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Title: Purse cover, form the Sutton Hoo ship burial in Suffolk, England
Artist: unknown
Date: 7th century
Medium: gold, glass, and cloisonne garnets
Period: Early Medieval
Historical Importance: Highlights many hallmarks of early medieval art, including geometric design and patterns integrated with abstract animal forms (such as the eagles, ducks, and beasts here), intricate metalwork, and the cloisonne technique, whereby small metal strips would be formed to outline designs that were then filled in with semiprecious stones.
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Title: ANimal-head post, from the Viking ship burial, Oseburg, Norway
Artist: unknown
Date: 9th century
Medium: carved wood
Period: Early Medieval
Historical Importance: This animal-head post features an interlace pattern composed of tightly interwoven animals carved into the roaring animal's head, making the object a strong example of two important motifs in early medieval art in western Europe: the animal and the interlace pattern. |
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Title: Saint Matthew, folio 25 verso of the Lindisfarne Gospels
Artist: unknown
Date: early 8th century
Medium: tempera on vellum
Period: Early Medieval
Historical Importance: The imagery for this author's portrait is modeled on an Italian Gospel book, as the Saint Matthew figure is sitting and writing in a similar style to those ealrier works. He is also seated on an angled bench and placed in an interior space, as evidenced by the curtain. However, this older style is married with the new early medieval style, as the volume, perspective, and shading of classical works are ignored in favor of sharp lines and flat colors. |
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Title: Chi-rho-iota page, from the Book of Kells
Artist: unknown
Date: early 9th century
Medium: tempera on vellum
Period: Early Medieval
Historical Importance: you know this ish, way obvious. most bootyful ever, way intricate, etc etc
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Title: Equestrian portrait of Charlemagne
Artist: unknown
Date: early 9th century
Medium: bronze statue
Period: Early Medieval
Historical Importance: This representation of Charlemagne on a horse evokes the classical statuettes of Marcus Aurelius, a similarity that perfectly parallels Charlemagne's aims to make his empire as glorious as that of ancient Rome.
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Title: Saint Matthew, of the Coronation Gospels
Artist: unknown
Date: early 9th century
Medium: ink and tempera on vellum
Period: Early Medieval
Historical Importance: In contrast to the Lindisfarne Gospel illustration of Saint Matthew, this representation builds directly on classical techniques, using light and shading to create volume. This emphasizes the reverence Charlmagne held for ancient Rome, and his court's desire to evoke the classical.
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Title: Saint Matthew, of the Ebbo Gospels
Artist: unknown
Date: 9th century
Medium: ink and tempera on vellum
Period: Early Medieval
Historical Importance: Like the Lindisfarne Gospel, this representation of Matthew takes a classical image and translates it into the new style, in this case Carolingian. The artist uses hard, frenzied lines and bright colors to create movement and to give the sense that Matthew is writing frantically.
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Title: Doors with relief panels, Saint Michael's at Hildesheim
Artist: commissioned by Bishop Bernward
Date: 11th century
Medium: bronze
Period: Early Medieval
Historical Importance: By depicting the Old Testament story of Adam and Eve alongside the Gospel story of Christ, the doors seek to draw a parallel between Adam and Eve's transgression and Christ's crucifixion, as well as his resurrection (new beginning) and the creation of man.These specific comparisons are made in the order the specific door panels are juxtaposed.
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Title: Column with reliefs illustrating the life of Christ, Saint Michael's at Hildesheim
Artist: commissioned by Bishop Bernward
Date: 11th century
Medium: bronze
Period: Early Medieval
Historical Importance: This column's depiction of the life of Christ is undoubtably modeled on the Column of Trajan. This not only suggests victory and triumph in Christ, but also helps support the Ottonian emerpor's claims that they were to be the heirs to Charlemagne's renovatio imperii Romani. |
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Title: Crucifix, Cologne Cathedral
Artist: commissioned by Archbishop Gero
Date: 10th century
Medium: carved and painted wood
Period: Early Medieval
Historical Importance: This crucifix shows a completely different Christ from that depicted in Early Christian work. He is experiencing very human suffering here, as shown in his weighted body, stretched muscles, intense bleeding and contorted facial expression.
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