Art History Unit 8, 9, 10, 11

How does biblical typology work in the Hildesheim bronze doors? What are the advantages of this way of telling a story?

-gestures and attitudes of rage from God, portrayed as a man, accusing Adam and Eve after their fall from grace. -divine wrath shown, vivid gestures, simplicity but great emotional impact, expressive pose and gesture -New testament is Christ accused before Pilate, Christ arising from tomb, birth/rebirth -moment of old original sin and moment of crucifixtion

How were these indigenous forms incorporated into new Christian works? How did this clash of cultures play out in different ways in early medieval manuscripts?

-illuminated manuscripts, mixing of Northern and Medd styles -texts, with a # of kinds of illustration -adopt local styles to make the people more receptive, zoomorphic, Matthew (man ) Mark(lion), Luke (ox) John (eagle)

icon

-images, small portable paintings depicting Christ, the Virgin, or saints (or a combination of all 3). Became popular in public/private Byzantine worship, Eastern Christians considered icons a personal, intimate, and indispensable medium for spiritual transaction with holy figures -some icons regarded as wonder-working, believers ascribed miracles and healing powers to them -few early icons survive, 2 of the finest examples come from St. Catherine's monastery at Mount Sinai, one is the enthroned virgin and the other Christ blessing the viewer of the icon

pointed arch gothic

-key innovation of Gothic art, weight transmitted down and not outward, space and airiness, slender columns

What are the architectural features of the classic type of Romanesque Pilgrimage church (i.e. the churches at Toulouse and Conques)?

-large crowds of pilgrims paying homage to saints resulted in longer/wider naves and aisles, transepts and ambulatories with additional chapels, 2nd story galleries -radiating chapels opening onto the ambulatory for the display of relics -stone vaulting -added transept, ambulatory, all these things additional space for pilgrims and clergy -regular, geometrically precise -engaged columns, compound piers, transverse arches

gospels, evangelist

-large number of specialized texts developed for priests, monks, and nuns, and laypersons, books of great importance, primary sacred text is bible -evangelists are those who seek to convert other to Christian faith, esp. by public preaching -gospels are one of the first four New Testament books telling of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ

What are the characteristics (style, materials, etc.) of the artwork being made in England before its conversion to Christianity?

-linear, abstract, flatness, solid colors with no shading, body is flattened into zones/planes of color, outlines -zoomorphic -objects of personal adornment, fine metalwork -geometric, interlays, animals/humans -blue, red, checkerboard patterns

jamb statue, St Theodore Chartes

-masterpiece of South Transept, martyred warrior on the left jamb of the left portal, ideal Christian knight, contrapposto

cloisonne enamel

-produced this jewlery by soldering small metal strips, or cloisons (partitions) edge up, to a metal background, and then filling the compartments with semiprecious stones, pieces of colored glass, or glass paste fired to resemble sparkling jewels. -edges are important part of design -cross btw mosaic and stained glass, used on a miniature scale by medieval artists

bricoloage

-put together from multiple parts, object that does not try to hide all junctures and breaking points -disparate parts, St. Foy statue is an example

carpet page

-resemble textiles, made up of decorative panels of abstract and animal forms, featured in illuminated manuscripts

How can we characterize the Romanesque figural style in sculpture?

-stone sculpture and stone vaulting -regional diversity -relief sculpture used to depict biblical history and church doctrines -natural objects transformed into visionary images that derive power from abstract linear design and expressive distortion and stylization -transcendental values -theological works, lives of saints, biblical events

How is the idea of "illustration" conceived in the Utrecht Psalter? What functions might such imagery have served?

-text reproduces the psalms of King David in 3 columns of Latin capital letters , illustrated each psalm with a pen and ink drawing stretching across the width of the page -artist intention is to evoke earlier artworks and to make the book appear more ancient, paintings in the book feature a loose linear style -artist translated text into pictures

What are some of the meanings of the decoration and precious stones that cover medieval reliquaries?

-the decoration and stones were often donations from pilgrims and church patrons over many years -parade helmet, masklike helmet worn by soldiers on special ceremonial occasions and not a part of standard battle dress -marty'rs crown

How did viewers interact with the reliquary statue of St Foy at Conques? How do the visual aspects of the reliquary structure this interaction?

