Vintage Collection

ART APPRECIATION
Medieval Art

Medieval Art
- includes a wide variety of art and architecture—
refers to a period also known as the Middle Ages,
which roughly spanned from the fall of the Roman
Empire in 476 A.D. to the early stages of the
Renaissance in the 14th century. Work produced
during this era emerged from the artistic heritage of
the Roman Empire and the iconographic style of the
early Christian church, fused with the “barbarian”
culture of Northern Europe.
Medieval Art
WHAT DEVELOPED OVER THE COURSE OF
THESE TEN CENTURIES YIELDED A DIVERSE
RANGE OF ARTISTIC STYLES AND PERIODS,
SOME OF WHICH INCLUDE THE EARLY
CHRISTIAN AND BYZANTINE, ANGLO-SAXON
AND VIKING, ROMANESQUE, AND GOTHIC.
GRAND MONUMENTS AND ARCHITECTURAL
MASTERPIECES SUCH AS THE HAGIA SOPHIA
IN CONSTANTINOPLE, CELEBRATED MOSAICS
IN RAVENNA, AND ILLUMINATED
MANUSCRIPTS LIKE THE LINDISFARNE
GOSPELS ALL EMERGED FROM THE MEDIEVAL
PERIOD.
Hagia Sophia in Constantinople
Mosaics in Ravenna
Illuminated Manuscripts
Medieval Art
- because the period produced a high volume of art
bearing historical significance, it remains a rich
area of study for scholars and collectors, and is
viewed as an enormous achievement that later
influenced the development of modern genres of
the Western art.
History and
Characteristics
of Medieval Art

The history of medieval art is expansive and covers a wide range of centuries
and genres. Medieval art was prominent in European regions, the Middle
East and North Africa, and some of the most precious examples of art from
the Middle Ages can be found in churches, cathedrals, and other religious
doctrines. Also prominent was the use of valuable materials such as gold for
objects in churches, personal jewelry, backgrounds for mosaics, and applied
as gold leaf in manuscripts.
Though the Middle Ages neither begin nor end neatly at any particular date,
art historians generally classify medieval art into the following periods: Early
Medieval Art, Romanesque Art, and Gothic Art.
Early Medieval Art

Early Medieval Art

Art from this period was created between the fourth
century and 1050 A.D. During this time, the Catholic
Church and wealthy oligarchs commissioned projects
for specific social and religious rituals. Many of the
oldest examples of Christian art survive in the Roman
catacombs or burial crypts beneath the city. Artists
were commissioned for works featuring Biblical tales
and classical themes for churches, while interiors were
elaborately decorated with Roman mosaics, ornate
paintings, and marble incrustations.
ART FROM THIS PERIOD
WAS CREATED BETWEEN
THE FOURTH CENTURY AND
1050 A.D. DURING THIS
TIME, THE CATHOLIC
CHURCH AND WEALTHY
OLIGARCHS
COMMISSIONED PROJECTS
FOR SPECIFIC SOCIAL AND
RELIGIOUS RITUALS.
MANY OF THE OLDEST
EXAMPLES OF CHRISTIAN ART
SURVIVE IN THE ROMAN
CATACOMBS OR BURIAL CRYPTS
BENEATH THE CITY. ARTISTS
WERE COMMISSIONED FOR
WORKS FEATURING BIBLICAL
TALES AND CLASSICAL THEMES
FOR CHURCHES, WHILE
INTERIORS WERE ELABORATELY
DECORATED WITH ROMAN
MOSAICS, ORNATE PAINTINGS,
AND MARBLE INCRUSTATIONS.
A LARGE PART OF THE ART
CREATED DURING THIS TIME
WAS ALSO RELATED TO
BYZANTINE WORK OF THE
EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN. IT
INCLUDED A VARIETY OF
MEDIA INCLUDING GLASS
MOSAIC, WALL PAINTING,
METALWORK, AND CARVED
RELIEF IN PRECIOUS
MATERIALS.
BYZANTINE ART WAS
CONSERVATIVE IN NATURE,
PRIMARILY FEATURING
RELIGIOUS SUBJECT MATTER,
AND MUCH OF IT WAS
CHARACTERIZED BY A LACK OF
REALISM. PAINTINGS IN
PARTICULAR WERE FLAT WITH
LITTLE TO NO SHADOWS OR
HINT OF THREE-
DIMENSIONALITY, AND THE
SUBJECTS WERE TYPICALLY
MORE SERIOUS AND SOMBER.
Romanesque Art

Romanesque art took shape

Romanesque buildings Other significant
in the eleventh century, were characterized by
initially developing in France semi-circular arches, media during
then spreading to Spain, thick stone walls, and this period
England, Flanders, Germany, durable construction.
Italy, and other regions. As Sculptures were also
include stained
the first style to spread across prevalent during this glass and the
Europe, it symbolized the time, where stone was continued
growing wealth of European used to represent biblical
cities and the power of subject matter and church tradition of
church monasteries. doctrines. illuminated
ROMANESQUE ROMANESQUE ART ROMANESQUE
SCULPTURE ARCHITETURE
Gothic Art
Late medieval art includes Gothic art, which
originated in the 12th century with the rebuilding of
the Abbey Church in Saint-Denis, France. Gothic
architecture offered revolutionary structural
advancements such as ribbed vaults, flying
buttresses, and decorative pinnacles all contributing
to taller, lighter building designs.
Gothic Art
Similarly, Gothic sculpture borrowed motifs from
the architecture of the period since it was primarily
used to decorate exteriors of cathedrals and other
religious buildings. Figures depicted in Gothic
sculpture became more realistic and closely related
to medieval cathedrals. Paintings also became more
lifelike, and with the rise of cities, foundation of
universities, increase in trade, and creation of a new
class who could afford to commission works, artists
started to explore more secular themes and non-
religious subject matter.
Gothic Art
Gothic Gothic
Architecture Sculpture
Famous
Examples of
Medieval Art

