Anglo Saxon Art Is Characterized by Chapter 15 Quizlet

The Early on Center Ages

The Early Eye Ages began with the fall of the Roman Empire and concluded in the early 11th century; its art encompasses vast and divergent forms of media.

Learning Objectives

Identify the major periods and styles into which European fine art of the Early Center Ages is classified, and artistic elements mutual to all of them

Fundamental Takeaways

Key Points

• "Medieval fine art" applies to various media , including sculpture, illuminated manuscripts , tapestries , stained glass, metalwork , and mosaics .
• Early medieval art in Europe is an amalgamation of the creative heritage of the Roman Empire, the early Christian church, and the "barbarian" creative civilisation of Northern Europe.
• Despite the wide range of media, the use of valuable and precious materials is a constant in medieval art. Many artworks feature the lavish utilize of gold, jewels, expensive pigments , and other precious goods.
• A rise in illiteracy during the Early Middle Ages resulted in the need for art to convey complex narratives and symbolism . As a effect, art became more stylized , losing the classical naturalism of Graeco-Roman times, for much of the Center Ages.
• Few big rock buildings were constructed between the Constantinian basilicas of the quaternary and eighth centuries. Past the late eighth century, the Carolingian Empire revived the basilica grade of architecture.

The Eye Ages of the European world covers approximately 1,000 years of art history in Europe, and at times extended into the Middle E and Due north Africa. The Early Middle Ages is generally dated from the fall of the Western Roman Empire (476 CE) to approximately 1000, which marks the beginning of the Romanesque period. It includes major art movements and periods, national and regional fine art, genres , and revivals. Art historians attempt to allocate medieval art into major periods and styles with some difficulty, as medieval regions ofttimes featured singled-out creative styles such equally Anglo-Saxon or Norse . Nevertheless, a generally accepted scheme includes Early Christian fine art, Migration Period art, Byzantine art, Insular art , Carolingian art, Ottonian fine art, Romanesque fine art , and Gothic fine art, as well as many other periods within these central aesthetic styles.

Population pass up, relocations to the countryside, invasion, and migration began in Late Antiquity and continued in the Early Middle Ages. The large-scale movements of the Migration Menstruation, including various Germanic peoples, formed new kingdoms in what remained of the Western Roman Empire. In the West, most kingdoms incorporated the few extant Roman institutions. Monasteries were founded as campaigns to Christianize pagan Europe connected. The Franks, nether the Carolingian dynasty , briefly established the Carolingian Empire during the after eighth and early ninth century. It covered much of Western Europe but later on succumbed to the pressures of internal civil wars combined with external invasions—Vikings from the northward, Hungarians from the east, and Saracens from the s.

Every bit literacy declined and printed material became available but to monks and nuns who copied illuminated manuscripts, fine art became the primary method of communicating narratives (usually of a Biblical nature) to the masses . Conveying complex stories took precedence over producing naturalistic imagery , leading to a shift toward stylized and bathetic figures for near of the Early Heart Ages. Brainchild and stylization also appeared in imagery accessible merely to select communities, such as monks in remote monasteries similar the circuitous at Lindisfarne off the coast of Northumberland, England.

John the Evangelist page from the Lindisfarne Gospels (c. 635 CE): Every bit is common in early medieval art, the figures in this page appear flat and stylized. The bench on which John sits does not recede realistically into the space backside him. Modeling is kept to a minimum, and the clothing that John wears does not acknowledge the torso beneath.

Early medieval fine art exists in many media. The works that remain in large numbers include sculpture, illuminated manuscripts, stained glass, metalwork, and mosaics, all of which take had a college survival rate than fresco wall-paintings and works in precious metals or textiles such equally tapestries. In the early medieval period, the decorative arts, including metalwork, ivory carving, and embroidery using precious metals, were probably more highly valued than paintings or sculptures. Metallic and inlaid objects, such as armor and royal regalia (crowns, scepters, and the like) rank among the all-time-known early medieval works that survive to this day.

Visigoth votive crown (before 672 CE).: Detail of a votive crown from Visigothic Spain. Gold and precious stones. Part of the Treasure of Guarrazar.

