Early Medieval Art: The Carolingian Renaissance

After the fall of the Roman Empire, western Europe was overrun by hordes of migrating
“barbarian” tribes

But as the centuries progressed, the Barbarian warlords settled down and began to
establish larger kingdoms

One of the largest was the kingdom of the Franks, a Germanic tribe that inhabited what
had once been the Roman provinces of the Gauls

Charlemagne (or Carolus Magnus) was King of the Franks from 768-814, and his empire
(called the Carolingian Empire) was one of the largest and most powerful in all of Europe

Like all of the barbarian warlords that had settled in Europe, Charlemagne’s
predecessors had converted to Christianity

And his greatest ambition was to revive the grandeur of the Roman Empire

Coronation of Charlemagne by Pope Leo on Christmas Day, 800 CE
14th century manuscript
He came close to achieving this goal when he was crowned Holy Roman Emperor by
Pope Leo III in Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome on Christmas day in 800 CE

This made Charlemagne the direct successor of Constantine the Great, the first “Holy
Roman Emperor”

Equestrian Statue of Charlemagne,
Bronze, 21 cm
Louvre
So Charlemagne was a Roman Emperor “wannabe,” as illustrated by this bronze statue
of a Carolingian king – possibly Charlemagne himself (currently in the Louvre)

Bronze, 21 cm
Louvre
Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius, c. 175 CE
We know that Roman Emperors used equestrian statues to assert their power and
authority, and Charlmagne was eager to imitate the formula

Bronze, 21 cm
LouvreEquestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius, c. 175 CE
Only Charlemagne’s statue is only 9 1/2
inches tall, while the statue of Marcus
Aurelius is 11 feet tall!

Bronze casting is an intricate and complex process, and it will take some time
before western European artisans recover the techniques that the Romans had
mastered centuries before

The creation of a "New Rome" was Charlemagne's guiding vision when he began the construction of the Palace Chapel in the former Roman spa
resort Aachen (Aix-la-Chapelle) in ca. 786 - laying the foundation stone for one of Europe's oldest Northern stone buildings.
Image source: http://faculty.cua.edu/pennington/churchhistory220/lecturetwo/palacechapelhistory.htm
Every Emperor needs a
capital, and Charlemagne
established his at Aachen, in
Germany (Aix-la-Chapelle in
French)

His architect built the palace
and connecting chapel out of
stone, and it remains the
oldest stone building in
Europe to be built after the
fall of Rome.

The chapel was designed by
Odo of Metz, and is the only
building that survives

The Palatine Chapel of
Charlemagne, Aachen,
Germany, 792-805
The Palatine chapel (named after the Palatine Hill in Rome) is significant because it
marks the reappearance of monumental architecture in western Europe

The building is in the shape of an octagon topped by a dome, and was based on
Justinian’s San Vitale, in Ravenna

The interior is massive, and distinctly “Roman” in its use of the arch, and Roman
methods of construction

Charlemagne’s achievement can only be appreciated if you take into consideration
that there has not been any kind of architecture in Europe in 400 years!

Charlemagne was a great supporter of literacy and learning

He himself learned to read and write, and he invited Alcuin of York to reform
education at monasteries

Eadwine the Scribe, from the
Eadwine Pslater, c. 1160-1170
He also charged his scholars with the task of standardizing the bible text, which had
become corrupted over the centuries through constant copying by hand

His scholars developed a new system of writing called “Carolingian miniscule,”
which is the basis of our system of writing today

Roman script is difficult to read because the letters are all capitals, and there is no
punctuation or spaces between words

The new system of writing, combined with the creation of a standard scholarly
language (known as Medieval Latin), significantly raised the standards of literacy
and learning in Charlemagne’s kingdom

Charlemagne also set out to reform the illustration of bibles, and established his
own scriptorium, called “The Palace School”

He provided his scribes with examples of Early Christian manuscripts that reflected
the more naturalistic style of Greek and Roman art
Learn to
draw like
this!

This page from the Gospel Book of Charlemagne reflects the new style of the
Palace School. It is an example of an author page that introduces the Gospels

St. Matthew, Coronation
Gospels (Gospel Book
of Charlemagne) 800-810 CE
The image reflects a new sense of naturalism and three dimensionality that had
virtually disappeared from Christian art during the middle age

St. Matthew, Coronation Gospels (Gospel Book
Saint Matthew, Lindisfarne Gospels, c. 698-721
Compare it, for example, to the image of St. Matthew, from the Lindisfarne Gospels,
produced about a century earlier

In the older image, the figure appears stylized and abstract, with strangely distorted
proportions, and flat forms surrounded by thick outlines

