1. Europe of the Early Middle Ages.
When Roman authority crumbled in the 5th century, it was replaced by “barbarians.” These were the adversaries of the Romans – Gauls in Pergamon, captives on the Gemma Augustae, or the enemy on Trajan’s column. The situation was entirely different a century later. Most of Constantine’s troops at the Battle of Milvan Bridge were Germanic. Galla Placida happened to be in Rome when it was sacked in 410 by Alaric and the Visigoths. She was carried off as a trophy. She was forced to join their migration through France and Spain and eventually married the Gothic King, who was murdered soon after. She returned to Italy and remarried, but was soon widowed, and she ruled the Western Empire as the regent for her son from /8. So, who were the people who had come to overthrow the empire? The Celts controlled most of W. Europe. The Germanic people- Goths and others- lived around the Baltic Sea. Their increasing populations led them to begin to move south into better lands and climate around the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. The Romans had extended their empire across the Rhine and Danube Rivers. The Germanic people liked the relative security and higher standard of living in Roman territory and settled within the Roman world. Migration speeded up in the 5th century when the Huns moved into W. Europe; the Ostrogoths moved into Italy and deposed the last W. Roman emperor in 476; the Visigoths ended up in Spain; the Burgundians settled in Switzerland and eastern France; the Franks moved into Germany, France, and Belgium, and the Vandals crossed into Africa where Carthage was their hdqtrs before they circled back to Italy, sacking Rome in As the groups converted to Christianity, the Church unified Europe’s mix of people. Eventually, the Church increased its wealth and influence and it emerged as the chief patron of the arts.
Europe of the Early Middle Ages.

2. Jewelry of Queen Arnegunde. Burial c. 580–590. Length of pin 10 3/8”.
One of the most spectacular burial finds comes from Queen Arnegunde’s tomb found in the abbey of Saint-Denis near Paris. It was unearthed in She was found in a stone sarcophagus which had been undisturbed since her death. Her name was inscribed on a gold ring from her left thumb. She wore a short, purple silk tunic, cinched at the waist by a thick leather belt which had ornamental metalwork suspended on it. Her stockings were supported by leather garters with silver strap tongues and dangling ornaments. Over this was a red gown embroidered in gold thread. The overgarment was opened up the front, but clasped at neck and waist by round brooches with a massive buckle. There were made by casting their general shape in two – piece molds, refining and chasing them with tools, and inlaying within reserved and framed areas carefully cut garnets to provide color and sparkle. Not long after, Merovingian royalty stopped burying precious items with their dead.
Jewelry of Queen Arnegunde. Burial c. 580–590. Length of pin 10 3/8”.

3. This piece from the Sutton Hoo burial ship, is made of pure gold
This piece from the Sutton Hoo burial ship, is made of pure gold. It is a clasp that once secured over the shoulder the leather body armor of its distinguished owner. The two sides were connected by a long gold pin, attached to one half by a delicate gold chain. The decoration is known as millefiori. It is thin pieces of garnet and blue-checkered glass cut into precisely stepped geometric shapers or to follow the contours of stylized animal forms. The shapes were inserted into channels and supplemented by granulation. Under the stepped geometric pieces that form a rectangular patterned field on each side, jewelers placed gold foil stamped with incised motifs that reflect light back up through the transparent garnet. Interlaced snakes, around the outside rectangular areas, and in the curving compartments are pairs of overlapping boars stylized in ways that reflect the traditions of Scandinavian jewelry.
Hinged Clasp, from the Sutton Hoo Burial Ship. First half of 7th century. Length 5”.

4. Purse cover, from the Sutton Hoo ship burial in Suffolk, England, ca
Purse cover, from the Sutton Hoo ship burial in Suffolk, England, ca Made from gold, glass, and cloisonne garnets. Approx, 7.5 inclhes long. This is the most extraordinary piece found in the horde. It consists of seven cloisonne plaques within a cloissone border. Cloissone is made by soldering small metal strips edge up, to a metal background, and then fill this compartments with semiprecious stones, pieces of colored glass, or glass pasted fried to resemble sparkling jewels. The edges are an important parte of the design. It’s a cross between mosaic and stained glass. On the bottom of this piece are 4 symmetrically arranged groups of figures. The end groups consist of a man standing between two beasts. He faces front, they appear in profile. The two center groups represent eagles attacking ducks. Above the figures are three geometric designs. The outer groups are purely linear, but the central design is an interlace patter in which the interlacements evolve into writhing animal figures.