Early on medieval art in Europe grew out of the artistic heritage of the Roman Empire and the iconographic traditions of the early Christian church. These sources were mixed with the vigorous "Barbarian" artistic culture of Northern Europe to produce a remarkable creative legacy. The history of medieval fine art can be seen as an ongoing interplay betwixt the elements of classical, early on Christian, and "barbarian" art. Apart from the formal aspects of classicism, there was a continuous tradition of realistic delineation that survived in Byzantine fine art of Eastern Europe throughout the period. In the West realistic presentation appears intermittently, combining and sometimes competing with new expressionist possibilities. These expressionistic styles developed both in Western Europe and in the Northern aesthetic of energetic decorative elements.

Monks and monasteries had a deep effect on the religious and political life of the Early Eye Ages, in various cases acting every bit state trusts for powerful families, centers of propaganda and royal support in newly conquered regions, and bases for missions and proselytizing. They were the chief and sometimes just regional outposts of didactics and literacy. Many of the surviving manuscripts of the Latin classics were copied in monasteries in the Early Middle Ages. Monks were besides the authors of new works, including history, theology, and other subjects written by authors such every bit Bede (died 735), a native of northern England who wrote in the late 7th and early on eighth centuries.

The use of valuable materials is a abiding in medieval art. Well-nigh illuminated manuscripts of the Early Middle Ages had lavish book covers decked with precious metal, ivory, and jewels. 1 of the best examples of precious metalwork in medieval art is the jeweled cover of the Codex Aureus of St. Emmeram (c. 870). The Codex, whose origin is unknown, is decorated with gems and golden relief . Golden was too used to create sacred objects for churches and palaces, as a solid background for mosaics, and applied as gold leafage to miniatures in manuscripts and console paintings. Named after Emmeram of Regensburg and lavishly illuminated, the Codex is an important example of Carolingian art, as well of one of very few surviving treasure bindings of the late 9th century.

Encompass of the Codex Aureus : Gold and precious stone-encrusted cover of the Codex Aureus of St. Emmeram, 870. Munich, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, Clm 14000.

Few large stone buildings were synthetic between the Constantinian basilicas of the fourth and eighth centuries, although many smaller ones were congenital during the 6th and 7th centuries. By the early eighth century, the Merovingian dynasty revived the basilica grade of compages. 1 feature of the basilica is the utilize of a transept , the "arms" of a cantankerous-shaped building that are perpendicular to the long nave . Other new features of religious compages include the crossing tower and a monumental entrance to the church building, normally at the west end of the edifice.

Charlemagne's Palatine Chapel at Aachen (consecrated 805 CE).: The Palatine Chapel is an example of Charlemegne's attempt to revive the values of the Roman Empire under the banner of Christianity. While the programme predates the cruciform basilica, it revives the classical round arch and heavy rock masonry as well every bit the due east-facing apse of Late Antiquity.

Compages under the Merovingians

Merovingian compages emerged under the Merovingian Frankish dynasty and reflected a fusion of Western and Eurasian influences.

Learning Objectives

Draw some basic elements of Merovingian compages

Fundamental Takeaways

Primal Points

• Merovingian architecture often continued the Roman basilica tradition, but also adopted influences from equally far away as Syria and Armenia.
• Many Merovingian churches no longer be. Ane surviving church building is Saint-Pierre-aux-Nonnains at Metz, originally built equally a Roman gymnasium in the late fourth century and reappropriated into a church in the mid-eighth century.
• Some pocket-sized Merovingian structures remain, especially baptisteries, which were spared rebuilding in later centuries.
• The Baptistery at Saint-Leonce of Fréjus, highlights the influence of Syrian technique on Merovingian architecture, evidenced past its octagonal shape and a covered cupola on pillars . On the other mitt, St. Jean at Poitiers is very different from the Baptistery at Saint-Leonce of Fréjus, equally it has the form of a rectangle flanked by three apses .
• Although mostly reconstructed, the interior of the baptistery of Saint-Sauveur reveals the influence of Roman architecture on Merovingian architects.

