CHAPTER 20—LATE MEDIEVAL AND EARLY RENAISSANCE NORTHERN
EUROPE
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Jan van Eyck’s Giovanni Arnolfini and His Bride contains many symbols. Which of the following is an
allusion to God?
a.
the dog
b.
the bedpost
c.
the whisk broom
d.
the mirror
2. In the 15th century, the Dukes of Burgundy wielded power over which of the following counties?
a.
Bavaria
b.
Flanders
c.
Galicia
d.
Lombardy
3. The illusionism found in French manuscript was influenced by contact with ____?
a.
Italy
b.
Constantinople
c.
Bruges
d.
London
4. In the calendar pages of Les Tres Riches Heures du Duc de Berry scenes of courtly life alternate with
____.
a.
Scenes form Christ’s life
b.
the rosary
c.
seasonal tasks
d.
the ancestry of the Duc de Berry
5. The Dukes of Burgundy commissioned art to reinforce their status as rulers in their dynasty. Which of
the following best supports this?
a.
The Dukes wanted to reinforce the view of power and sophistication
b.
The Dukes wanted to employ artists
c.
The Dukes wanted to provide art for trade
d.
The Dukes wanted to collect for the sake of collecting alone
6. Which of the following was a dynastic symbol of Burgundian power?
a.
Valois Castle
b.
Chateau Blanc
c.
Chartreuse de Champmol
d.
St. Bavo
7. What does the fountain created by Claus Sluter for the cloister of Chartreuse de Champmol symbolize?
a.
everlasting Life
b.
the Well of Moses
c.
flowing water
d.
the Dukes of Burgundy
8. The following phrase from Revelations, “pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of
the throne of God and of the Lamb” is depicted in which of the following?
a.
Deposition
b.
Last Supper from the Holy Sacrament Altarpiece
c.
Altar of the Lamb from the Ghent Altarpiece
d.
Adoration of the Shepherds from the Portinari Altarpiece
9. Which artist served as the dean of the painters’ guild of Ghent and worked for Tommaso Portinari?
a.
Jan van Eyck
b.
Rogier van der Weyden
c.
Dirk Bouts
d.
Hugo van der Goes
10. Which of the following artists specialized in images of the Madonna and Child?
a.
Hugo van der Goes
b.
Rogier van der Weyden
c.
Hans Memling
d.
Jan van Eyck
11. Which of the following is a manifestation of the commitment to private prayer?
a.
a Book of Hours
b.
a small Altarpiece
c.
the construction of small chapels in the city cathedral
d.
an illuminated Psalter
12. Enhancing its meaning, the Portinari Altarpiece contains small scenes, such as ____, in the
background.
a.
the Arrival of the Magi
b.
the Crucifixion
c.
the Baptism of Christ
d.
the Resurrection
13. Veit Stoss excelled in creating ____?
a.
large carved wooden altarpieces.
b.
elegant Book of Hours.
c.
A detailed reliquary.
d.
altarpieces devoted to the Last Judgment.
14. Which of the following would support the argument that the Well of Moses created by Claus Sluter did
not actually spout water?
a.
There was no water source in the Carthusian monastery.
b.
Carthusian commitment to silence would preclude any sound making device.
c.
The Well of Moses was never finished, so it never worked.
d.
The Well of Moses was not the actual device used to spout water.
15. The Hundred Years War involved primarily which two kingdoms?
a.
England and France
b.
Germany and France
c.
Italy and Germany
d.
England and Spain
16. Who was the noble patron who commissioned Les Très Riches Heures?
a.
Philip the Good
b.
Giovanni Arnolfini
c.
Tommaso Portinari
d.
Jean, Duke of Berry
17. Which of the following was Philip the Bold of Burgundy’s most significant commission?
a.
Chartreuse de Champmol
b.
Les Très Riches Heures
c.
Ghent Altarpiece
d.
