The History Book Club discussion
MEDIEVAL HISTORY
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MEDIEVAL ART AND ARCHITECTURE
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by Bernard MeehanThis is a splendid resource, well worth anyone's while.
This is the write-up from goodreads:
The Book of Kells is the most spectacular of a group of manuscripts created in Ireland and northern Britain between the seventh and tenth centuries, a period when Irish monasticism was in the vanguard of Christian culture.
Its earliest history remains controversial but it was in the keeping of the monastery of Kells, Co. Meath, for most of the Middle Ages - hence its name - and has been in the library of Trinity College Dublin, since the mid-seventeenth century.
It is a masterpiece of medieval art - a brilliantly decorated copy of the four Gospels with full-page illustrations of Christ, the Virgin and Child and the Evangelists, and a wealth of smaller decorative painting that does not always relate to the sacred text.
The strange imagination displayed in the pages, the impeccable technique and the very fine state of its preservation make it an object of endless fascination.
This edition includes the most important of the fully decorated pages plus a series of enlargements showing the almost unbelievable minuteness of the detail - spiral and interlace patterns, human and animal ornament - a combination of high seriousness and humor.
Accompanying the illustrations is a new, up-to-date text by Bernard Meehan, the current Keeper of Manuscripts at Trinity College Dublin. It provides a scholarly analysis of these exuberant inventions, the artists, the text and the writing, and a full account of the historical background to the miraculous world of the Book of Kells.
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This is the medieval art section at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
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Early Medieval
Merovingian
Carolingian
Ottonian
Romanesque
This is a good blog on Early Medieval Art with some suggestions for books but it does not seem to be kept up.
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by William J. Diebold
by Lawrence Nees
by Roger Stalley
by David A. Warner
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Possibly we can focus on a comprehensive survey of the most important monuments of Early Medieval Art and architecture from the fifth though the eleventh centuries.
I would be very interested to hear from those folks who view a more modern view of Medieval art as opposed to Classical and Renaissance art. We could explore the importance of the Classical themes and traditions in the arts of Carolingian and Ottonian Germany as an example.
So this period of time would probably include monuments, history, themes, and culture of Early Medieval Art first from the span of time from the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the fifth century to the Investiture conflict at the end of the eleventh and twelfth.
See message nine where Professor Klein expands her ideas.
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Here is the pdf file which is on the internet:
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She raises some great topics for potential discussion:
* Function of Art and Architecture as a means of imperial self-representation
* The role of bishops, abbots and abbesses as patrons of the arts
* The problem of cultural exchange between the Byzantine and the German empires
* The development of Medieval church architecture and its function as a liturgical space
* The production methods and use of liturgical books and sacred vessels
* Explanation of the emergence of the Romanesque as a decidedly European stylistic phenomenon
This must have been a fabulous course offered by Klein.
The above were the highlights covered by Klein in her course.
message 10:
by
André, Honorary Contributor - EMERITUS - Music
(last edited Aug 01, 2010 09:22AM)
(new)
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When I look at Roman or Greek sculpture or even their wall paintings, and then compare things to what was created in the early Middle Ages, it somehow looks like Art class for 3 year olds (there's some humor here, get it?)
How can that happen?
I know of the religious restrictions to showing just the beauty of God's creations - but why make them ugly - unless because of being too dumb to copy what was left of the Roman examples... which probably wasn't that much...
I have had a lengthy discussion on the topic with a Dutch friend who's a specialist on Medieval art but although he tried his best to convince me otherwise I still have not seen any example of sculptures as sophisticated as the Romans and Greeks made long before that.
Why?
Dear Bentley,as a Medievalist, I am very excited about this project.
Could I suggest Erwin Panofsky who is a well known Germany iconologist.
To answer Andre's question above, could I suggest looking at Panofsky's "Principle of disjunction" page 89 of: Renaissance And Renascences in Western Art
The medieval mind could see no distinction between antiquity and the present. The best tribute that a medieval artist could pay to a work of antiquity would be to make it contemporary.
To understand Medieval art between the 11th and the 13th century one needs to be aware of the "dialectic" that existed in the medieval mind: between the time of history (real time) and the time of salvation. Faced with this loss of historical perspective, I am not surprised that medieval artists never bothered to use perspective in their art at all.
Here, I highly recommend Jacques Le Goff and the following:
The chapter about Space and Time and Body are very pertinent to this project, in my view.