HAGIA
SOPHIA
BUILT IN 537 AD AT THE BEGINNING OF
THE MEDIEVAL PERIOD UNDER THE
DIRECTION OF BYZANTINE EMPEROR

JUSTINIAN I, THE HAGIA SOPHIA

EPITOMIZES BYZANTINE

ARCHITECTURE.
THOUGH ORIGINALLY BUILT AS A GREEK
ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN CATHEDRAL, IT
WAS REPURPOSED AS A MOSQUE AFTER
THE TURKISH CONQUEST OF
CONSTANTINOPLE IN 1453, AND TODAY
STANDS AS A MUSEUM IN ISTANBUL,
TURKEY. AT THE TIME IT WAS BUILT, IT
WAS THE WORLD’S TALLEST BUILDING,
KNOWN FOR ITS ICONIC, MASSIVE DOME.
THE LINDISFARNE
GOSPELS

THE LINDISFARNE GOSPELS IS AN

ILLUMINATED MANUSCRIPT AND ONE OF
THE FINEST EXAMPLES OF INSULAR ART,
WHICH COMBINES MEDITERRANEAN,
ANGLO-SAXON, AND
CELTIC ELEMENTS.
ASSUMED TO HAVE BEEN PRODUCED

AROUND 715 A.D. BY NORTHUMBRIAN

MONK EADFRIDTH, THE WORK CONSISTS
OF THE FOUR CHRISTIAN GOSPELS—
MATTHEW, LUKE, MARK, AND JOHN. THE
TEXT IS COPIED FROM ST. JEROME’S
LATIN TRANSLATION OF THE CHRISTIAN
BIBLE, ALSO KNOWN AS THE VULGATE.
PALETINE CHAPEL

THE PALATINE CHAPEL WAS COMPLETED

IN 804 A.D. AS THE REMAINING
COMPONENT OF CHARLEMAGNE’S PALACE
OF AACHEN IN PRESENT-DAY GERMANY.

THOUGH THE PALACE ITSELF NO LONGER

EXISTS, IT NOW ACTS AS THE CENTRAL

PART OF THE AACHEN CATHEDRAL. THE
BUILDING IS A DOME CHAPEL,
CONSIDERED AN EXEMPLARY VISION OF
CAROLINGIAN ARCHITECTURE—RELATING
TO THE FRANKISH DYNASTY THAT RULED
IN WESTERN EUROPE FROM 750 TO 987—
DUE TO ITS INTRICATELY DESIGNED CORE.
CODEX AUREUS OF
ST. EMMERAM

Another notable example of illuminated manuscripts is that

of the Codex Aureus of St. Emmeram. It was produced for
the Holy Roman Emperor Charles II (the Bald) at his

Carolingian Palace School in the 9th century. Richly

decorated with gold
lettering and highly colorful
illustrations, it is one of the few surviving treasured
bindings from the period.
NOTRE-DAME DE
PARIS

Perhaps the most famous of Gothic cathedrals, the Notre-

Dame’s construction began in 1160 under the Bishop Marice
de Sully and has undergone many changes since. With its

and flying buttress, complete with
use of the ribbed vault
stained glass windows

and iconic sculptural elements, the
church is vastly different from the Romanesque style that
preceded it. It has suffered damage and deterioration in the
centuries that have passed since its original construction,
most recently in 2019 when a fire broke out during a
restoration campaign and destroyed the 19th century spire.
Plans and funds to rebuild are already underway.
NOTRE-DAME DE
PARIS

At the beginning of the Middle Ages, it was very expensive

to commission a work of art or architecture, which made it
accessible only to large institutions, like the Church, or the

wealthiest of patrons. As time went on, however, a

considerable number
of pieces could be found in small
villages. The period as a whole lacked the knowledge and
resources necessary to preserve older works, and the
Renaissance and Baroque periods that followed did little to
help. For these reasons, many works from the era were lost
entirely, and much of the surviving work suffers a high rate
of wear and tear.
NOTRE-DAME DE
PARIS

period that followed reverted to
Though the Renaissance
the values of classical art, the 19th century saw a renewed
interest and understanding of medieval art, highlighting its
vast achievements in fine art and architecture. This was due
in large part to a relatively

new academic field of study—art
history—which concentrated

heavily on medieval art, and
worked hard to date surviving works and analyze the
development of many of the styles that came out of the era.
Now, it is heavily collected by museums and private
collectors, and many modern artists are inspired by the
anti-realist and expressive elements that formulated from
the medieval time period.

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ART APPRECIATION

Early Medieval Art

Romanesque art took shape

JUSTINIAN I, THE HAGIA SOPHIA

THE LINDISFARNE GOSPELS IS AN

AROUND 715 A.D. BY NORTHUMBRIAN

THE PALATINE CHAPEL WAS COMPLETED

THOUGH THE PALACE ITSELF NO LONGER

EXISTS, IT NOW ACTS AS THE CENTRAL

Another notable example of illuminated manuscripts is that

Carolingian Palace School in the 9th century. Richly

Perhaps the most famous of Gothic cathedrals, the Notre-

At the beginning of the Middle Ages, it was very expensive

wealthiest of patrons. As time went on, however, a

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