-the viewers would venerate relics, pray to them, donate rings/jewels/money to them -symbolizes parallel between Christ's martyrdom and saint faiths due to the visual aspect of a martyr's crown on the ancient helmet

What are the primary forms/features of a sculpted Romanesque portal?

-tympanum: prominent semicircular lunette above the doorway proper, comparable in importance to the triangular pediment of a Greco-Roman temple -archivolt/voussoirs: wedge shaped blocks that together form the archivolts of the the arch framing the tympanum -lintels: the horizontal beam above the doorway -Trumeau: the center post supporting the lintel in the middle of the doorway -Jambs: side posts of the doorway **clergy considered the doorway the beginning to the path of salvation through Christ

Virgin of Jeanne d'Evreaux

1339, France, Gilded Silver/Silver gilt Gothic -donated by a queen to royal abbey of Saint-Denis, reliquary statuette, intimate human characterization of the holy figures -intense beauty, arouses emotional response, intensely beautiful and gentle, draws viewers 2 emotional engagement, tender, earthly/kind/loving mother, regal -drapery, folds/curves yet uncomplicated -appreciate beauty and reflect on the joyful connection between mother and child

Stained Glass Window of the Prodigal Son, Bourgues Cathedral

13th C, stained glass, gothic -20 scenes, new testament, Gospel of Luke, 2 sons, divide property -younger son squandered property, famine and had to work with pigs, father forgave him, narrative scene where the parable is forgiveness -read in a literal way from the bottom up, actual story -can be read in a typological way, take a single story, shows how different parts interrelate, look at how geometry tells us to compare, repetitions of geometric form tell

moveable arm crucifix

1500, Dobein Germany, Wood/late medieval -purpose: passion plays, liturgical drama, ceremonies, acted out with props -entry into Jerusalem, crucifixion, deposition from the cross, burial in tomb, resurrection -moved into burial postures

How did the incorporation of spolia help the Ottonians create connections with the past? How do Ottonian typological portraits work to create meaning?

-typology allows for multiple layers of meaning, Roman spoila such as the Cameo of Augustus on the Lothar cross could represent Christ and Otto as well -juxtaposition of scenes from old and new testament connects the bible, creates common themes of Christian teachings and reinforces them in public artworks -Gospel book with image of Otto portrayed as multiple people, connection with past great leaders/christ/charlemagne

Where is decoration found in early Christian churches?

-frescoes, mosaics, marble columns, spoila, costly ornaments, all on the interior, exterior was plain

What strategies did the Carolingians use to position themselves as the founders of a "new roman empire"? How was their new political power expressed in artistic and architectural terms?

-Charlemagne used artistic patronage, commissioning imperial portrait statues and large numbers of illuminated manuscripts, foster revival of learning -classical painting style, merge of classical illusionism with northern European linear tradition -light shade, and perspective to create 3D illusion -youthful christ -Rome and Ravenna used as architecture models, Aachen chosen as capital

What are the main types of subject matter found in early Christian church art? How do patrons assert their influence on these programs of imagery?

-Christ is youthful and loyal protector of Christian flock, represented as the Good Shepard or as a teacher -mosaics, ivories

What are the main features of an early Christian basilica? How does the form of this building respond to its function? What are some of the practical, associative, and symbolic reasons why it looks the way it does?

-Constantinian churches stood on sites associated with the graves of Christian martyrs, did not want their houses of worship to mimic polytheistic shrines, rejection of the classical temple type -austere/plain on the exterior, inside were frescoes and mosaics, marble columns, (spoila taken from older Roman buildings) and costly ornaments -basilica as standard, good place for congregation, elevation and plan resemble Roman Basilicas, with wide central nave, flanking aisles, apse at end, nave arcade and clerestory windows for natural illumination -longitudinal plan -kept new Christian shrines out of the city center to avoid any confrontation between Rome's Christians and those who continued to worship old Gods

St Matthew Page from Book of Durrow

-Iona, Scotland ca 660-680, ink and tempera on parchment, Early Medieval -book of Durrow was a gospel book written and decorated in monastic scriptorium at Iona -the symbol of St. Matthew is a man, only human parts the artist chose to render are a schematic frontal head and 2 profile feet. Cloak of yellow, red, and green squares resembling cloisons filled with intricate abstract designs, not depiction of the natural world

typological portrait

-Old and New testament scenes juxtaposed

what kinds of decoration are usually found in a Gospel Book? What was the function/intention of the different types of decoration?