Hi Pilar,Thanks for your books suggestions. Please be sure to use the "add book/author" feature to add both the book cover and the author picture & name. If I'm reading your suggestions correctly, the books should look like this:
by Erwin Panofskyand
by Jacques Le GoffIf the authors had photographs, that would be included as well as the names.
Again, thanks for your suggestions. Especially for designating which are the most helpful chapters.
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To answer Andre's question abo..."
Thank you, Pilar. The problem is I don't have the book and I probably won't buy it because of one page. Maybe another time.
Perspective in art came very late. The Romans didn't know how to use it either.
As to the reason for Early Medieval "art" being so simplistic, my guess would be that not only were the people creating the pictures and sculptures complete laymen, they also did not create things to praise (either a person - like in a portrait, or the body - like in athletic sculpture, or nature) but merely to tell stories or to transmit religious piety. Sure, they praised God through their images but that's different.
The thinking was different, also the way art was seen and respected by society (if you would want to call the early Medieval mess a society...
LAter, with Kingdoms establishing themselves, things changed again, also because finally others were willing to pay talented people to create art.
Another reason might be that because the Vandals and other Barbarians had destroyed most art there were only very few examples left to copy. Even if somebody would have wanted to.
Being an artist myself it's very hard to imagine people not seeing the beauty of life.
As I said before, these are just my own thoughts, not based on any writing or proof. So, Pilar and others, please advise.
Thanks.
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What fascinates me about the art is the lack of it. ANd also the apparent lack of interest. How could that happen? It's more a trying to understand the thinking of those people back then.
I can see why peasants and workers didn't find the time while they were building the churches and harvesting the land. But the others, the ones in power, who would have had the opportunity. Not much there either...
At least some of the Barbarian leaders who entered ROman territory must have seen the beauty of it all. Why didn't they bring it home? Were they just brutes as if straight out of a comic book or was there more?
I'll think of some thread when I'm done with my Roman script, o.k.?
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I highly recommend Henry Adams's "Mont-Saint-Michel and Chartres" for its celebration of the unity of Medieval society as represented by the great cathedrals of France. The book is also a fine companion piece to the "Virgin and the Dynamo" chapter from "The Education of Henry Adams" which brilliantly contrasts medieval and modern society.
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Henry Adams
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Henry Adams
Mont Saint-Michel
Chartres Cathedral
Ghent, Belgium has some wonderful medieval architecture as evidenced by the picture below.The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of northern Europe. Today it is a busy city with a port and a university. Although many of Belgium's visitors overlook Ghent, its beauty is often compared to the more well-known Bruges.
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This month let's look at Western European medieval graphic art as exemplified by illuminated manuscripts. As the article below notes, for some periods these manuscripts represent the only surviving examples of Medieval painting."An illuminated manuscript is a manuscript in which the text is supplemented by the addition of decoration, such as decorated initials, borders (marginalia) and miniature illustrations. In the most strict definition of the term, an illuminated manuscript only refers to manuscripts decorated with gold or silver, but in both common usage and modern scholarship, the term is now used to refer to any decorated or illustrated manuscript from the Western traditions.
The earliest surviving substantive illuminated manuscripts are from the period AD 400 to 600, initially produced in Italy and the Eastern Roman Empire. The significance of these works lies not only in their inherent art historical value, but in the maintenance of a link of literacy offered by non-illuminated texts as well. Had it not been for the monastic scribes of Late Antiquity, the entire literature of Greece and Rome would have perished in Europe; as it was, the patterns of textual survivals were shaped by their usefulness to the severely constricted literate group of Christians. The very existence of illuminated manuscripts as a way of giving stature and commemoration to ancient documents may have been largely responsible for their preservation in an era when barbarian hordes had overrun continental Europe and ruling classes were no longer literate.
Manuscripts are among the most common items to survive from the Middle Ages; many thousands survive. They are also the best surviving specimens of medieval painting, and the best preserved. Indeed, for many areas and time periods, they are the only surviving examples of painting.
More here:
Here are some images of illuminated manuscript pages. I would love to see other people's favorites.
Book of Kells, Folio 292r, Incipit to John. In principio erat verbum., about 800 AD
Lindisfarne Gospels, "Carpet Page", about 700 AD
Whether they were illuminated or not, the work done by monks copying secular works after the fall of the Roman Empire kept some the the classics of antiquity alive and paved the way for the Renaissance hundreds of years later.This year's Pulitzer Prize winner for General non-fiction is an interesting account of a Renaissance scribe's search for forgotten manuscripts in monasteries. His ultimate prize was finding Lucretius' "On the Nature of Things." The author argues that Lucretius' ideas were the gateway to modern thought.
