ART 213 Exam 1 | Course Paper

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Exam 1 Review

Sutton Hoo Ship Burial

The warrior lord Scyld was laid to rest in a ship overflowing with arms and

armor and costly adornments that set adrift in the North Sea

In 1939 archeologists uncovered a treasure-laden ship in a burial mound at

Sutton Hoo, England

Among the many precious finds were a gold belt buckle, 10 silver bowls, 40 gold

coins, and 2 silver spoons inscribed SAULOS and PAULOS (Saint Paul’s names in

Greek before and after his baptism). The spoons may allude to a conversion to

Christianity.

Some historians have associated the site with the East Anglian King Raedwald,

who was baptized a Christian before his death in 625

The most extraordinary Sutton Hoo find was

this purse cover. Decorated with 7 cloisonne

plaques. Cloisonne jewelry is made by

soldering small metal strips (cloisons), 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.

On the Sutton Hoo purse cover, 4 symmetrically arranged groups of cloisonné

figures make up the lower row.

The end groups consist of a facing man standing between 2 profile beasts

The trio is a pictoral parallel to the epic sagas of the era in which heroes (like

Beowulf) battle and conquer horrific monsters

The 2 center groups represent eagles attacking ducks. The convex beaks of the

eagles fit against the concave beaks of the ducks

At the top are 3 geometric designs. The outer ones are purely linear. The central

design is an interlace pattern in which the interlacements evolve into writhing

animal figures

Chi-rho-iota (Lindisfarne Gospels)

Many books also contain pages where the illuminator enormously

enlarged the initial letters of an important passage of sacred text and

transformed those letters into elaborate decorative patterns

These manuscript pages merged the abstraction of early medieval

personal adornment with the pictorial tradition of Early Christian art

Palatine Chapel – Aachen, Germany

A view of the interior shows that Charlemagne’s builders converted the

“floating” quality of San Vitale into massive geometric form.

On the exterior, 2 cylindrical towers with spiral staircases flank the entrance

portal. This was a first step toward the great dual –tower facades if western

European churches. Above the portal, Charlemagne could appear in a large

framing arch and be seen by those gathered in the atrium in front of the

chapel. Directly behind the second-story arch was Charlemagne’s marble

throne. From there he could peer down at the altar in the apse

Bernward’s Doors – Hildesheim, Germany

16 foot tall bronze doors Bishop Bernward cast for Saint Michael’s

They are technological marvels because the Ottonian metalworkers cast

each giant door in a single piece with figural sculpture

The panels of the left door illustrate highlights from Genesis, beginning

with the creation of Eve (at the top) and ending with the murder of

Adam and Eve’s son Abel by his brother Cain (at the bottom)

The right door recounts the life of Jesus (reading from the bottom up),

starting with the annunciation to the Virgin and terminating with the

appearance to Mary Magdalene of Christ after his resurrection

Together the doors tell the story of original sin and ultimate

redemption, showing the expulsion from the Garden of Eden and the

path back to Paradise through the Church

As in Early Christian times, the Ottonian clergy interpreted Hebrew scripture as

prefiguring the New Testament. For example, the panel depicting the fall of Adam

and Eve is juxtaposed with the crucifixion. Eve nursing the infant Cain is opposite

Mary with the Christ Child in her lap

The figures show a vivid animation that recalls the Ebbo Gospels Saint Matthew,

but the narrative compositions also revel the Hildesheim artist’s genius for

anecdotal detail. For example, in the 4th panel from the top of the left door, God,

portrayed as a man, accuses Adam and Eve after their fall from grace. He jabs his

finger at them with the force of his whole body. The frightened pair crouches, not

only to hide their shame but also to escape the lightening bolt of divine wrath.

Each passes the blame-Adam pointing backward to Eve and Eve pointing

downward to the deceitful serpent. Adam and Eve both struggle to point with 1

arm while attempting to shield their bodies from view with the other

Saint Michael’s

Constructed between 1001 and 1031 (rebuilt

after a bombing raid during World War II)

Saint Michael’s has a double-transept plan, two

apses, six towers, and a westwork

The 2 transepts create eastern and western

centers of gravity. The nave merely seems to be

a hall connecting them

Lateral entrances leading into the aisles from

the north and south additionally make for an

almost complete loss of the traditional

basilican orientation toward the east

The builders adopted a modular approach. The crossing squares, for example,

are the basis for the nave’s dimensions- 3 crossing squares long and 1 square

wide

The placement of heavy piers at the corners of each square gives visual

emphasis to the 3 units

These piers alternate with pairs of columns to form what architectural

historians call the alternate-support system

The alternating piers and columns divide the nave into vertical units,

mitigating the tunnel-like horizontality of the Early Christian basilica

Coronation Gospels: the most famous of Charlemagne’s books in

the Coronation Gospels. The text is in handsome gold letters on

purple vellum. The major full-page illuminations show the four

Gospel authors at work (Saint Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John)

On the left is the page of Saint Matthew. It follows the venerable

tradition of author portraits and also has similar representations

of seated philosphers or poets writing or reading abound in

ancient art. It also reveals the legacy of classical art

The Carolingian painter used color and modulation of light and

shade to create the illusion of 3D form. The cross-legged chair, the lectern, and

the saint’s toga are familiar Roman acessories, and the placement of the book

and lectern top at an angle suggests a Mediterranean model employing classical

perspective. The landscape background is also a classical feature, and the frame

consists of the kind of acanthus leaves commonly found in Roman art.

Some of the most innovative developments in Romanesque architecture and

architectural sculpture occurred in France

Around 1070, construction of a church began in honor of

Toulouse’s first bisop, Saint Saturninus (Saint Sernin in

French).

The architect is unknown

The 2 towers of the western façade were never

completed and the prominent “crossing tower” dates to

the Gothic and later periods

Saint Sernin’s plan is extremely regular and geometrically

precise.

The crossing square served as the module for the entire church.

This design is a highly refined realization of the planning scheme first seen at

Saint Gall.

Exemplifies the “pilgrimage church” type.

The builders provided additional space for curious pilgrims, worshipers, and

liturgical processions by increasing the length of the nave, doubling the side

aisles, and adding a transept and ambulatory with radiating chapels housing the

church’s relics so the faithful could view them without having to enter the choir