Medieval Art England

Adela Suárez, Agustina Viale, Rocío G. Viera, Pía Vilar and Cristina Villalba

Anglo-Saxon art lasted from the years 450 to 1100. Several different styles of art emerged
[1].

Styles

The first medieval art style was ​Byzantine​. It was characterized by a definite preference for
two-dimensional representations. Those artworks which contained a religious message
predominated. People used bright stones, gold mosaics, lively wall paintings, intricately
carved ivory, and precious metals in general ​[2]​.

The second style was ​Romanesque art was characterized by architectural sculpture. The
sculptures were used to decorate churches built of stone [3].

The last medieval art style was ​Gothic​. It was an artistic style applied to civil and religious
architecture, sculpture, stained glass, painting and murals [4]. During this period sculptures
evolved into being more realistic and lifelike rather than the stiff appearance of Romanesque
sculptures [1].

The art movement

Anglo-Saxons used a lot of gold, which was highly valued in Anglo-Saxon society and may
also have been believed to have magical or sacred qualities [5]. The Anglo-Saxons were
respected as artisans of textiles and embroidery, known throughout Europe as the best in
these art forms [6].

Metalwork was one of the preeminent art forms. They used precious metals such as gold
and silver. It was characterized by highly intricate and fine work [7]. It was used for
decoration of arms, equipment, jewelry, pottery, and other small personal belongings or
home decorations [8]. Examples of metalwork are the belt buckle, the fuller brooch, and the
fibula brooch. The ​Belt buckle was decorated with a fish, a Christian symbol, and it had
serpents from pagans [9]. The fuller brooch was decorated with five figures which represent
the five senses, and in the outer border are human, bird, animal, and plant motifs, which may
represent different aspects of divine creation [10]. The Fibula were brooches that were
popular in Roman military campaigns. Each culture had its own styles of fibula, although
they served the same purposes, the Byzantine fibula had simple shapes that showed
intricate patterns while that of the barbarians had more elaborate shapes.

In 1939 a boat was found in the East Anglia. Inside this boat were a lot of artefacts whose
origin was from Scandinavia [11]. A ​helmet was found that had boar's heads on the end of
each eyebrow and a dragon head above the nose. Together they looked like a bird with
outspread wings [12]. It was also found ​shoulder clasps​, which were made in 2 halves: each
clasp was decorated with garnets (which is a mineral) and glass. It had serpents with
blue-glass eyes border the clasps' edges, while two interlocking boars (symbols of strength
and courage) decorated the rounded ends [13].

Another kind of art was woodwork. Timber was used for ships, musical instruments, coffins,
bridges, roads/paths, and many more mundane items as well [14]. Wood was versatile so it
did not require highly specialized tools or skills to work with [15].

It was also important the Ivory carving. They tended to carved in walrus bone, while
elsewhere elephant tusk was used [16]. One example is the ​Franks casket​, which was
carved out of whalebone. It was the representation of the Anglo-Saxons view of the history
of the world. The facts were moving from paganism to Christianity [17].

The ​Bayeux tapestry was one of the most interesting works of art and it could be classified
as needlework. It is a 70-metre long embroidery of woolen thread on linen backing. It was
about the story of the Norman takeover of England, including one of the most famous battles
in British history, the battle of Hastings [18].

Inspiration

The Anglo-Saxon art combined their Pagan past and the Christian future. It was
characterized by being full of symbols and messages and it referred to myths and legend
images of Odin (god of Norse mythology), and other animals like serpents, bears, wolves,
and ravens. Warriors believed that they could transform into these animals [11].

In 597 ​Pope Gregory I ​sent the ​bishop Augustine on a mission to spread the Gospel in the
Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. From here on, art started to have religious symbols, for example,
one animal which was the fish [11].

When paganism was fading away, churches and stone crosses started to appear [11]. The
decoration of the ​Sandbach crosses had narrative scenes as the Nativity and the Crucifixion.
It had figures of animals and ornament which were more difficult to interpret, although they
most likely represented different aspects of the Christian community [19].

The Illuminated Manuscripts were another kind of art. They were hand-made books. This
artwork was characterized by the use of bright and vivid colors [8]. Examples of this kind of
artwork are the ​Lindisfarne Gospel​ and ​The Book of Kells.

Anglo-Saxon ​stained glass was used in churches. Glass as a transmitter of light had
symbolic significance in early Christianity. The light was an analogy for the divine as
indicated by the expression attributed to Christ: ‘I am the light of the world’. Once introduced,
the use of windows and colored glass spread in popularity [20].

References

[1] Saucedo,Jarod (2011). Retrieved from

https://www.brighthubeducation.com/history-homework-help/114458-the-history-of-medieval-
art/

[2] Cartwright, Mark. (2018). Retrieved from ​https://www.ancient.eu/Byzantine_Art

[3] Petzold, Andreas. Retrieved From

https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/medieval-world/romanesque-art/beginners-guide-r
omanesque/a/a-beginners-guide-to-romanesque-art

[4] Gabriela Briceño V. Retrieved from ​https://www.euston96.com/en/gothic-art/

[5] Staffordshire Hoard: 'Anglo-Saxons made gold appear more golden' (2014). Retrieved
from ​https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-29646111

[6] ​Ibrahim, Afzal​. Retrieved from ​https://www.theartist.me/art-movement/anglo-saxon-art/

[7] Roberts, Mike (2014). Retrieved from

https://www.medievalchronicles.com/medieval-art/anglo-saxon-art/

[8] Cengage (2020). Retrieved from

https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/anglo-
saxon-art

[9] What was Anglo-Saxon art and culture like?. Retrieved from
​https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zxsbcdm/articles/zwjq2hv

[10] The British Museum

https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/medieval-world/early-medieval-art/early-medieval-
objects/a/the-fuller-brooch

[11] Ramirez, Nina (2013). Retrieved from ​https://youtu.be/ZUHdJ_lXH1k

[12] Anglo-Saxon art and culture. Retrieved from

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zxqkv​wx

[13] Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin. (2016)

https://www.ancient.eu/image/5107/the-sutton-hoo-shoulder-clasps/

[14] Williamson, Roland (1999). Retrieved from​ ​https​://regia.org/research/life/woodwork.htm

[15] Carleton College (2016). Retrieved from

http://blogs.carleton.edu/anglo-saxon-material-culture/anglo-saxon-crafts/woodworking/

[16] Retrieved from

https://arts.st-andrews.ac.uk/after-empire/resources/material-culture/ivory-carving/

[17] The British Museum. Retrieved from

https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/medieval-world/early-medieval-art/early-medieval-
objects/a/the-franks-casket

[18] Bayeux Tapestry to be displayed in UK for the first time (2018). Retrieved from
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-42713552

[19] English Heritage (2006). Retrieved from

https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/sandbach-crosses/history/

[20] British Museum and Department for Education. Retrieved from

http://www.teachinghistory100.org/objects/about_the_object/anglo_saxon_stained_glass

Hypermap:
https://view.genial.ly/5efc95f6dd64680d98047df8/interactive-image-imagen-interactiva

Presentation: ​https://www.slideshare.net/AgustinaViale3/medieval-art-in-england