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Stephen Greenblatt
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Titus Lucretius CarusHere are some relevant books I was not able to fit on the above post:
by Christopher De Hamel
by Bernard Meehan
by Janet Backhouse
I was lucky enough, while in the Republic of Ireland, to see the Book of Kells. Of course it is locked securely in a glass case but each day, the curators turn a page so that visitors see a different one each day. It is almost beyond imagination as to the time and precision it takes to produce these amazing images.
Oh. My. Goodness. What a labor of love and devotion.
Girl in a Green Gown: The History and Mystery of the Arnolfini Portrait.
by Carola HicksSynopsis
The Arnolfini portrait, painted by Jan van Eyck in 1434, is one of the world's most famous paintings. It intrigues all who see it. Scholars and the public alike have puzzled over the meaning of this haunting gem of medieval art, a subtle and beautiful double portrait of a wealthy Bruges merchant and his wife.
The enigmatic couple seem to be conveying a message to us across the centuries, but what? Is the painting the celebration of marriage or pregnancy, a memorial to a wife who died in childbirth, a fashion statement or a status symbol? Using her acclaimed forensic skills as an art historian, Carola Hicks set out to decode the mystery, uncovering a few surprises along the way.
She also tells the fascinating story of the painting's survival through fires, battles, hazardous sea journeys, and its role as a mirror reflecting the culture and history of the time - from jewel of the Hapsburg empire to Napoleonic war trophy. Uniquely, for a masterpiece this old, it can be tracked through every single owner, from the mysterious Mr Arnolfini via various monarchs to a hard-up Waterloo war hero, until it finally came to rest in 1842 as an early star of the National Gallery. These owners, too, have cameo parts in this enthralling story of how an artwork of genius can speak afresh to each new generation.
The Bayeux Tapestry: The Life Story of a Masterpiece
by Carola HicksSynopsis
One of Europe’s greatest artistic treasures, the Bayeux Tapestry depicts the events leading up to the Battle of Hastings in 1066. For all its fame, its origins and story are complex and somewhat cloudy. Though many assume it was commissioned by Bishop Odo—William’s ruthless half-brother—it may also have been financed by Harold’s dynamic sister Edith, who was juggling for a place in the new court. In this intriguing study, medieval art historian Carola Hicks investigates the miracle of the tapestry’s making—including the unique stitches, dyes, and strange details in the margins—as well as its complicated past. For centuries it lay ignored in Bayeux cathedral until its discovery in the 18th century. It quickly became a symbol of power: townsfolk saved it during the French Revolution, Napoleon displayed it to promote his own conquest, and the Nazis strove to make it their own. Packed with thrilling stories, this history shows how every great work of art has a life of its own.
A must-see attraction in NYC for the art lover. the building itself is worth the trip, let alone the treasures it contains.The Cloisters: Medieval Art and Architecture
by Peter Barnet (no photo)Synopsis:
The Cloisters is the branch of The Metropolitan Museum of Art devoted to the art and architecture of medieval Europe. This splendid new guide, richly illustrated with more than 175 color pictures, offers a broad introduction to the remarkable history of The Cloisters as well as a lively and informative discussion of the treasures within.Assembled with Romanesque and Gothic architectural elements dating from the twelfth through the fifteenth century, The Cloisters is itself a New York City landmark, overlooking sweeping vistas of the Hudson River in Upper Manhattan. Long cherished as a world-class museum, it also contains beautiful gardens featuring plants, fruit trees, and useful herbs familiar from the collection’s medieval tapestries and other works of art. Among the masterworks of medieval religious and domestic life housed in The Cloisters are exceptional examples of carved ivory, illuminated manuscripts, stained glass, silver- and goldsmiths’ work, and tapestries, including the famous Unicorn in Captivity.Enriched by the latest scholarship from The Cloisters’ expert staff of curators, educators, and horticulturalists, this volume will stand as the definitive source on the collection for years to come.
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Release date: June 15, 2014
The Riddle of the Image: The Secret 카지노싸이트 of Medieval Art
by Spike Bucklow (no photo)Synopsis:
From monumental church mosaics to fresco wall-paintings, the medieval period produced some of the most impressive art in history. But how, in a world without the array of technology and access to materials that we now have, did artists produce such incredible works, often on an unbelievably large scale? In The Riddle of the Image, research scientist and art restorer Spike Bucklow discovers the actual materials and methods that lie behind the production of historical paintings.