5. One of the earliest surviving decorated Gospels of the period
One of the earliest surviving decorated Gospels of the period. Reflects Roman Christian models, but its paintings are an encyclopedia of Hiberno-Saxon design. Each of the four Gospels is introduced by a 3 part decorative sequence; a page with the symbol of its evangelist author, followed by a page of pure ornament, and finally elaborate decoration highlighting the initial words of the text. The Gospel of Matthew is preceded by his symbol, the man. Very different in the way humans are presented/ The body is armless and formed by a colorful checkered pattern rectangular panels of the Sutton Hoo clasp. A schematic, symmetrical, frontal face stares out at the viewer, and the tiny feet that emerge at its other end are seen from a contrasting profile view. Equally prominent is the interlacing ornament tht borders the figure’s field.
Page with Man, Gospel Book of Durrow. Second half of 7th century. 9 5/8 × 6 1/8”.

6. The monastic scribes in England, Scotland, and Ireland developed and expanded the artistic tradition in works of virtuosity. This is the greatest early medieval Irish book. Probably comes from the monastery at Iona. This is the page introducing Matthew’s account of Jesus’ birth. The letters of Christ in Greek occupy nearly the entire page. Two words autem and generatio appear at the lower right. Together is reads: Now this is how the birth of Christ came about” The illuminator transformed the words into intricate, abstract designs recalling metalwork, but it is not entirely embellished script and abstraction. The letter rho, ends in a male head, and animals are at the base of rho to the left of h generatio. Half-figures of winged angels appear to the left of chi. Close observation reveals many other figures, human and animal.
Chi Rho Iota Page from the Book of Kells. Late 8th or early 9th century. 12 3/4 × 9 1/2”.

7. This is the beginning of the Text of Matthew’s Gospel
This is the beginning of the Text of Matthew’s Gospel. It was written by Eadfrith, Bishop of Lindisfarne and bound by Ethelwald, his successor. It required 300 calfskins to make the vellum and used pigments imported from as far away as the Himalayas for the decoration. Outlines were made for the decorations, using compasses, dividers and straight edges to produce precise underdrawings. Hybrid animal forms tangle in acrobatic interlacing, disciplined symmetry. This was a book the was carried in processions and displayed on an altar. The text is heavily abbreviated and ornamented, and it’s difficult to read.
Page with the Beginning of the Text of Matthew's Gospel, Lindisfarne Gospel Book. c. 715– /8 × 9 7/16”.

8. The monastic library at Wearmouth-Jarrow, not far from Lindisfarne, is known to have had a collection of Roman books, and an author portrait in one of them seems to have provided the model. An artist there, painted Ezra Restoring the Sacred Texts within a huge Bible. The painter worked to emulate the illusionistic traditions of the Greco-Roman world. Ezra is a modeled, 3-dimensional from, sitting on a foreshortened bench and stool, both drawn in perspective to make them appear to recede into the distance. In the background, the obliquely placed books on the shelves of a cabinet seem to occupy the depth of its interior space.
Ezra Restoring the Sacred Scriptures, in the Bible Known as the Codex Amiatinus. c. 700– × 13 1/2”.

9. Roman influence is evident in the developing sophistication of abstract artistic traditions. Instead of beginning each Gospel with a symbol of its author, the illustrator uses portraits of the evangelist writing their texts. The artist of the Matthew portrait seems to have worked with the same Roman prototype, but instead of striving to capture the lifelike features of the Roman model, the Lindisfarne artist sought to undermine them. Matthew appears against a blank background. All indications of modeling have been stripped from his clothing to the foreground the decorative pattern and contrasting color created by the drapery folds. By carefully arranging the ornament on the legs of the bench, the 3-D shading and perspective evident in the Ezra picture have been suppressed. The footstool has been liberated from its support to float freely on the surface, while still resting under the silhouetted feet. Playing with a clearly understood alien tradition, the painter places a figure behind a drape that is not long enough to conceal the rest of his figure. There were important cultural reasons for such divergent reactions to the Greco-Roman model- Wearmouth-Jarrow seeking to emphasize its Roman connections and Lindisfarne its indigenous roots.
Matthew Writing His Gospel, Lindisfarne Gospel Book. c. 715– /8 × 9 7/16”.