-carpet pages with large scale decor, pure decoration, zoomorphic -portraits of evangelists -decorated initial pages at the start of each gospel, adopt local styles/forms to make people more receptive

flying buttress

-channel weight down to main supports so walls are not needed

iconoclast and iconophile

-clasts: breakers of images vs. philes: lovers of images -bitter enemies, countless works destroyed, iconophiles win out in 8th C

What are some of the different shapes/designs for medieval reliquaries? How do these designs work in different ways to "make visible" the relic inside?

-coffins/sarcophagus, carriage (moving metaphor), box is the standard form -altar cross with relics -body part reliquaries, take form of the relic inside, St Blasius arm, St. Alexander skull -gems/bricolage allow people to pay homage to the saints, get a vision of what heaven might look like

What are the main parts of the mosaic program at San Vitale? How do the various parts work together within the space of the apse? What kind of messages are the images of Justinian and Theodora trying to project?

-dual political and religious roles of a byzantine emperor, laws of the church and the laws of the state, united in the laws of god, manifest themselves in the person of the emperor -proxies for absent sovereigns, both never visited Ravenna

Describe the ways in which early Christian mosaic programs unite various moments of time and space (and various moments in Christian history), and address themselves to local viewers and concerns.

-easy to interpret for those who were illiterate, use comparison of Old and New testament, things arranged in hierarchial order for a logical flow

royal portal

-figures of kings and queens flanking the doorway, featured at St. Denis and Chartes -sculptures proclaim the majesty and power of Christ -3 doorways united by episodes from the life of the virgin and Christ on the capitals, frieze linking one entrance to the next -Christ's ascension into heaven appears in the tympanum of the left portal -all around in archivolts are the signs of the Zodiac and scenes representing the various labors of the months of the year, symbols of cosmic and earthly worlds

Bronze Doors of Hildesheim Cathedral, Germany,

1015, Germany, Bronze, Ottonian -relief panels, Genesis is Left door, life of Christ, right door commissioned by Bishop Bernward for Saint Michael's, tell story of original sin and redemption, typology -doors to St. Michael's, more than 15 ft tall, technological marvels by Ottonian metalworkers, cast each door in a single piece with the figural sculpture. 16 panels -in the portal to Saint Michael's from the cloister, monks would see before they entered the church. -left door: highlights of Genesis -right door: life of Christ, bottom up starting with Annunciation -together, tell story of original sin and ultimate redemption -style of figures, expressive strength brings to mind illustrations in Ultrecht Psalter -God as a man, accusing Adam and Eve

S. Sernin, Toulouse, France

1070-1120, Brick/stone/mortar/marble - Romanesque, Toulouse, France, important stop on pilgrimage road through France to Santiago de Compostela, EXEMPLIFIES PILGRIMAGE CHURCH TYPE -increased length of nave, doubled side aisles, added a transept, ambulatory, and radiating chapels, regular and geometrically precise, crossing square serves as module for the entire church, rational and refined first seen in Carolingian -insertion of tribunes opening onto the nave which had a semicircular cut-stone barrel vault -engaged columns, reflect floors geometric plan, 7 figural reliefs, marble slabs -pilgrimages were a major economic catalyst for the art and architecture, clergy vied with one another to provide magnificent settings for the display of relics