Examining the science of the tools and resources, as well as the techniques of medieval artists, Bucklow adds new layers to our understanding and appreciation of paintings in particular and medieval art more generally. He uses case studies—including The Wilton Diptych, one of the most popular paintings in the National Gallery in London and the altarpiece in front of which English monarchs were crowned for centuries—and analyses of these works, presenting previously unpublished technical details that shed new light on the mysteries of medieval artists. The first account to examine this subject in depth for a general audience, The Riddle of the Image is a beautifully illustrated look at the production of medieval paintings.
An informative look at the differences in Scottish and British medieval architecture.Scottish Medieval Churches: Architecture and Furnishings
by Richard Fawcett (no photo)Synopsis:
A major difficulty for those who wish to understand and enjoy Scottish medieval churches is the ecclesiological groundwork was not carried out in the nineteenth century in the way that was done for England and other parts of Europe. In an effort to interpret what they see when visiting Scottish churches, many people attempt to apply techniques of analysis they have learned from English publications - but that way madness lies. Even in the twelfth and eleventh centuries, when architectural relationships between Lowland Scotland and England were close, Scotland followed its own course in many respects, while in the fourteenth, fifteenth and sixteenth centuries Scottish architecture followed an almost completely different course from that of England. The present ground-breaking work makes good this deficit and analyses the planning and detailing of Scottish churches from 1120 to 1560 with hundreds of illustrated examples that can be firmly dated.
Illuminated manuscripts are some of the most glorious of mans' work in the arts. This book delves deeply into all aspects of this lost art.The History of Illuminated Manuscripts
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Christopher De HamelSynopsis:
Medieval manuscripts are counted among the greatest glories of Western civilization. With their gold and painted decoration and their charming miniatures, they have always had immense appeal, and images from them can be seen everywhere - from greeting cards and wrapping paper to expensive facsimiles. This entertaining and authoritative book is the first to provide a general introduction to the whole subject of the making of books from the Dark Ages to the invention of printing and beyond. Christopher de Hamel vividly describes the widely different circumstances in which manuscripts were created, from the earliest monastic Gospel Books to university textbooks, secular romances, Books of Hours and classical texts for humanist bibliophiles. As the story unfolds the wonderful variety of manuscripts and their illumination is revealed, and many fundamental questions are answered - who wrote the books, what texts they contained, who read them, how they were made and what purposes they served. Illuminated manuscripts have alway been highly valued, and among them are some of the world's great masterpieces of art. With its lively narrative and many new and superb illustrations, this new edition of a much-praised book provides the perfect introduction to a large and fascinating subject.
A beautifully illustrated book with some rather surprising secrets to the stained glass windows of St. Pierre Cathedral at Beauvais.Picturing the Celestial City: The Medieval Stained Glass of Beauvais Cathedral
by M. Cothren (no photo)Synopsis:
The cathedral of Saint-Pierre in Beauvais, France, is most famous as a failure--its choir vaults came crashing down in 1284--and only secondarily for its soaring beauty. This lavishly illustrated and elegantly written book represents the first serious look at the stunning collection of Gothic stained glass windows that has always dominated the experience of those who enter Beauvais Cathedral.
Chapter by chapter, Michael Cothren traces the glazing through four successive campaigns that bridged the century between the 1240s and the 1340s. The reader is transported back in history, gaining fascinating insight into what the glazing of Beauvais actually would have looked like as well as what it would have communicated to those who frequented the cathedral. Contrary to the widespread assumption that these windows are heavily restored, Cothren shows that they are in fact surprisingly well preserved, especially in light of the cathedral's infamous history of architectural disaster.
More importantly, Cothren goes far to dismantle a long-held misconception about medieval painted windows, and indeed monumental medieval pictorial art in general: the notion that it was conceived and produced as a substitute text for ignorant, illiterate folks, providing for them a "Bible of the Poor." Indeed, Cothren shows us that stained glass windows, rich with shaded meanings, functioned more like sermon than scripture. As an ensemble, they created a radiant interpretive backdrop that explicated and situated the performance of the Mass in this giant liturgical theater.
Romanesque Art
by Andreas Petzold (no photo)Synopsis:
Taking a fresh look at the long-unappreciated art and culture of Europe between 1050 and 1200, Petzold examines medieval European art in the broader context of its relationship to the art of Byzantium and Islam. He traces the influences among these cultures through trade and the Crusades to reveal a culture that is rich and varied, sophisticated and refined.
