Early Medieval Art - West Essex High School

Early Medieval Art
Carolingian Art 8th-9th Centuries, France & Germany
Ottonian Art 10th-Early 11th Centuries, Germany
From the Latin
"eques", meaning
"knight", deriving
from "equus",
meaning "horse".
Equestrian Statue of Charlemagne
Statue in gilded bronze. The statue
was erected in 175 CE
Carolingian Art
“Charlemagne”
“Charles the Great”
“Carolus Magnus”
Equestrian Statue of Charlemagne
• Inspired by Roman equestrian monuments such as
Marcus Aurelius
• Imperial crown and robes
• Orb as a symbol of the world
• Rider larger than the horse he rides on (Hierarchy of
scale)
• Horse is on parade, seems tame and obedient
• Sits3 as though he is standing upright
Carolingian Art
Palatine Chapel, Aachen, (What is now Germany)
Architect: Odo of Metz
Charlemagne began the
construction of the Palatine
Chapel around 792, along with
the building of the rest of the
palace structures. It was
consecrated in 805
San Vitale, Ravenna, Italy
Carolingian Art
Palatine Chapel, Aachen, (What is now Germany)
Architect: Odo of Metz
Charlemagne began the construction of the Palatine Chapel around 792, along
with the building of the rest of the palace structures.[3] It was consecrated in 805
by Pope Leo III in honor of the Virgin Mary. The building is a centrally planned,
domed chapel. The east end had a square apse, and was originally flanked by
two basilican structures, now lost but known through archaeology. The chapel
was entered through a monumental atrium, to the west. The plan and
decoration of the building combines elements of Classical, Byzantine and PreRomanesque, and opulent materials as the expression of a new royal house,
ruled by Charlemagne.
San Vitale, Ravenna, Italy
Carolingian Art
Palatine Chapel, Aachen
•Central plan, topped by
an octagon
•Built for Charlemagne
•Inspired by San Vitale
•Capitals taken from old
Roman monuments
•Large heavy appearance
•Arches smaller on first
story, larger on second
•Arches on second story
have Roman columns
placed inside that are
purely decorative, and do
not hold the arches up
•Arches on first floor have
a low, heavy, thick
appearance
•Arches have a striped
pattern
6
Carolingian Art
Lorsch Gatehouse, Lorsch
• Not really a gateway, but
probably in an atrium in a
monastery
• Cf. a triumphal arch in a
Roman forum
• Gabled roof for snow
• Three equal openings
• Columns placed against wall
• Surface pattern and design
• Fluted pilasters
• Chapel on top may have been
a reception hall for
distinguished guests
• Imitation pediments
7
Carolingian Art
Monastery Plan, St. Gall,
Switzerland
• Ideal plan of a selfsufficient monastic
community
• Church in center, other
buildings around
• Daily activities in one
place
• Cloistered monks never
leave except to work in
the fields
• Community of about
250-300 monks with 30
to 40 serfs per monk
• Highly organized
• Many altars in church,
not for congregation, but
for monks to say Mass
• Everything necessary for
the monks grouped
around the cloister
Timber
architecture in
outer buildings
Standard of
comfort was high
for the time
Serfs lived with
animals in their
pens
Infirmary,
school, convent,
guest house
8
Ottonian Art
Saint Michael’s, Hildesheim
• Two pairs of lateral entrances
• Two pairs of crossing towers
• Two pairs of stair turrets
• Two apses
• Two transepts
• Supports in the nave are not
traditional columns, but pairs of
columns alternating with square
piers
• Divides nave into three separate
units of three openings each
• First and third units are related
to the lateral entrances to the
buildingNave is a hall that
connects the two apses
• Windows do not line up with
arches below: 9 arches with 10
windows
• Spacious undecorated interior
9
Ottonian Art
Bronze Column of
Hildesheim
• Spiral column
akin to Column
of Trajan; scenes
from bottom to
top, but in
reverse spiral
• Story of the life
of Christ
• Culminates in
decorative
capital
The Bernward Column in Hildesheim
Cathedral (1893–2009)
Year
c. 1000
Type
victory column
Material
bronze
Dimensions
3.79 m (149 in);
0.58 m diameter
(23 in)
Location
Hildesheim
10
Ottonian Art
Bronze Door of Hildesheim
• Suggestions of Roman monumentality:
inspired by bronze doors of the
Pantheon (now gone) or Palatine Chapel
(no decoration)
• Solid bronze, each scene molded
separately
• Scenes compare scenes of the fall of
man with the saving of man
• Rectangular scenes with few figures and
a barren landscape, empty background
• Emphasis of gesture, liveliness
• Bony figures
• Emphasis on extremities: hands, feet, head
• Spiky foliage
• Heads fully rounded and emerge from
background
• Scenes tell the story of the life of Christ and
Adam11and Eve
Ottonian Art
Bronze Door of Hildesheim
• Suggestions of Roman
monumentality: inspired by
bronze doors of the Pantheon
(now gone) or Palatine Chapel
(no decoration)
• Solid bronze, each scene
molded separately
• Scenes compare scenes of the
fall of man with the saving of
man
• Rectangular scenes with few
figures and a barren
landscape, empty background
• Emphasis of gesture, liveliness
• Bony figures