Last Judgement Tympanum at Autun France

1120-1135, Giselbertus, marble, romanesque -4 trumpet blowing angels announce the 2nd coming of Christ, who appears at the center, far larger, enthroned in a mandorla, presides over the separation of the blessed from the damned -Christ presides over the separation of the blessed from the damned in Giselbertus' dramatic vision, designed to terrify those guilty of sin and beckon them to the church -Christ is in the center, flat/symmetrical, Linearity, drapery, patterned, decorative, hieratic -judge surrounded by angels GOOD SIDE: humans climbing out of coffine, helped into heaven, saint reach down to help up souls, men/women, image of Virgin Mary the queen of heaven, 2 pilgrims walking with bags cross (rome) and shell (santiago de compostela) BAD SIDE: drama/action, figures rising out of a coffin, females w/snakes biting breasts, large demonic figures with scales, weighing of the soul against demons -image meant to frighten visitor into making good choices

abbey church of St. Denis, France

1140 renovation, Limestone, Stained Glass, Gothic -missionary who brought Christianity to Gaul and died a martyr there in the 3rd century, Saint Denis stood up and marched to grave carrying severed head (cephalophore) -housed the Saint's tomb and those of nearly all French kings dating back to the 6th Century, as well as crimson military banner said to belong to Charlemagne -innovative plan, using rib vaults to eliminate walls between radiating chapels, resting on pointed arches -outer walls had stained glass windows marvelled at light pouring in, lux nova -Suger began campaign to rebuild the church, erected a new West facade with sculptured portals, it was a Carolingian basilica in disrepair -Function: burial site for kings and queens

Amiens Cathedral, France

1220, France, Limestone, Stained Glass, Gothic -High Gothic: rectangular-bay system, 4-part rib vault, external buttressing system to eliminate heavy masses and thick weight bearing walls, self sustaining skeletal architecture -ever taller naves, buoyant lightness, choir vaults resemble a canopy, light floods in from clerestory -4 part vaults on pointed arches, rise 144 ft from nave floor -exterior: colonnettes, pinnacles, and rosettes BEAU DIEU: statue that greets worshippers as they enter cathedral, central doorways trumeau. Christ's figure is remodeled, massive drapery and folds cascading from his waist, tamples a lion and a dragon, symbolizing evil forces in the world, benevolent gothic christ

Saint-Chappelle, Paris France

1243-1248, Paris, France, stained glass/wood/stone Gothic, jewel box -built by Louis IX, palatine, private, culmination of his prosperity and success, cultivated his saintly image -small/thin/simple bulding -purchases crown of thorns among other passion relics, price of the relics far more than the building/reliquary -"Rayonnant Gothic" smaller scale, simpler bulding, no side chapels or chambers, only 4 bays long with a ribbed groin vault -high point of stained glass, no triforium -narrative scenes intended for devotion of the royal family, scenes about kings, how to be a good Christian king, more open than Chartes -slenderness/linearity

Chartes cathedral of Notre Dame, France

12th-13th Century, France/Limestone/Stained Glass, High Gothic -first major church planned from the beginning to have flying buttresses, tripartite elevation consisting of nave arcade, triforium, clerestory wuth stained glass windows -Royal Portal on the west facade, proclaim the majesty and power of Christ, tympana depict Christ's ascension, the 2nd coming, and infant Jesus in the lap of the virgin Mary, also scenes of cosmic and earthly worlds -old testament kings and queens are on jamb statues of the central doorway of the royal portal, biblical, display first signs of a new interest in naturalism in European sculpture, revived interest in naturalism -housed the mantle of the virgin in the crypt, survived the fire -rose windows and lancets,illuminate interior with lux nova, yellow castles on a red ground, center of rose= enthroned virgin and child

Rottgen Pieta

1300-1325, Rhineland Germany, painted wood, gothic -statuette of the virgin grieving over the distorted dead body of Christ in her lap reflects the increased interest in Savior's physical suffering and the Virgin's emotional suffering -rise of Franciscan and Dominican orders, focus on Christ as a model for humanity/piety -expressionistic model for religion

choir and apse of San Vitale

526-547, apse vault, youthful Christ seated on the orb of the world at the time of his 2nd coming, extends golden martyr wreath to Saint Vitalis, Bishop Ecclesius offers Christ a model of San Vitale

Justinian and Theodora mosaics san vitale

547 -new Byzantine aesthetic, Justinian is the foremost among the weightless and speechless frontal figures hovering before the viewer, position in space uncertain, wearing purple robes, tall/angular/elegant, God is not beheld w/eyes of flesh but with eyes of the mind -Theodora mosaic exhibit same stylistic traits, empress waiting to follow emperor's procession