Giotto
by Francesca Flores D'Arcais (no photo)Synopsis:
Giotto (1266-1337) is considered one of the founders of modern painting, having broken away from the rigid, stereotyped figures of Byzantine and medieval art to give his characters natural expression and solid three-dimensionality. D'Arcais leads readers on a chronological survey of Giotto's life and works. Features hundreds of colorful reproductions of his paintings.
Art And Architecture In Italy, 1250-1400
by John White (no photo)Synopsis:
The 14th century in Italian art is a very rich one, and Professor White's book gives architecture equal weight with painting and sculpture. The story of the Gothic style and the prehistory of the Renaissance is given: all the facts are related, but also the works of art are described with insight and for their own sakes, and not simply as data for fitting into schemes and theories. Among the great names are those of Arnolfo di Cambio, the Pisani, Cavallini, Cimabue, Duccio, Giotto, Simone Martini, and the Lorenzetti; among the buildings S. Croce, S. Maria Novella, the cathedral and the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, and the cathedrals of Siena, Orvieto, and Milan, as well as churches, castles, and civic buildings from the Val d'Aosta to Sicily. The third edition of this work includes colour illustrations and incorporates textual revisions and an updated bibliography.
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The Age of the Cathedrals: Art and Society, 980-1420
by
Georges DubySynopsis:
Recognizing that a work of art is the product of a particular time and place as much as it is the creation of an individual, Duby provides a sweeping survey of the changing mentalities of the Middle Ages as reflected in the art and architecture of the period.
Irish Art During the Viking Invasions, 800-1020 A.D.
by Françoise Henry (no photo)Synopsis:
The turbulent years which saw the coming of the Vikings and their settling in many parts of Ireland saw also a major upheaval in Irish monastic life and in several aspects of Irish art. If the intricate decoration of the Book of Kells still followed the Celtic tradition which had been predominant in the decoration of the 8th century, Carolingian influence made itself felt at the same time and was partly responsible for the figure sculpture on the High Crosses which, up to a point, foreshadowed Romanesque sculpture. The unsettled conditions of the time finally caused an exodus of scribes to the Continent, which impoverished the Irish scriptoria. They affected also the work of the metalsmiths which does not show the same technical perfection as in the earlier period, and begins to admit some Scandinavian patterns.
The Cultures of His Kingdom: Roger II and the Cappella Palatina in Palermo
by William Tronzo (no photo)Synopsis:
The Capella Palatina in Palermo, one of the best known monuments of medieval Europe, dates from the construction of the palace in Sicily of Roger II, king of Sicily in the mid-twelfth century. This book proposes that this royal chapel preserves virtually intact--and uniquely so--an ensemble of architecture and the arts of the period, and it sets out systematically to investigate every major component of the decoration and furnishing of the chapel. It propounds a new chronology for the edifice, which fixes a new frame of reference for understanding how the chapel functioned under the Norman kings.One of the major accomplishments of this book is to establish a plausible context for the appearance of Muslim elements in the chapel, like the great muqarnas ceiling of the nave. Rather than simply a quotation from a foreign culture for decorative purposes, the muqarnas ceiling was an integral part of a royal program that was devised under Roger II. For his successors, however, it was something of an embarrassment that needed to be manipulated. The change in emphasis summarizes the history of the Cappella Palatina: created as an exemplum of the great multicultural experiment of King Roger, it was reframed as a purely Christian edifice by subsequent generations in order to fit a concept of the "Western" cultural tradition, to which the protean island of Sicily itself has also been made to conform.
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Qusayr ‘Amra: Art and the Umayyad Elite in Late Antique Syria
by Garth Fowden (no photo)Synopsis:
From the stony desolation of Jordan's desert, it is but a step through a doorway into the bath house of the Qusayr 'Amra hunting lodge. Inside, multicolored frescoes depict scenes from courtly life and the hunt, along with musicians, dancing girls, and naked bathing women. The traveler is transported to the luxurious and erotic world of a mid-eighth-century Muslim Arab prince. For scholars, though, Qusayr 'Amra, probably painted in the 730s or 740s, has proved a mirage, its concreteness dissolved by doubts about date, patron, and meaning. This is the first book-length contextualization of the mysterious monument through a compelling analysis of its iconography and of the literary sources for the Umayyad period. It illuminates not only the way of life of the early Muslim elite but also the long afterglow of late antique Syria.