10. South Cross, Ahenny. 8th century.
Metalworking traditions influenced not only manuscript decoration, but also the monumental stone crosses erected in Ireland during the 8th century. This cross seems to have been modeled on metal ceremonial crosses. It’s outlined with ropelike convex moldings and covered with spirals and interlace. The large bosses which form a cross within a cross, resemble the jewels the were similarly placed on metal crosses. The circles surrounding the cross has been interpreted as a ring of heavenly light or as a practical means of supporting the arms.
South Cross, Ahenny. 8th century.

11. Exterior of Stave Church, Borgund, Norway. c. 1125–1150.
Most wooden architecture of the period became victims of decay or fire. In Norway, a few survive. Stave churches are named for the four huge times that form the structural core of the building. This church has four corner staves supporting the central roof, with addt’l interior posts that create the effect of a nave and side aisles, narthex, and choir. A rounded apse covered with a timber tower is attached to the choir. Steeply pitched roof covered with wooden shingles protect the walls from rain and snow. Openwork timber stages set on the roof ridge and create a tower and give the church a steep pyramidal shape. On all the gables either crosses or dragon heads protect the church and the congregation from trolls and demons.
Exterior of Stave Church, Borgund, Norway. c. 1125–1150.

12. Cutaway Drawing of Stave Church, Borgund, Norway. c. 1125–1150.

13. Carolingian Empire- During the 8th century while the Vikings were surging through Europe, a new force emerged on the continent. Charlemagne est. a dynasty and an empire known as the Carolingian. He descended from a family that had succeeded the Merovingians in the late 7th c. as rulers of the Franks in N. Gaul. Under Charlemagne, the realm reached its greatest extent, encompassing w. Germany, France, the Lombard kingdom in Italy, and the Low Countries. He imposed Christianity on the territory and in 800 Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne emperor in a ceremony at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, declaring him the rightful successor to Constantine, the 1st Christian emperor. This endorsement reinforced Charlemagne’s authority and strengthened the bonds between the papacy and the secular govt. in the West.
Carolingian ruler’s ascent to the Roman imperium, and the political pretensions it implied, are clearly signaled in this small bronze equestrian statue. Emperor as proud equestrian figure reminiscent of Marcus Aurelius. The Carolingian king sports a mustache, a Frankish sign of nobility. These types of works are creative appropriation of Roman imperial typology to glorify manifestly Carolingian rulers.
Equestrian Portrait of Charles the Bald (?). 9th century. Height 9 1/2”.

14. Palace Chapel of Charlemagne. 792–805.
Charlegmagne’s Palace Chapel in Aachen, Germany functioned as his private place of worship, the church of his imperial court, a place for precious relics, and, after his death, the imperial mausoleum. It has a central, octagonal plan- reminiscent of San Vitale in Ravenna. , but the Carolingian architects added a monumental western entrance block. This is known as westwork, and it combined a ground-floor narthex and an upper-story throne room which opened onto the chapel interior. It allowed the emperor an unobstructed view of the liturgy at the high altar, and at the same time assured his privacy and safety. The room also opened out into a large walled forecourt where the emperor could make public appearances.
Palace Chapel of Charlemagne. 792–805.

15. Section Drawing of the Palace Chapel of Charlemagne.

16. This portrait of St. Matthew the Evangelist is from the early 9th century Coronation Gospels of Charlemagne. It conforms to the principles of idealized, life-like representation consistent with the Greco-Roman Classical tradition. The full-bodied figure is modeled I brilliant white and subtle shading. He is seated on the cushion of a folding chair set with a freely painted landscape. The way his foot lifts up to rest on the solid base of his writing desk emphasizes three dimensional placement within an outdoor seeting, and the frame enhances the Classical effect of a view seen through a window. These conventions may be been learned from Byzantine manuscripts in a monastic library.
Page with St. Matthew the Evangelist, Coronation Gospels. Early 9th century. 12 3/4 × 9 7/8”.

17. Roman tradition in manuscript painting was the basis for a series of creative Carolingian variations. This painting is spontaneous and calligraphic in execution. It is suffused with energetic abandon. The passion is most apparent in the intensity of Matthew’s gaze, but the whole page is bursting with energy. From his wiry hairdo and rippling draper, to the rapidly sketched landscape, and extending into the windblown acanthus leaves of the frames. These forms relate to the content as Matthew hastens to transcribe the Word of God delivered by an angle, who is almost lost in the upper right corner. The footstool tilts and the top of the desk seems about to fall off of its pedestal.
Page with St. Matthew the Evangelist, Ebbo Gospels. Second quarter of 9th century. 10 1/4 × 8 3/4”.