Portinari Altarpiece
18. The Nuremberg Chronicle is a tribute to the new craft of the printed illustrated book. What was the
content of the Nuremberg Chronicle?
a.
It was the history of Nuremberg.
b.
It was the history of Germany.
c.
It was the history of the world.
d.
It was the history of the illustrated book.
19. In Martin Schongauer’s engraving he created distinctions of tonal values and textures. He distinguished
between skin and cloth, feather and fur. Which of the following is the title of Martin Schongauer’s
engraving?
a.
Saint Anthony Tormented by Demons
b.
The Crucifixion
c.
The Mystic Marriage of St. Catherine
d.
The Adoration of the Shepherds
20. Which city derived its wealth from banking and the wool trade?
a.
Dijon
b.
Bruges
c.
Munich
d.
Paris
21. Sluter’s sculptural works can be characterized as ____.
a.
elegant, using sweeping curvilinear lines
b.
having little physical movement or weight shift
c.
typical of the “soft” style
d.
influenced by the style of Donatello
22. One of the most important trading cities of fifteenth-century Netherlands was ____.
a.
Dijon
b.
Bruges
c.
Basel
d.
Amsterdam
23. Which of the following artists created one of the earliest portraits where the sitter engages the viewer?
a.
Tilman Riemenschneider
b.
Dirk Bouts
c.
Hugo van der Goes
d.
Jan van Eyck
24. During the Great Schism, Philip the Bold of Burgundy supported ____.
a.
the pope in Rome
b.
the king of England
c.
the king of France
d.
the pope in Avignon
25. Which art form grew in popularity partially because of its ability to memorialize the sitter?
a.
portraiture
b.
reliquaries
c.
small altarpieces
d.
church construction
26. Which of the following episode from Christ’s life was NOT included in Jan van Eyck’s Ghent
Altarpiece?
a.
Adam and Eve
b.
God the Father
c.
Deposition
d.
Adoration of the Lamb
27. In Riemenschneider’s Assumption of the Virgin, the artist had successfully incorporated which of the
following elements?
a.
Italian illusionism
b.
Byzantine spirituality
c.
Roman classicism
d.
Gothic intricacy
28. Hugo van der Goes’s Portinari Altarpiece is characterized by which of the following?
a.
its joyful angels and muted colors
b.
an exclusive concern with formal problems
c.
a flat, gold background
d.
its rich colors and a somber mood
29. Which two entities divided the Burgundian territories after the death of Charles the Bold?
a.
France and Spain
b.
France and the Holy Roman Empire
c.
England and France
d.
Rome and England
SLIDE IDENTIFICATION
Select the response that identifies or corresponds best to the image on the screen.
30. (Figure 20-8)
a.
Hans Memling
b.
Hugo van der Goes
c.
Jan van Eyck
d.
Rogier van der Weyden
31. (Figure 20-3)
a.
Isenheim Altarpiece closed
b.
Ghent Altarpiece closed
c.
Ghent Altarpiece open
d.
Champmol de Retable
32. (Figure 20-13)
a.
Mérode Altarpiece
b.
Ghent Altarpiece
c.
Champmol de Retable
d.
St. John Altarpiece
33. (Figure 20-10)
a.
Petrus Christus
b.
Jean Fouquet
c.
Rogier van der Weyden
d.
Melchior Broederlam
34. (Figure 20-10)
a.
Italian
b.
French
c.
German
d.
Flemish
35. (Figure 20-17)
a.
Deposition
b.
Melun Diptych
c.
Ghent Altarpiece
d.
Mérode Altarpiece
36. (Figure 20-18)
a.
Rogier van der Weyden
b.
Stephen Lochner
c.
Konrad Witz
d.
Martin Schongauer
37. (Figure 20-20)
a.
Veit Stoss
b.
Claus Sluter
c.
Tilman Riemenschneider
d.
Gil de Siloé
38. (Figure 20-22)
a.
manuscript illumination
b.
etching
c.
engraving
d.
woodcut
39. (Figure 20-16)
a.