The New Palaces of Medieval Venice
by Juergen Schulz (no photo)Synopsis:
The palaces of Venice have long excited the wonder of visitors. Ornate and grand, the buildings seem to float on the water of the city s canals like the sea castles in a mariner s dream. But Juergen Schulz demonstrates that the origins of these residences lay on terra firma, in a widely disseminated building type that, during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, was adapted to the special circumstances of an Adriatic lagoon and the needs of the merchants turning this environment into a center of trade.
An internationally recognized expert on Venetian art, architecture, and cartography, Schulz examines the city s medieval palaces with scholarship of unprecedented breadth and insight. Based in both archival research and first-hand knowledge of Venice, his book reconstructs the original appearance of the city s oldest surviving residences, such as that of the Corner and Pesaro families, and traces the many later modifications made to these buildings. Further, Schulz's book breaks new ground by presenting a systematic discussion of the use of sculpture in Venice's early palaces, famed for their "exhibitionistic" scale and ornament.
Illustrated with numerous photographs and plans, The New Palaces of Medieval Venice provides a comprehensive account of the ways in which a group of buildings came to embody the lives of Venice s leading mercantile families. Schulz s discussion of the Venetian palaces impact on later architecture further enhances the significance of this handsome publication.
The Art of Medieval Urbanism: Parthenay in Romanesque Aquitaine
by Robert A. Maxwell (no photo)Synopsis:
The Art of Medieval Urbanism examines the role of monumental sculpture and architecture in the medieval cityscape, offering a pathbreaking interpretation of the relationships among art, architecture, and the history of urbanism. In the first study of its kind, Robert Maxwell shifts attention away from the great Gothic cities of the later Middle Ages to focus on the urban context of art making in the earlier Romanesque era.
Maxwell concentrates on Parthenay, a flourishing town in eleventh- and twelfth-century Aquitaine. Exploring Parthenay s exceptionally well-preserved structures, the author charts two centuries of urban development in southwestern France. Drawing on the methods of historical anthropology, Maxwell brings the monumental arts into dialogue with courtly romance literature, the iconography of seals and coins, history writing, and contemporary mythologies of place to show how the urban experience inflected the invention of history, aristocratic self-fashioning, and urban identity. Maxwell's interdisciplinary approach shows that medieval urbanism should be understood as a fabric of constructed identities of history, self, and place grounded in the monumental arts. The Art of Medieval Urbanism offers a fresh model for urban studies and proposes a new approach to the study of medieval art by restoring an urban dimension to our view of Romanesque production.
The Wandering Throne of Solomon: Objects and Tales of Kingship in the Medieval Mediterranean
by Allegra Iafrate (no photo)Synopsis:
In The Wandering Throne of Solomon: Objects and Tales of Kingship in the Medieval Mediterranean Allegra Iafrate analyzes the circulation of artifacts and literary traditions related to king Solomon, particularly among Christians, Jews and Muslims, from the 10th to the 13th century.
The author shows how written sources and objects of striking visual impact interact and describes the efforts to match the literary echoes of past wonders with new mirabilia. Using the throne of Solomon as a case-study, she evokes a context where Jewish rabbis, Byzantine rulers, Muslim ambassadors, Christian sovereigns and bishops all seem to share a common imagery in art, technology and kingship.
The Church Of St. Panteleimon At Nerezi: Architecture, Programme, Patronage
by Ida Sinkevic (no photo)Synopsis:
The church of St. Panteleimon at Nerezi is one of the major surviving monuments of twelth-century Byzantium. Commonly referred to simply as Nerezi, the church is distinguished as a foundation built by a member of the imperial family, decorated by some of the best artists of the period, and crowned by five domes in emulation of famous buildings of the Byzantine capital, Constantinople. Thus, although located on the Byzantine periphery, in what is now the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Nerezi stands as an important testimony to twelfth-century Constantinopolitan artistic and architectural trends. Its significance becomes even greater considering that, uniquely among its contemporaries, Nerezi is preserved virtually intact.
Although Nerezi is recognized by scholars as one of the major surviving monuments of Byzantine art, it lacks a scholarly monograph, and large portions of its architecture and ornament remain unknown and inaccessible even to scholars.This book represents the first effort to study Nerezi comprehensively. In six successive chapters it examines different aspects of the building: its historical and social context, its architectural design, its sculpture, and its cycle of mural painting. In addressing these varied facets, the book attempts to relate the different components of the building both to one another, and to the relevant contemporary Byzantine monuments.