18. Illustrated manuscripts took a long time to make and were very expensive. It was equally important to cover them in beautiful covers. Since they were made out of precious items, they were frequently recycled or stolen. This cover is made of gold and jewels and is on the Lindau Gospels. This is not original to the manuscript. Sometime before the 16th century it was reused on a late 9th century manuscript. The cross is crafted in pure gold with figures in repousee surrounded by heavily jeweled frames. The jewels are raised on miniature arcades to allow light to pass through them from beneath, imparting a lustrous glow, and also allow light traveling in the other direction to reflect from the shiny surface of the gold.
Crucifixion with Angels and Mourning Figures, Lindau Gospels. c. 870– /4 × 10 3/8”.

19. In 843, the Carolingian Empire was divided into three parts, ruled by 3 grandsons of Charlemagne. Louis the German took the eastern portion, and when his family died out at the beginning of the 10th century, a new Saxon dynasty came to power. This dynasty is known as the Ottonian dynasty after its three principal rulers. Otto I re-established Charlemagne’s Christian Roman Empire by being crowned emperor by the pope in The Ottonians and their successors so dominated the papacy and appointments to other high church positions that in the 12th century this union of Germany and Italy under a German ruler came to be known as the Holy Roman empire. This empire survived in modified from into the early 20th century.
Ottonian ideology, rooted in the unity of Church and state, take on visual form on this ivory plaque, one of several that may have been part of a decoration for an altar or pulpit presented to Magdeburg Cathedral at the time of its dedication in Otto I presents a model of the cathedral to Christ and St. Peter. Hieratic scale depicts the emperor as tiny and doll-like. The saints and angels are taller than Otto but smaller than Christ. Otto is embraced by the church’s patron saint, St. Maurice. The cathedral is a basilica with prominent clerestory windows and a rounded apse, intended to recall the churches of Rome.
Otto I Presenting Magdeburg Cathedral to Christ. c. 962– × 4 1/2”.

20. Doors of Bishop Bernward. 1015. Height 16’ 6”.
These doors are on the abbey church of St Michael in Hildesheim, Germany. Under the last Ottonian rulers, Henry II and Queen Kunigunde, Bishop Bernward emerged as an important patron. He was a skilled goldsmith who closely supervised the artisans working for him. Bronze door were made under his direction for the abbey church and installed in The doors represented the most ambitious and complex bronze-casting project undertaken since antiquity. Each door was cast as a single piece in the lost-wax process and later detailed and reworked with chisel and fine tools. Rounded and animated figures populate spacious backgrounds. Architectural elements and features of the landscape are depicted in lower relief, so the figures stand out prominently, with their heads fully modeled in 3-D. The doors are 16 feet tall and portray scenes from the Hebrew Bible. From the left: From the left Adam and Eve and the top to Cain’s murder at the bottom. New Testament scenes were displayed on the right from bottom- the Annunciation to the Noli me tangere at the top. In each pair of scenes across from each other, the Hebrew Bible event is meant to present a preconfiguration of or complement to the adjacent New Testament event
Doors of Bishop Bernward Height 16’ 6”.

21. This Gospel book was made in a German monastery near Reichenau
This Gospel book was made in a German monastery near Reichenau. This painting style is inspired by Byzantine art in the use of sharply outlined drawing and lavish fields of gold. Backed by a more controlled and balanced architecturally canopy, these slender men gesture dramatically with long, thin fingers. The scene captures the moment when Jesus washes the feet of his disciples during their final meal together. Peter, who had tried to stop his Savior, holds one leg reluctantly over the basin, while a centrally silhouetted and slightly overscale Jesus gestures emphatically to underscore the necessity and significance of the act. Another disciple enthusiastically lifts his leg to untie his sandals so he can be next in line. Selective sylization has allowed this picture to transform the Classical tradition into a style of stunning expressiveness and narrative power, features that will characterize the figural styles associated with the Romaneque.
Page with Christ Washing the Feet of His Disciples, Aachen Gospels of Otto III. c Approx. 8 × 6”.