Art & Design in Medieval Europe

The Andrews Diptych

The Andrews Diptych
Probably Italy
Probably 800s
Carved elephant ivory
Width 10 cm (each) x height 30 cm (each)
Museum no. A.47&A-1926

A diptych is formed of two panels fastened together that can be opened and closed. This ivory diptych shows six miracles associated with Jesus Christ, who is shown beardless. From top right the miracles are the Raising of Lazarus, the Marriage at Cana, the Healing of the Leper, the Miracles of the Loaves and Fishes, the Healing of the Blind Man, and the Healing of the Man sick of the Palsy.

The dating and place of production of this ivory are controversial. Some scholar have viewed it as a work of the 400s but several others favour a date in the 800s, a period when there was a renewed interest in late Roman art in western Europe under the Carolingian dynasty (751-987). This revived interest in the culture of the late Roman empire is frequently described as the Carolingian renaissance. Carolingian artists' use of Roman models can make it very difficult to be sure when an ivory object like this was carved.

Mosaic panel

Mosaic panel
Ravenna, Italy
About 545
Glass and gold mosaic set in plaster
Width 38 cm x height 53.5 cm
Museum no. 4312-1856

This mosaic panel depicts the head of Jesus Christ, showing him as a beardless young man. The face has been heavily restored, mostly in the 19th century. It is a fragment removed from a larger decorative scheme of early Byzantine mosaic from the eastern end (or apse) of the church of San Michele in Africisco, in Ravenna, Italy. The Byzantine empire was centred around the city of Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey) which was established as the capital of the Roman Empire in 330AD by the Emperor Constantine.

Ivory depicting the Last Judgement

Ivory depicting the Last Judgement
Probably 700s
Probably England
Width 8 cm x height 14.5 cm
Museum no. 253-1867

This panel is carved on both sides. This side shows scenes related to the Last Judgement, the final and absolute judgement of God on each person. A beardless Christ, with a halo behind his head, is seated and holds two scrolls. Either side of him three angels are blowing trumpets. Below his feet a haloed angel stands on a crescent, and the dead can be seen rising from their tombs to be judged. Those who are saved are received into heaven by a angel, but the damned huddle in hell.

The inscription on the scroll in Christ's right hand relates to Matthew's Gospel (Chapter 25: Verse 34). The full sentence from which the inscription comes reads: 'Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.'

The place of origin of this small ivory plaque and the date of carving has been debated. Within a hundred years of its creation, it was in mainland Europe where the reverse was carved.

Pendant Cross

Pendant Cross
Probably Italian
Late 700s or early 800s
Cloisonné enamel mounted in gold, the frame silver-gilt
Width 5.5cm x height 8.5cm
Museum no. 265-1886

The front of the cross shows Jesus Christ crucified between his mother (the Virgin Mary) and St John the Evangelist (who was one of his followers). There is an abbreviated inscription in Greek for 'Behold thy son' and 'Behold thy mother'. The cross has a cavity that originally would have contained holy relics. In this case case the relic was probably a wooden fragment considered by the owner to be a piece of the cross on which Christ was crucified.

On the back is a standing figure of the Virgin with both her hands raised in a gesture of prayer. The Virgin is surrounded by images of Saints John, Peter, Andrew and Paul, followers of Christ in the first century AD.

Reliquary crosses were popular with the wealthy in the Byzantine Empire, the territory centred around the city of Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey). Enamelled examples like this are very rare and the precise date and place of manufacture are still open to debate.

Front cover of The Lorsch Gospels

Front cover of The Lorsch Gospels
Aachen, Germany
About 810
Carved elephant ivory
Width 26.7cm x height 38.1cm
Museum no. 138-1866

These five ivory panels formed part of the front cover of a copy of the Gospels from Lorsch Abbey (Germany) the back cover of which is now in the Vatican Museum (Rome). The Gospels are accounts of the life of Jesus Christ written in the first century AD by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The subjects and figures represented in the panels are referred to in the various Gospel accounts. The Virgin Mary and Christ Child are shown in the central panel. To the left is John the Baptist, and to the right Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist. Above two angels hold a medallion with a beardless Christ. Below are scenes related to Christ's birth, known as the Nativity and the Annunciation to the shepherds.

The panels were carved at Aachen (modern Germany), then the capital of Charlemagne's extensive empire. Under Charlemagne (b.742-d.814) and his Carolingian successors interest in the art and learning of the Roman Empire was reinvigorated. Carolingian art referred back to the distant Roman past but also followed more recent models.

Situla

Holy Water Bucket or Situla
Milan, Italy
About 980
Carved elephant ivory
Height 16 cm
Museum no. A.18-1933

A situla is a bucket designed to hold holy water. Ivory situlae are very rare and were apparently only made for special ceremonial occasions. This example is carved with twelve scenes from the Passion of Christ arranged in two rows. It was probably made around 980 for the visit of the German Holy Roman Emperor Otto II to Milan.

There are three bands of inscriptions. The lower band runs: 'May the Father, who added thrice five to the years of Hezekiah, grant many lustres to the august Otto. Reverently, Caesar, the anointing vessel wishes to be remembered for its art.'