Purse Cover from Sutton Hoo

625, suffolk england, gold/glass and cloisonne (cross between mosaic and stained glass)f garnets. Comes from a treasure laden royal burial ship,early medieval or Hiberno-Saxon -abstract interlace with animal figures, hallmark of early medieval art in Western europe -masterpiece of cloisonne ornamentation -seven cloisonne plaques within a cloisonne border, 6 plaques w human and animal figures and 2 with purely abstract ornament -4 symmetrically arranged groups of figures make up the lower row, end groups are man between 2 beasts, he faces front, and they appear in profile -heraldic grouping of man/beasts -message: parallel to epic sagas of the era in which heroes such as Beowulf battle and conquer horrific monsters

Charlemagne's Palatine Chapel at Aachen,

792-805, Aachen Germany, marble/mosaic/brick/mortar, Carolingian -Roman building techniques -innovative design, 2 cylindrical towers with spiral staircases flanking the entrance portal, foreshadowing later medieval dual-tower church facades -1st vaulted medieval structure north of the Alps, simple, massive geometric forms -adorned with gold and silver lamps, rails and doors of solid brass -emulates Byzantine empire in Germany, based plan on that of San Vitale, but no apselike extensions, complexity and lightness of San Vitale>>simple, massive geometric form -geometric clarity, expresses strength and clear structural articulation -royal chapel, behind arch was Charlemagne's marble throne, royal chapel

Monastery Plan of St Gall,

819, Switzerland, Red ink on parchment, Carolingian -Benedict of Nursia, founded the order, emphasis on work and study, manual labor and sacred reading -Gozbertus, abbot of St Gall to rebuild the monastery, near the center was the oratory (monastic church) with the cloister (colonnaded courtyard) -purpose of this plan is for an ideal, self-sufficient Benedictine monastery to separate monks from the laity, center of church is the oratory with its cloister, monk's earthly paradise -emphasized work/study and not only meditation, provided for a mill, bakery, infirmary, vegetable garden, and a brewery -plan not followed exactly, it was laid out using a module, 2.5 feet. Adoption of Early Christian basilica rather than domed central plan of Byzantine churches -presence of a transept, wide as the nave on the plan, addition of a 2nd apse on the west end of the building -towers framing the ends of the church, transept (rare in Early Christian churches), crossing square is the unit of measurement for transept arms, apse, nave

apse

A recess, usually semicircular, in the wall of a building, commonly found at the east end of a church

Church of Hagia Sophia

Constantinople/Istanbul, 523-537, concrete/brick/mortar/mosaic, Byzantine. KEY IS LIGHT, dissolve material substance, glitters in mosaics, divine light is emblematic of God's grace -anthemius of Tralles and Isidorus of Miletus mathematician and physicist designed it -church of Holy Wisdom, most important Justinian construction project -amazing dimensions for not being made of steel, DOME (pendentive construction) dominates the structure, fusion of the vertically oriented central-plan building and the longitudinally oriented basilica -plain and unpretentious exterior, buttresses, minarets, incredibly lavish interior, mystical quality of light flooding the interior -nave reserved for clergy not congregation. Intricate logic of Greek mythology, ambitious scale of Rome, vaulting of Mesopotamia, and mysticism of Eastern Christianity

The Utrecht Psalter

France, 820-835, manuscript, early medieval -one of finest and most unusual early medieval manuscripts, Carolingian French monastery -reproduces psalms of King David in 3 columns of Latin capital letters in emulation of the script and page organization of ancient books -illustrations mirror davids words, "He maketh me to lie down in green pastures" holding a cup "my cup runneth over" -evokes earlier artworks and make book appear ancient, paintings feature loose linear style -dramatic approach to illustrating psalsm -figures act out the words literally of "the lord is my shepard"

basilica

In Roman architecture, a public building for legal and other civic proceedings, rectangular in plan, with an entrance usually on a long side. In Christian architecture, a church somewhat resembling the Roman basilica, usually entered from one end and with an apse at the other.

