Early Medieval Art!
Beginning in about the year 500, western Europe entered the
Middle Ages. During the early centuries of this period,
sometimes called the Dark Ages, western Europe lacked a
central political authority, as Germanic chieftains warred over
territory and power. Gradually, these Germanic tribes converted
to Christianity and formed a new political and economic order
based on feudal obligations among lords and peasants.
Germanic Art!
The traditional art style of the Germanic tribes consisted of
complicated geometric and organic decorations, as with
this buckle from the 7th-century Anglo-Saxon burials at
Sutton Hoo in England. Because of its reliance on natural
patterns, this style is sometimes called animal interlace.
Illuminated Manuscripts
After the conversion of the
Germanic tribes to
Christianity, English
monasteries focused on
the decoration of holy
texts, called illuminated
manuscripts because of
their use of gold decoration
and their sacred status.
The Lindisfarne Gospels
(700) demonstrate the
integration of traditional
tribal animal-style art with
Christian symbolism.
The Carolingian
Renaissance
In the year 800, Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne
Holy Roman Emperor. Charlemagne, or Charles the
Great, ascended from his position as leader of the
Franks (a Germanic tribe that had settled in France) to
rule what he hoped would become a Christian revival
of the grandeur of the Roman Empire. While
Charlemagne s empire largely fell apart after his death,
he sponsored a rebirth, or renaissance, of Classical
learning and art. The term Carolingian Renaissance,
based on the Germanic form of the name Charles,
refers to this period.
Charlemagne s !
Palatine Chapel
At his capital in Aachen, Charlemagne sponsored the
construction of a central plan church that shows strong
Roman influence. His Palatine chapel (792-805) features
a mathematically regular and symmetrical plan,
reminiscent of the Classical style, as well as the rounded
arches and Corinthian columns typical of Roman art.
Carolingian Manuscripts
Charlemagne s scholars
produced illuminated
manuscripts that combined
three major artistic styles:
• Classical naturalism (in the
human figures)
• Germanic animal style (in
the decorative patterns)
• Christian symbolism (in the
depiction of the story of the
ascension of Christ)
Drogo Sacramentary
(850)