The book does it with two goals. First, as the pioneering study of this major document, it seeks to provide clear data on it: its measurements, materials, inscriptions, furnishings, and imaginery. Second, the book uses these data as a way to gain access to the figure of the patron, the Komnenian aristocrat Alexios Angelos Komnenos. Reading in its structural, programmatic, and aesthetic choices the characteristics of the building's patron, the book raises broader questions about the role which a Komnenian aristocrat and his church played at Nerezi's provincial setting. Thus, in its scope, the book extends the boundaries of a traditional monograph and encompasses both the study of the church and a contextual analysis of the historic, social and cultural trends ot the period.
In addition, this study introduces the complete visual documentation of the church. A series of architectural monuments, drawings and photographs of the decoration, as well as documentary evidence related to the restoration of Nerezi, are presented here for the first time.
Crusader Art in the Holy Land from the Third Crusade to the Fall of Acre, 1187-1291
by Jaroslav Folda (no photo)Synopsis:
This book tells the story of the Architecture and the Figural Art produced for the Crusaders after the battle of Hattin and the fall of Jerusalem in 1187, during the one hundred years that Acre was the capital of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem, 1191 1291. It is an art sponsored by kings and queens, patriarchs and bishops, clergy, monks, friars, knights and soldiers, aristocrats and merchants, all men and women of means, who came as pilgrims, Crusaders, settlers, and men of commerce to the Holy Land. The artists are Franks and Italians born and/or resident in the Holy Land, Westerners who traveled to the Latin East, Eastern Christians, and even Muslims, who worked for Crusader patrons.
Early Medieval Art: Carolingian, Ottonian, Romanesque 
by John Beckwith (no photo)Synopsis:
Beginning with the coronation of Charlemagne as Emperor of the West in A.D. 800, John Beckwith guides us through the architecture, painting, sculpture, illuminations and ivories of the three great periods of early medieval art. The Ottonian period, perhaps best known for the great center of art and craftsmanship attached to the court, presented an artistic style which had developed from early Christian and Carolingian sources--a style which was the gateway to the great artistic revival in the eleventh and twelfth centuries--the Romanesque period. 206 illus., 53 in color.
The Art of Medieval Spain, A.D. 500-1200
by Jerrilynn D. Dodds (no photo)Synopsis:
This richly illustrated volume offers a portrait of the varied and still unfamiliar world of medieval Spain.
Spanish art of the Middle Ages, a period that has been relatively unexplored in the English-speaking world, is examined here in detail. This publication accompanies a major exhibition for which more than 150 sculptures, architectural elements, paintings, textiles, and objects for everyday and ceremonial use have been gathered from museums and private collections in Spain, the United States, and Europe and Africa. Each work is illustrated (most in full color) and is discussed in texts that will be of interest to both the general reader and the scholar.
The volume opens with three essays by leading scholars that traverse the eventful world of medieval Spain, presenting themes that will prove important throughout the centuries from 500 to 1200. The immense influence of topography on Iberian history is limned, and the ongoing impact of Christianity and Islam on the peninsula is discussed in vivid terms. Of great interest is the survey of Spains cultural ties to Europe and to the Middle East. This wide-ranging introduction is followed by four sections: Visigothic Spain, Islamic Spain, the Kingdom of Asturias and Mozarabic Spain, and Romanesque Spain. Each opens with one or more distinguished essays, richly illustrated with photographs of architecture and works of art.
About A.D. 500 the Visigoths made their way into the Iberian Peninsula and supplanted the existing Roman polity. Their metalwork and sculpture give a sense of the dislocations of this transitional period. Just some two centuries later the Visigoths were themselves displaced by Muslims who moved from North Africa. The presence of Islam in the Iberian Peninsula has been examined in depth in Al-Andalus, the counterpart to the present exhibition which was presented in 1992 by the Metropolitan Museum. Here the ascendancy of Islam is documented through remarkable sculpture, ivories, ceramics, textiles, and metalwork.
Despite centuries of conflict and turmoil, the inhabitants of Spain—be they Christian or Muslim—left a splendid legacy of artworks. Perceptive essays examine the Christian kingdoms of the north and the extraordinary manuscripts produced by the monasteries established in the frontier territories between the Christian North and the Islamic states of al-Andalus. Included are numerous examples of manuscripts of great beauty and importance. The final section of the catalogue presents the flowering of the Romanesque in Spain. Special attention is given to the art of the Camino de Santiago, the great pilgrimage road, and to the magnificent architecture and wall paintings of Catalonia.