clerestory

In Roman basilicas and medieval churches, the windows that form the naves uppermost level below the timber ceilings or the vaults

Lothar Cross,

Germany, 1000, gold/precious stones/enamel/wood, Ottonian -center cameo, carved out of sardonics, low relief Roman object portrait of Augustus. -unusual because one would expect an image of Christ, the center portrait of Augustus is actually a typology of many figures. -Augustus = Christ = Otto, staff held by augustus is the same staff held in Otto's gospel book

Hildegard of Bingen Receiving Visions

Germany, 1050-1059, manuscript, Romanesque -personal revelation about the divine, ordinary men and women get visions, art used to represent or record a visionary experience -drawing of herself seated, receiving a vision (flames symbolize it) scribe records it, drawing 6 days of creation, cosmic rings and starry skies, series of drawings, visions of the cosmos

images from the Rothschild Canticles

Germany, 1300, Manuscript, Gothic -actual artworks inspire/structure a visionary experience, created with the hope it would inspire a visionary experience in a woman -lavishly illustrated prayer book by a nun, florilegium, compilation of sources drawing on biblical passages, liturgy, texts -ascent of the wise virgins, scene evokes yearning of trying to get to Christ, artist is inventive with imagery

Otto III Enthroned from the Gospel Book of Otto III,

Germany, 997-1000, Manuscript, Vellum, Ottonian -enthroned Otto III holding the scepter and cross inscribed orb to signify his universal authority, Christian imperial iconographic tradition -symbolizes Christ/Charlemagne/A great emperor -fervently dreamed of a revived Christian Roman Empire

ribbed groin vault

Gothic, used in Chartes to create airiness

Icon of the Virgin and Child

Monastery of St. Catherine, Egypt, 6th-7th C -encaustic on wood, Byzantine. Icons are heirs to the Roman tradition of portrait painting on small wood panels, but their Christian subjects and their use as devotional objects broke sharply from classical models -between saints Theodore and George, intercede with the virgin on the viewer's behalf. /behind them, 2 angels gaze upward to a shaft of light where the hand of God appears -foreground figures are frontal, solemn demeanor, few background details, shallow forward plane of picture -saints bodies rendered in the Byzantine manner, frontal/symmetrical -MAry intercedes on our behalf to Christ

Carpet Page from Lindisfarne Gospels

Northumbria, England, 698-721, Tempera on vellum, early medieval -Cross: all-important symbol of the imported religion stabilizes the rhythms of serpentines, heighten effect of motion -motifs with detailed symmetries, with inversions, reversals, repetitions -cross inscribed, exemplifies the way Hiberno-Saxon illuminators married Christian imagery and the animal and interlace style of early medieval warlords -rhythm of expanding and contracting forms produces a vivid effect of motion and change, but regularity of design and dominating motif of inscribed cross -small, complex, painstaking designs

primary relic vs secondary relic

Primary: actual part of the body, small as a finger or skull Secondary: something that a saint touched or wore, oil/water that touched a saintly body

Architecture and mosaics of San Vitale

Ravenna, Italy 526-547, brick/mortar/marble/mosaic, Byzantine -Church honored Saint Vitalis, a 2nd C Ravenna martyr -exterior octagonal regularity, centrally planned church, 2 concentric octagons -8 large rectilinear piers alternate with curved, columned exaedrae, 2 story ambulatory -mosaics one of greatest achievements of Byzantine art, apse and choir decorations form a unified composition where theme is holy ratification of Justinian's right to rule -Christ is dressed in purple robe worn by Byzantine emperors, time of his 2nd coming, visually united to Justinian -Mosaic program underscores the dual political and religious roles of the Byzantine emperor, laws of Church and laws of state manifest themselves in the person of the emperor -opposite wall of the apse is Theodora, holds the golden cup of wine -Theo/Just never actually went to Ravenna, mosaics are proxies for absent sovereigns -NOT A BASILICA, centrally planned, dome-covered, clerestory lit central space defined by piers

spoila

Reused architectural components and sculpture

radiating chapel

Romanesque period, east end of the church has an innovative plan, ambulatory around the choir, 3 semicircular chapels opening onto it. House church's relics, which the faithful could view without having to enter the choir where the main altar stoor

