Evangelists are people who seek to convert others to Christianity.
• Context:
  • produced in a monastery on the island of Lindisfarne (British Isles).
  • Hiberno-Saxon style is a combination of Roman and Anglo-Saxon influences.
  • Illuminated manuscript: a book with elaborate illustrations to supplement the text.
  • Contains the four Gospels.
  • Each gospel begins with a portrait page, then a carpet page, and then an incipit page.
  • Created by a monk named Eadfrith.
  • Most books were made by a team.
  • 259 pages: portraits of Evangelists, carpet pages, and gospels, each introduced with an initial.
  • Carpet pages: decorative panels with abstract and zoomorphic forms.
  • Incipit: the opening words of the gospel.
  • Function: used by clergy for spiritual purposes, read during meals for contemplation.

St. Luke Portrait Page

• Content: Luke is portrayed as a writer holding a scroll and pen.
  • His attribute animal is the calf (or ox)
    • symbolizes Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross.
    • a winged calf carries the gospel.
  • Luke has a halo, and he is bearded, but young.
• Visual Characteristics: there is no interest in creating three-dimensional effects.
  • no shading or contouring of fabric.
  • only line and color are used in a very flat style.
  • drapery is made up of sharp, curving lines with flat color.
  • classical in style, with lots of Roman influence.
  • Greek and Latin are both used.
• Context:
  • written in Latin and Greek.
  • 150 years later, English was added.
  • the earliest interpretation of the Bible in English.
  • This style sets the Lindisfarne Gospels apart from Mediterranean manuscripts.
• Influences: blends styles of the Holy Roman Empire and Hiberno-Saxon
  • Roman: seated like a philosopher; Greek & Latin; serifs on letters; fabric
  • Hiberno-Saxon: interlacing on corners; flattening of space; multiple views at once
• Similarities and Differences: the book combines the flat, linear Roman style with the intricate interlace and zoomorphic patterns that characterize both the Merovingian fibulae and the Hiberno-Saxon style.

St. Matthew, Cross-Carpet Page

• Content: combines Christian symbolism with intricate interlace patterns and animal motifs.
  • These motifs were familiar to new converts, similar to those found on the Merovingian fibulae.
  • A large cross is displayed against a background of knots and spirals, with animals that might be snakes writhing and devouring themselves.
• Visual Characteristics:
  • Horror Vacui: an artistic style that avoids empty spaces.
  • Symmetrical: it has a balanced design, reflecting the desire for order and stability.
  • Cloisonné Style: the birds exhibit this style, where bands of metal separate areas of colored enamel.
  • Rich, Vibrant Colors: it is made up of strong, bold colors.
  • No Shading or Value: the colors are flat without shading or depth.
  • Shows Motion and Change: the interlace patterns create a feeling of movement and energy.
  • Central Celtic Cross: adds stability and centrality to the design.
• Context:
  • the earliest manuscript to devote an entire page to the cross.
  • combines Christian imagery with animal interlace.
  • Function: used for meditative purposes.
• Influences:
  • Celtic: curvilinear organic motifs.
  • Roman: brackets on the corners of the design.
  • Asian: called "carpet pages" because of their resemblance to Oriental rugs or prayer mats.

St. Luke Incipit Page

• Incipit: the opening words of a text, in this case, the Gospel.
• Content: the page is filled with animal life and spirals.
  • a large Q forms the opening sentence: "Quoniam..."
  • the rest of the letters become negative space.
  • This page is from St. Luke’s gospel in the Bible.
• Context:
  • the red text written under each word is the oldest translation of the Gospels into the English language.
  • it was added in 950 CE by a monk in the same monastery.

Explore the fascinating transition from illuminated manuscripts to the unique artistic expressions of the Early Medieval period. Discover how cultural shifts and invasions shaped the art and society of this time, including the influences from Celtic, Roman, and Christian traditions. This quiz will cover pivotal figures and styles that defined the era.