Throughout this publication the reader becomes aware not only of the clash between cultures but also of the less evident intercourse between widely different traditions. Both profound differences and shared artistic forms are brought to the fore. This volume is an essential introduction to an art that repays long study. It signals a new era in English-language studies of the still unfamiliar world of medieval Spain.
The Romanesque Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela: A Reassessment
by Christabel Watson (no photo)Synopsis:
This detailed survey reassesses the great Romanesque Cathedral and pilgrim destination, Santiago de Compostela, concentrating in the main in establishing an accurate chronology of the building work, and thus attributing the various architectural features to the men we know to have worked on it. The focus is on the west end, which the author argues was left unfinished at the death of Archbishop Gelmirez, but she detects far more of his influence in its design than is often admitted, and she attempts to untangle the work of Gelmirez from his successor in directing the building works, Master Mateo.
Sounds interesting but is definitely expensive.
The History Book Club
Books mentioned in this topic
Anachronic Renaissance (other topics)Early Medieval Bible Illumination and the Ashburnham Pentateuch (other topics)
The Reformation of the Image (other topics)
Image on the Edge: The Margins of Medieval Art (other topics)
The Sexuality of Christ in Renaissance Art and in Modern Oblivion (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Alexander Nagel (other topics)Dorothy Verkerk (other topics)
Joseph Leo Koerner (other topics)
Michael Camille (other topics)
Leo Steinberg (other topics)
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Here is an excerpt about Medieval Art and Architecture and some of the topics that we could explore on this thread:
The Art and Architecture of Medieval times encompasses many movements, or eras, in art history. Included in this period are the Early Christian, the Byzantine, the Carolingian, the Romanesque, and the Gothic periods of art and architecture.
The Medieval period is complex, but a good overall review of the distinctive natures of each era can be found at Age of Discovery – Medieval Art – Renaissance – Exploration.
An excellent overview of this period is at Early Medieval Art, an extensive art history site that covers all areas of art history.
A good start in the study of Medieval Art and Architecture is to understand the vocabulary. The University of Pittsburgh has a glossary of Medieval Art and Architecture at Glossary of Medieval Art and Architecture. Another source for basic information is Medieval Art and Architecture: Western Europe 400-1500.
The most significant artworks of the Early Medieval period are the illustrated manuscripts, books that were written by hand on handmade parchment paper made from animal skins. The monks who spent their lives producing these priceless treasures painted the beautiful illustrations and initial letters. For further information, as well as photographs of these books, see The Art of the Book in the Middle Ages, produced by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Perhaps the most famous of the illustrated manuscripts is The Book of Kells. Photos and information can be found at Book of Kells.
The Byzantine art and architecture can be seen at various websites. Byzantine Art has photos of some of the most famous of medieval architecture, mosaics, and sculptures. The Virgin Mary was represented frequently during this period, and many Byzantine art pieces can be viewed at The Cult of Mary in the Middle Ages.
The next era of Medieval Art and Architecture was the Carolingian period. Early Medieval: Merovingian, Carolingian, Ottonian displays a few examples of this work, and Images from World History: Carolingian synthesis: miniatures has some excellent photos of the miniatures popular during this time.
The Romanesque era of the 11th and 12th centuries is well known for its architectural elements, examples of which can be studied at Romanesque Art. Churches and cathedrals became highly decorated with painted frescoes of Biblical scenes and elaborate architectural elements. Metalsmithing was at its peak, and its craftsmen made many decorative scenes and utensils for these churches. Another source of information is the Corpus of Romanesque Sculpture in Britain and Ireland, an organization with information on the Romanesque period.
Many of the French cathedrals can be seen at the University of Pittsburgh’s site, Medieval Architecture in France. One page of that site, Medieval Saint-Denis Home Page, shows many detail of the St. Denis Cathedral. Medieval Paintings in the South of France also is a good source for information on many aspects of the French Medieval time.
In Britain, examples of the architecture and stained glass windows of the Gothic period can be found at English Gothic. French Gothic examples are at Medieval Art & Architecture: French Gothic.
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We will develop threads along these lines.
Please feel free to add books, images of medieval art and architecture, urls, etc that pertain to this subject area. No self promotion please.