The Gloucester Candlestick

Candlestick (known as the Gloucester Candlestick)
England
1104-1113
Cast metal alloy, gilt
Height 51cm
Museum No. 7649-1861

This elaborate metal candlestick reflects the extremely high level of skill of the craftsperson, probably a goldsmith, who made it. The dense decoration is formed of wonderful figures and apes interspersed between thick intertwined shoots of foliage. Three long-eared dragons with outspread wings form the supporting feet.

There are three inscriptions in Latin. The one on the stem, above and below the central knop (or knob) refers to the donation of the candlestick and reads: 'The devotion of abbot Peter and his gentle flock gave me to the church of St Peter at Gloucester'. This must refer to what is now Gloucester Cathedral, but which was then a Benedictine monastery where there was an abbot named Peter between 1104-1113.

Ewer

Ewer (or aquamanile)
German (Mosan)
About 1120
Gilt bronze, cast and chased, decorated with silver and niello
Height 18.3cm
Museum No. 1471-1870

Ewers (or aquamanilia) were used both in the home and in church for the washing of hands. They frequently took the shape of real or fantastic creatures. Here the beast most closely resembles a griffin, an animal that combines elements from an eagle and a lion. The mouth acts as the spout: the vessel was filled through a hole in the tail.

The beast shown here owes its form to representations of griffin-like creatures known as 'senmurvs'. Images of these animals were depicted on silk textiles that were imported into north-western Europe from the east. This ewer, therefore, highlights the artistic and trading links between east and west.

Relief with Saint Philip, Saint Jude and Saint Batholomew

Relief with Saint Philip, Saint Jude and Saint Batholomew
From the Cathedral of Vich, Spain
About 1150-1160
Carved limestone
Height 81.4cm x width 63.4cm
Museum no. A.49-1932

The three figures can be identified because the books they are holding are inscribed with the Latin versions of their names. Saint Philip, Saint Jude and Saint Bartholomew were all Apostles, followers of Christ in the 1st century AD. The halos behind their heads are used to indicate their holiness. The linear carving of the beards, hair and drapery are distinctive qualities of sculpture of this period. The irises of the eyes of the three figures have been filled with lead plugs.

This sculpture originally formed part of the decoration of the west front of the Cathedral of Saint Peter at Vich, about 40 miles north of Barcelona in Spain. The cathedral was destroyed in 1791.

Ewer

Ewer
1000-1050
Carved rock crystal
Cairo, Egypt
Height 19.5 cm x diameter 9 cm (of base)
Museum No. 7904-1862

This rock crystal ewer is one of only six that survived in princely collections and church treasuries in Italy and France. Originally, though, these high-quality rock crystal objects had been made for the Fatimid caliphs who ruled Egypt between 969 and 1171. Their names and those of high officials appear in Arabic inscriptions on some examples. By the 1060s, many thousands of rock crystals had been accumulated in the Fatimid treasury in Cairo, but then there was a financial crisis, and the caliph's troops raided his treasury. The soldiers sold their loot on the market, and some was bought eagerly by merchants from Europe, where nothing like the rock crystals had been seen.

Great skill was required to hollow out the transparent, crystalline stone without breaking it, and to carve the delicate decoration. In some places, the rock crystal is barely more than a millimetre thick. The shape and decoration are related to those of Islamic ewers made in precious metal and cut glass, and in its original state the rock crystal ewer probably had gold or silver mounts. The motif of a bird of prey attacking an antelope, which had long been used to symbolize royal power, occurs on both sides of the body and is framed by a scrollwork arranged as a tree and set with stylized leaves.

St Nicholas Crozier

St Nicholas Crozier
Winchester, England (probably)
1150 - 1170
Carved ivory
Width 11 cm x height 12 cm
Museum No. 218-1865

Bishops, and sometimes abbots, carry a crozier as a symbol of office. It resembles the crook used by a shepherd when looking after his flock. This crozier shows scenes relating to Jesus Christ and St Nicholas. At the end of the volute (or scroll) an angel supports the Lamb of God, a symbolic image of Christ. Its head is now missing. On the other side is the Nativity (or birth) of Christ. Angels appear to shepherds and announce Christ's birth on one side of the shaft.

The rest of the crozier shows three scenes from the Life of St Nicholas. According to tradition, St Nicholas was Bishop of Myra, a town in Asia Minor, in the late Roman period. The first scene depicts his birth. The choice of scenes suggests that the crozier was made for a bishop or abbot who was either named after the saint or in charge of a foundation (cathedral or monastery) dedicated to him. This crozier is one of the finest achievements of the ivory carver's art.

The Becket Casket

The Becket Casket
Limoges, France
About 1180-1190
Gilt copper and champlevé enamel on a wooden core
Width 11.4cm x height 29.9cm
Museum no. M.66-1997

This casket was probably designed to hold relics (or sacred objects) of the murdered Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Becket (1118-1170). Becket's murder in his own cathedral on 29 December 1170, by four knights in the service of King Henry II (r.1154-1189), provoked outrage throughout Europe. Becket was made a saint in 1173, and his shrine at Canterbury became one of the most famous in Europe.

This casket depicts the murder of Becket, his burial, and the raising of his soul to heaven. It is one of the most elaborate, the largest, and possibly the earliest in date to survive. Becket was a popular saint and he is represented on many other surviving medieval objects.