Interior of Santa Sabina

Rome, 422-432 CE -timber-roofed and illuminated by clerestory windows like other early christian basilican churches -Corinthian columns of the nave arcade, original carved wood doors, chancel arch, apse which frames the altar -outside has typical brick walls of earliest Basilican churches -steady rhythm to focus all attention on the apse, chancel arch which frames the altar -early Christian character, mosaics and frescos on the interior, plain exterior

Old St. Peters (destroyed)

Rome, begun circa 319 CE, brick/stucco/wood/mortar -greatest of Constantine's churches in Rome, immense, 3,000-4,000 worshippers at a time -special feature of this church was the transept, housed St. Peter's relics -300 foot nave, very long, Peter was the founder of the Christian community in Rome -transept used, one of first uses and later became a standard element of Christian churches

Apse Mosaic Sant' Apollinare in Classe

Sant'Apollinare in Classe (near Ravenna) 6th C, 533-549, mosaic (glass/stucco) Early Christian/Byzantine -Saint Apollinaris stands beneath Christ's cross, his arms raised in prayer, scene is set in a landscape, the Byzantine artists rejected the classical illusionism of earlier mosaics. Large medallion with a jeweled cross dominates the composition -visible just above the cross is the hand of God, on either side of medallion are old testament prophets Moses and Elijah, who appeared before Jesus during his transfiguration -below are symbols of 3 sheep= John, Peter, James who accompanied Jesus to the foot of the mountain he ascended in order to converse with prophets -below, with trees, flowers, birds stands patron saint of church Apollinaris, orant with uplifted arms -hierarchial order from top to bottom: hand of God >>symbols of Christ and his disciples >> Apollinaris and his flock >> presiding at altar, successor the living bishop -even illiterate could make visual associations, flat symbols, mosaicist avoided overlapping, shapes lost volume seen with earlier mosaic and are flat with linear details

Chi-Rho-Iota Page from Book of Kells

Scotland, 800, manuscript, early medieval -folio 34 recto of the Book of Kells, Iona, Scotland late 8th or 9th C, Tempera on Vellum, greatest of the extant early medieval Irish books, for new largely illiterate Irish Christians with the beauty of Gods words -initial words of christ in Greek, XPI, occupy nearly entire page although autem (h) and generatio appear at lower right -together reads "this is how the birth of Christ came about" -letter rho ends in a male head, animals at the base of rho to the left of h generatio, half figures of winged angels -biblical text>>>abstract pattern, making God's words beautiful, intricate designs recall early medieval metalwork -FUNCTION: appeal to local populations, writing thought of as magic, as well as words of God

How are Christian basilicas different from their earlier Roman counterparts?

Similar to Roman basilicas, Christian basilicas were ideally suited for congregation, wide central nave with flanking aisles and an apse at the end. Clerestory windows above the nave arcade to provide natural illumination to complement the light of candelabras DIFFERENT: longitudinal plan, worshipers enter the basilica through a narthex, or vestibule, gave unobstructed view of the altar and the priest in the apse, framed by chancel arch -added transept and atrium

transept

the part of a church with an axis that crosses the nave at a right angle

aisle

the portion of the basilica flanking the nave and separated from it by a row of columns or piers

biblical typology

use of old/new testament together in comparison

relic

body parts, clothing, or objects associated with a holy figure, such as the Buddha or Christ or a Christian saint. -believed they had power to heal body and soul

trumeau

central post of the portal, lions featured on the one at church of Saint-Pierre, at the entrance in order to be protectors -jambs and central post

reliquary

container for holding relics -could be boxes, paintings, caskets -box is standard form -golden carriage, medieval fish, altar cross w relics, portrait sculptures -small statue

tessarae

cube, tiny stone of piece of glass cut to the desired shape and size for use in forming a mosaic

longitudinal axis

early Christian basilicas all have a longitudinal plan, seen in Santa Sabina and Mausoleum of Galla Placidia

barrel vault

vault forming a half cylinder, spread throughout Romanesque europe, fireproof, enhanced acoustics and viewing of relics