January
b.
October
c.
December
d.
May
40. (Figure 20-12)
a.
Dirk Bouts
b.
Jean Pucelle
c.
Hugo van der Goes
d.
Hans Memling
41. (Figure 20-6)
a.
Jan van Eyck
b.
Rogier van der Weyden
c.
Robert Campin
d.
Konrad Witz
42. (Figure 20-5)
a.
Creglingen Altarpiece
b.
Isenheim Altarpiece
c.
Portinari Altarpiece
d.
Ghent Altarpiece
43. (Figure 20-21)
a.
etching
b.
engraving
c.
woodcut
d.
relief
44. (Figure 20-14)
a.
tryptych
b.
diptych
c.
polyptych
d.
tapestry
45. (Figure 20-5A)
a.
Jan van Eyck
b.
Rogier van der Weyden
c.
Robert Campin
d.
Konrad Witz
46. (Figure 20-2A)
a.
France
b.
Germany
c.
Italy
d.
Austria
47. (Figure 20-14A)
a.
tryptych
b.
diptych
c.
polyptych
d.
tapestry
SHORT ANSWER
1. How has Jan van Eyck taken Giovanni and His Bride from document to art?
2. What is a letterpress?
3. What is significant about the landscape depiction in Konrad Witz’s Miraculous Draught of Fish?
4. Who was Etienne Chevalier?
5. What is the Carthusian order?
6. What does the Ghent Altarpiece celebrate?
7. What developments occurred in the fifteenth century which had a dramatic impact on artistic
production?
8. What impact did the Hundred Years War have on France and French art?
9. How does the work of Stoss Veit reflect Late Gothic elements in German art?
10. Briefly describe the financial climate of Antwerp.
11. How does Rogier van der Weyden’s style differ from Jan van Eyck’s?
12. Who is likely the sitter Jan van Eyck’s Man in a Red Turban?
13. What does the scene of October in Les Très Riches Heures communicate?
ESSAY
1. Explain the symbols in the Robert Campin’s (Master of Flemalle) Mérode Altarpiece. How do they
relate to a Netherlands household? How is this work a religious statement?
2. Describe the portraits of Jan van Eyck. What impact did he have on portraiture? Use examples to
support your essay.
3. How did Memling contribute to portraiture?
4. Contrast the sculpture of Veit Stoss and Tilman Riemenschneider. What are the differences and what
are the similarities? Use examples to support your essay.
5. Compare and contrast the works of the Limbourg Brothers and Konrad Witz. How do these artists
represent their periods and patrons? Use examples to support your essay.
6. Explain patronage as a factor for the development of 15th century painting. How did patrons impact
the period? What innovations occurred as a result of patrons? Use examples to support your essay.
7. Compare and contrast the work of Flemish style painting with French style painting. How are they
similar and how are they different? Use examples to support your essay.
8. In what ways are the works of Jan van Eyck and Hugo van der Goes similar, and in what ways do you
think they are different? Use examples to support your essay.
9. Compare two works from the fifteenth century. What differences do you see between the ones you
have selected? How do you think these differences reveal the diversity of this period?
OTHER
SLIDE QUESTIONS
1. What are the two main themes seen here that are found in most of Memling’s work throughout his
career?
2. How do scholars presently believe that this work should be interpreted?
3. What art form does this resemble and what effect did this borrowing have?
4. How does this work reflect Old Testament and New Testament visual treatments?
5. What techniques did the artist employed to increase the naturalism of the scene?
6. How does the representation of this subject deviate from the portrayal of it by other artists?
7. Compare these two works, identifying the artists who did each. Which work is the most dynamic?
How does the artist achieve that effect?
8. Who painted this work, and what is its significance?
9. Who painted this work, and how did it impact Italy?
10. What is significant about the poses of Christ and the Virgin?
11. How does this portrait reveal the innovative style of Rogier van der Weyden?
12. Name the artist of this work and describe the meaning of at least three symbols found in it.