But in Charlemagne’s gospel book, all the skills of ancient classical art have been
re-learned: the proportions of the figure are more lifelike, and gradations of light
and shade are used to create a convincing illusion of three dimensional volume

Author page introducing the Gospel of John
Lindisfarne Gospels, c. 698-721
British Library
St. John, Coronation Gospels (Gospel Book
Wikimedia Commons
We can see the same transformation in these two images of Saint John; while the
Lindisfarne version is flat, cartoon-like, and stylized, the Carolingian version has all
of the illusionistic qualities of Roman art

Folio 14 recto of the Vergilius Romanus contains an author portrait of Vergil
What likely happened is that Charlemagne provided his illuminators with examples
of Roman and Early Christian manuscripts to copy from

So in architecture and art, Charlemagne was proclaiming his kingdom as the new
“Holy Roman Empire”
The Palatine Chapel of
Charlemagne, Aachen,
Germany, 792-805

The Art of Storytelling: Carolingian
Manuscript Illumination

As we saw, Charlemagne was a great supporter of literacy and learning

Reconstructed Abbey of St. Gall, Switzerland, 820 CE
He poured money into existing monasteries, and founded many new ones, because
the monks were the ones who could read and write

These monasteries became centers for the production of illuminated books

Charlemagne had established his own Palace School, where he encouraged his
illuminators to imitate the naturalistic style of ancient Rome
Learn to
draw like
this!

But the illuminated manuscripts produced in monastic centers were made for an
entirely different purpose

They were much more interested in telling stories through pictures, than in revising
the artistic style of the Roman Empire

Church and State were not united in the European Middle Ages, so the church
remained independent from kings
I’ll do my
own thing
I want to
do things
this way

This gospel book was made for the Archbishop Ebbo of Rheims
St. Matthew, Gospel Book of Bishop Ebbo of Reims,c. 816-835

When we compare it to the author page of Saint Matthew from the Coronation
Gospels produced for Charlemagne, we can observe several similarities

The pose is quite similar, and the writing desk in both is virtually identical; both also
show evidence of the use of shading to create a three dimensional effect

This suggests that both illuminators were probably working from the same prototype
– i.e. they were both probably copying an image that was Roman or Early Christian

But the differences between the two pages are more interesting

St. Matthew, Coronation
Gospels (Gospel Book
of Charlemagne) 800-810
CE
While Charlemagne’s illuminator clearly tried to imitate the original faithfully,
resulting in an image that is convincingly illusionistic

The illuminator of the Ebbo Gospels seems to have freely interpreted the original,
producing an image that is more expressive than naturalistic – let’s take a closer
look

Matthew is seated at his writing table, frantically writing the pages of his gospel with
a quill pen

The linear patterns of his drapery create a sense of frenetic energy, and even the
landscape background seems to quake with movement

The expression on his face communicates intense concentration, while his hair
seems to be standing on end

And then we notice there is an angel on the hill reading from a scroll, which helps us
understand why Matthew is so frantic

The angel is dictating the “Word of God,” and poor Matthew is struggling to keep up!
It’s God
speaking –
write this
down!
OK – slow
down!

This image of Matthew is not “realistic” or “naturalistic,” the way Greek and Roman
art was – but its not exactly “abstract” either

Instead, art historians use the term “expressionistic” to describe the use of distortion
and exaggeration to communicate emotion

In this image, the artist is using expressive line, and exaggerated facial expressions
and gestures, to communicate Matthew’s emotional state, as he is filled with the
frenzy of divine inspiration

Dr. Seuss is a perfect example of the use of “expressionism” to enliven his stories

His illustrations are so expressive, that we don’t have to read the words to
appreciate the story

Carolingian manuscript illuminators mastered the art of telling a story through
pictures, with animated figures that communicate drama and emotion through
exaggerated gestures and expression

Since most people couldn’t read, these pictures became a powerful way of
communicating the faith to a largely illiterate population

Moutier Grandval Bible, c. 840
This page is from the Moutier Grandval Bible, one of the masterpieces of
Carolingian art

The illustrations are so expressive that you don’t even need the written text to
understand the story

In the upper portion, we see Moses going up the mountain to receive the 10
Commandments from the Lord (depicted as a disembodied hand reaching down
from the heavens)

Down below, we see Moses returning to the Israelites, holding the tablets of the law

He raises his arm in a gesture of authority, while several of the men in the crowd
raise their hands to their mouths in a gesture of astonishment

The proportions are unrealistic: the heads and hands are way too large – but this
enables the artist to amplify the expressions communicated through their facial
expressions and gestures

Genesis page, Moutier-Grandval Bible,
Tours, France, c. 830-840
This page illustrates the story of Creation from the Book of Genesis