The Good Shepard and Jonah, Sarcophagus

fresco from the Catacomb of Peter and Marcellenius, Rome, early 4th C, fresco -the good shepard, the story of Jonah, and orants on the ceiling of a cubiculum -mixed Old and New Testament themes, Jonah was popular because he emerged safely from a sea monster after 3 days, prefiguring Christ's resurrection -sailors throw him from his ship on the left, he emerges on the right from the "whale", bottom he contemplates the miracle of his salvation and the mercy of God, Jonah = prefiguration of Christ -Orants or praying figures, cross-section of a Christian family seeking a heavenly afterlife -bridge between ancient and medieval art, Roman in style

zoomorphic

having or representing animal forms or Gods of animal form

Acheiropoetoi

icons made without hands, Christian icons come into existence miraculously, not created by a human. Images of Jesus or Virgin Mary

Reliquary Statue of St Foy at Conques, France

late 10th early 11th C. Conques France, Bricolage, with gold/precious stones/wood, Romaneque -churchmen living at Charte, heard about improper worship of a statue, idolatry, Bernard sent to investigate, Conque small province. Appeared to churchmen in a dream -open network of gems, keep getting added, Roman spoila, gold helmet/structure of a Roman emperor -symbolic reliquary, not meant to look like a young girl but how she existed in heaven, gems give off the heavenly appearance -early 4th century child martyr who refused to pay homage to Roman gods/idols, ironic bc Bernard heard she was an idol -monks stole her skull from Agen, brought to Conques -reliquary takes form of enthroned statuette of the martyr, gold leaf and silver gilt over a wooden core, inset jewels and cameos of various dates, donations of pilgrims and church patrons over the years -oversize head, ancient Roman parade helmet, male head

typology

link between old and new testament, Christian theology, recognition of concordances between events, especially between episodes in the Old and New testaments

catacombs

where most of the Jewish and Early Christian art in Rome from 3rd and 4th centuries is found. -vast subterranean networks of galleries (passageways) and chambers designed as cemeteries for burying Christians, and to a lesser extent Jews -Jewish/Christian communities tunneled them out of Tufa bedrock -run for 60-90 miles, accommodate as many as 4 mill bodies -paintings in these mixed old and new testament themes

initial page

words blown up, usually only few words but highly embellished. Looks abstract at first, but there are human/animal figures legibility is not important 4 initial pages, one at the start of each gospel

internal typology

old and new testament -look at how geometry tells you to compare, show how different parts of a story can interrelate, have to be a sophisticated viewer, objects are flexible with layers of meaning

portal

opening in a wall of a building, gate or fortification, especially a grand entrance to an important structure. Doors, metal gates, or portcullis in the opening can be used to control entry or exit

encaustic

painting method used for icons, on wood.

mosaic

patterns or pictures made by embedding small pieces (tesserae) of stone or glass in cement on surfaces such as walls and floors; also, the technique of making such works, started to be utilized Early Christian times

apostolic age

period of early church history, during life and work of the original apostles, 30-100, Pentecost to the death of John the last apostle

cameo

portrait, head -piece of jewelry, oval, portrait in a profile carved in relief on a background of a different color, encapsulates someone or something

pilgrimage

religious journey to Rome, Jeruesalem, Santiago de Compostela, St. Peter/Paul -public devotion, dangerous journey, act of repentance or as a last resort in search for cure for illness or some sort of disability -for those with limited money, closer destinations -large amounts of people changed church designs

tympanum

space enclosed by a lintel and arch above a doorway

Veronica Veil

sudarium, sweat cloth, Christian relic or piece of cloth which bears the likeness of the face of Jesus not made by the human hand, an acheiropoieton, Saint Veronica saw Jesus on way to Calvary, stopped to wipe blood/sweat off his face, 6th station of cross

crossing square

the area in a church formed by the intersection (crossing) of a nave and a transept of equal width often used as a standard unit of interior proportion

nave

the central area of an ancient roman basilica or church, demarcated from aisles by piers or columns

archivolt

the continuous molding framing an arch. Concentric band forming tympanum

iconoclasm

the destruction of images used in religious worship in 726 under Leo III, ends the early Byzantine period.