Ancient Through Medieval 2D Art - AP Art History

Although there are an unfortunate few surviving examples of Romanesque stained glass, the first examples of stained glass are remnants from the beginning of the Romanesque era. The larger quantities of stained glass from the Romanesque period have been dated to its later years.

The Justinian Panel, shown here and placed in the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravena, Italy, portrays the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I surrounded by important officials. To the left of the work (on the Emperor's right hand side) are military and political officials, while to the right of the work (on the left of the Emperor) are religious and church leaders. In addition to their positioning, the figures on the right of the work are clad in white robes with incense, shawls, and sacred texts, all traditional trappings of the clergy.

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The term "iconoclasm" in art generally refers to any attempts to ban religious imagery or iconography. In the Byzantine Empire, such a movement occurred in two separate waves, once in the eighth century and again in the early ninth century. This was particularly notable, as the Greek Orthodox Church had traditionally utilized icons in a variety of religious capacities.

Likely produced in either Britain or Ireland, this Gospel book is best known for its illuminations and was named after the Abbey of Kells, where it was housed for many centuries. Because of its illuminations, it is often considered the pinnacle example of insular art — an artistic style from the post-Roman British Isles ("island" is insula in Latin)-which is characterized by intricate inter-weaving designs, vibrant colors, and large Celtic crosses.

The Bayeux Tapestry was made in England in the decade following the Battle of Hastings, which was part of the larger Norman Conquest of England spearheaded by William the Conqueror. Depictions of the battle were embroidered onto a cloth over 200 feet in length, which means that it is technically not a tapestry (since it is not woven), though the name stuck. While it was also made in England and not in Bayeux, France, the piece "rediscovered" at Bayeux Cathedral by art historians in the eighteenth century.

This work is one of the most significant tapestries created in Medieval Europe, the Bayeux Tapestry. The Bayeux Tapestry commemorates the invasion of England by William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy and his eventual defeat of the English King Harold. Housed at Bayeux Cathedral in Normandy, a tapestry was able to show the full story of William's invasion and display it in a prominent place, due to its large scale and durability from being made of cloth.

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The Bayeux Tapestry depicts the invasion of England by William, Duke of Normandy, and his succession to becoming King of England. The panel shown here is one of the most significant elements, as it depicts the death of Harold II, then King of England. The Latin legend "Hic Haroldus Rex Interfectus Est," meaning "Here King Harold is killed," is placed above an image of a soldier being impaled in the eye with an arrow.

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The Lindisfarne Gospels are highly detailed, illuminated manuscripts that are highly representative of Hiberno-Saxon Art. Also known as Insular Art, from the Latin for "island," the style of Art flourished in the British Isles between the decline of Roman Britain in 410 to the Norman Conquest in 1066. The Lindisfarne Gospels were created at the monastery of Lindisfarne in the Northern England Kingdom of Northumbria around the year 700.

This work, known as The Justinian Panel, is placed on a wall inside the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna, Italy, depicting the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I. Although the work is in Italy and Justinian was known as "the last Roman" for his desire to reclaim the territory of the Roman Empire, this work is classically Byzantine in composition, style, and especially in its use of mosaic. Mosaic is a work of art which is composed of small pieces of glass or stone placed together to form larger images and was widely used in the late Roman and Byzantine empires in large scale works.

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The Justinian Panel, depicting Byzantine Emperor Justinian I, is one of many mosaics placed around the Basilica of San Vitale in Rome, and is one of two depicting royalty, with the other featuring Justinian's wife Theodora. The mosaic is in one of the great Byzantine churches in Italy, which reflects Justinian's two main aims as Emperor: regaining the lost territory of the Western Roman Empire and reinforcing Christianity in the Mediterranean world.

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The triptych was the most common form of altarpieces in Medieval art, usually being painted by the era's masters. A triptych features three separate panels that can fold up, all on some related theme. Usually, these would feature Jesus Christ in some form, as well as saints, angels, prophets, and even sometimes kings.

The term "Insular art," from the Latin "insula_,"_ island, is generally used to refer to the art of the British Isles from roughly 600 C.E. to the Norman Invasion in 1066 C.E. This art was widely different from the burgeoning Early Medieval Art in continental Europe. Thanks to the invasion of Anglo-Saxon peoples in Celtic Britain, "Insular Art" blends multiple styles in a unique way, usually focusing on design elements such as metalwork, jewelry, and tapestries.

"Homunculus" (or "homunculi," plural) literally means little man in Latin as the masculine diminutive for man ("homo"). Within the context of medieval art, this term is used to describe the strange depictions of Christ as an infant with elongated limbs and proportions and a serious and adult-like demeanor. These depictions were intended to represent the dualities of Christ in theology: human and God, young and timeless, earthly and heavenly.

"Sedes sapientiae" literally means the seat or throne of wisdom and refers to Mary as a symbolic throne for Christ (due to her status as the vessel of incarnation). Thus, iconographic representations of "sedes sapientiae" often depict Christ sitting on the lap of Mary, who herself is also sitting on a throne.

"Chi" (X) and "Rho" (P) are the first two Greek letters in Christ, so they do, in a way, serve as a monogram. Chi-Rhos are depicted in a variety of medieval art forms including manuscript illuminations, relief sculpture, seals and coins, and arms and armor.

The Bayeux Tapestry is one of the most famous and well preserved Medieval tapestries, a common artistic form of the time period that served as a pictorial chronicle. The Bayeux Tapestry depicts the conquest of England by William II, Duke of Normandy, in 1066, and his defeat of the English King Harold Godwinson. The tapestry represents a certain kind of Romanesque art on a grand scale that has not survived in large numbers, while also serving as a historical record of William's conquest.

Iconoclasm refers to the destruction of religious images. A government-led iconoclasm occurred in the Byzantine era after the reign of Roman Emperor Justinian saw an increase in the creation of icons.

Illuminated manuscripts, typically but not always Bibles or books of the Bible, were some of the highest forms of art of the Middle Ages. The Lindisfarne Gospels, Durham Gospels, and the Book of Kells are among the chief examples of illustrated manuscripts from the British Isles in the early Middle Ages. Art from the British Isles during this time period is referred to as being in the "insular style," which refers to the art produced in the islands between the departure of the Romans and the Norman Conquest.

The Bayeux Tapestry is actually an embroidered fabric, not a woven tapestry. It was commissioned by the English Bishop Odo, and it is 230 feet long and 20 inches high.