In the first scene, the Lord creates Adam

And in the next scene, he introduces Adam to Eve

This scene illustrates the Fall in the garden (Eve appears twice to indicate the
sequence of events)

And in the final scene, Adam and Eve are expelled from Paradise

Notice how the exaggerated gestures, facial expressions, and body language
communicates the emotion of the story

While lacking “realism,” Carolingian artists mastered the art of storytelling through
an expressionistic visual language

The Utrecht Psalter is one of the masterpieces of Carolingian manuscript
illumination

A Psalter is a book the Psalms of David (hymns of praise to God)

The Psalms are written in three columns, interspersed with lively illustrations

Psalm 150 refers to praising the Lord with the trumpet, harp, lyres, cymbals, and
various other musical instruments included an organ, and the accompanying
illustration matches the text

The Lord can be seen in the center, ascending over a hilltop, wearing a halo and
enclosed in an oval shape known as a “mandorla” — a kind of “body halo.”

He is surrounded by angels that praise him – their exaggerated facial expressions
and gestures expressing wonder and surprise

Down below, we see the trumpeters and cymbal players mentioned in the text

And in the center, we see a delightful contraption: a pump organ, with several
figures laboring to keep it pumped with air

The figures are drawn with ink, in a loose sketchy style, with an emphasis on
expressive gesture and facial expression, rather than realistic detail

Sketches by illustrator Peter de Seve
If you love cartoons, illustrations, and animation, you might want to check out
Carolingian manuscript illuminators, since they were amongst the first masters of
this art form!

Lindau Gospels, c.
880
Morgan Library
Since books were made by hand, they were extremely precious objects, and richly
illustrated bibles and gospels were even more precious because of the intricacy of
their decorations, and their sacred content

Lindau Gospels, c.
880
Morgan Library
Not surprisingly, then, book covers, which protected the fragile pages, became an
important art form in and of itself

Lindau Gospels, c.
880
Morgan Library
This book cover is incrusted with jewels in elaborate metal settings that recall the
metalworking traditions of the migration arts; in this context, they symbolize the
splendor of heaven

In the center of the cover is an image of the crucified Christ, flanked by angels
above, and mourners below

Unlike later images of the Crucifixion that emphasize Christ’s suffering and pain, this
early representation of the theme emphasizes Christ’s triumph over death —
youthful, and unmarked by any wounds, he is a a symbol of hope and redemption.

The figural images — made with a technique called repoussé, where the relief
images are formed by hammering out the raised elements from the other side —
reveals distinctly classical elements, again reflecting Charlemagne’s deliberate
desire to revive the styles and techniques of classical art

This can be seen particularly well in the naturalistic treatment of Christ’s anatomy,
and in the exquisitely rendered drapery

Charlemagne’s Empire was divided up amongst his successors

In the 10th century the Eastern part of the Empire was ruled by a new Saxon line of
kings called the Ottonians

Gospel Book of Otto III,
997-1,000 CE

Gospel Book of Otto III,
997-1,000 CE
I wanna be
like Justinian
the Great!

Annunciation to the Shepherds,
Lectionary of Henry II, 1002-1014

EXPRESSIONISM: exaggerated gestures, glances, and expressions
communicates meaning/emotion

St, Michael’s, Hildesheim, Germany, 1001-1033
Like Charlemagne, the Ottonian Kings were great supporters of monasteries

Basilica plan evolved during this period

Nave, St, Michael’s, Hildesheim, Germany, 1001-1033

Bishop Bernward commissioned a monumental set of bronze doors for his church

Over 16 feet tall, they represent the first appearance of monumental sculpture since
the fall of the Roman Empire

Inspired by a monumental set of wooden doors he had seen in Rome
Doors to Santa Sabina, Rome, c. 432 CE

Genesis page, Moutier-Grandval Bible,
Tours, France, c. 830-840
But the source of the imagery was not sculpture – rather, the reliefs draw on the
expressive style of Medieval manuscript illumination

The panels depict episodes from the Old and New Testaments

Prefiguration: OT stories interpreted as a “pre-figuration” of events in NT

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHT2VMayiz4

Bayeux Tapestry
The Bayeux Tapestry is
another work that
exemplifies the
development of narrative
storytelling
Funeral Procession to Westminster Abbey, and Battle of Hastings, Bayeaux Tapestry,
c. 1070-1080

Bayeux Tapestry
It is a 228’ long tapestry
illustrating the Norman
Invasion of England,
based on Roman
Triumphal columns
Funeral Procession to Westminster Abbey, and Battle of Hastings, Bayeaux Tapestry,
c. 1070-1080

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8OPQ_28mdo&feature=relmfu

http://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotation_559561&v=LtGoBZ4D4_E&feature=iv

Early Medieval Art: The Carolingian Renaissance

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