Key Terms

• the Baptistery at Saint-Leonce of Fréjus: A construction that highlights the influence of Syrian technique on Merovingian architecture.
• the basilica of Saint Martin at Tours: 1 of the most famous examples of Merovingian church architecture, built at the beginning of the dynasty'southward reign.
• Merovingian dynasty: A Frankish family who ruled parts of present-twenty-four hours France, Belgium, holland, Luxembourg, and parts of Germany from the mid-fifth century to the mid-eighth century.

Merovingian architecture developed under the Merovingian dynasty , a Frankish family who ruled parts of present-day French republic, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and parts of Deutschland from the mid-fifth century to the mid-eighth century. The advent of the Merovingian dynasty in Gaul led to important changes in architecture.

The unification of the Frankish kingdom nether Clovis I (465–511) and his successors corresponded with the need for new churches. Merovingian architecture often connected the Roman basilica tradition, but also adopted influences from as far abroad as Syrian arab republic and Armenia. In the E, nigh structures were in timber , only stone was more common for significant buildings in the West and in the southern areas that after fell under Merovingian rule.

Many Merovingian churches no longer exist. I famous case is the basilica of Saint Martin at Tours, at the get-go of Merovingian dominion and at the time on the edge of Frankish territory. According to scholars, the church building had 120 marble columns , towers at the due east end, and several mosaics . A feature of the basilica of Saint-Martin that became a hallmark of Frankish church compages was the sarcophagus or reliquary of the saint, raised to be visible and sited axially behind the altar, sometimes in the apse. At that place are no Roman precedents for this Frankish innovation. A number of other buildings at present lost, including the Merovingian foundations of Saint-Denis, St. Gereonin Cologne, and the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés in Paris, are described every bit similarly ornate.

One surviving church is Saint-Pierre-aux-Nonnains at Metz. The building was originally built in 380 CE as a gymnasium (a European type of school) for a Roman spa complex. In the seventh century, the structure was converted into a church, becoming the chapel of a Benedictine convent. The structure bears common hallmarks of a Roman basilica, including the round arches and tripartite division into nave (center) and aisles (left and right of the nave), a division visible from the exterior of the edifice. Patently missing, however, is the apse.

Saint-Pierre-aux-Nonnains: This church in Metz, France bears mutual hallmarks of a Roman basilica, including the round arches and tripartite sectionalisation into nave (center) and aisles (left and right of the nave), a partition visible from the exterior of the building.

Other major churches have been rebuilt, ordinarily more than once. Withal, some small Merovingian structures remain, especially baptisteries, which were spared rebuilding in later centuries. For instance, the Baptistery at Saint-Leonce of Fréjus, highlights the influence of Syrian technique on Merovingian architecture, evidenced by its octagonal shape and covered cupola on pillars.

Baptistery at Saint-Léonce of Fréjus: The Baptistery at the cathedral at Saint-Léonce of Fréjus reflects the Syrian and Armenian influences on early on Merovingian compages (demonstrated by the cupola on pillars).

By dissimilarity , St. Jean at Poitiers has the form of a rectangle flanked by iii apses. The original building has probably had a number of alterations but preserves traces of Merovingian influence in its marble capitals .

Baptistry of Saint-Jean of Poitiers: The Baptistry of St. Jean at Poitiers (sixth century) has the class of a rectangle flanked by three apses. The original building has probably undergone a number of alterations but preserves in its decoration (marble capitals) a potent Merovingian character.

The baptistery of Saint-Sauveur at Aix-en-Provence was built at the beginning of the sixth century, at about the same time as similar baptisteries in Fréjus Cathedral and Riez Cathedral in Provence, in Albenga, Liguria, and in Djémila, Algeria. Only the octagonal baptismal pool and the lower part of the walls remain from that period. The other walls, Corinthian columns, arcade , and dome were rebuilt in the Renaissance . A viewing hole in the floor reveals the bases of the porticoes of the Roman forum under the baptistery.

Baptistery of Saint-Sauveur: Although mostly reconstructed, the interior of the baptistery reveals the influence of Roman compages on Merovingian architects.

By the seventh century, Merovingian craftsmen were brought to England for their glass-making skills, and Merovingian stonemasons were used to build English language churches, suggesting that the civilization'south ornamental arts were highly regarded by neighboring peoples.

Anglo-Saxon and Irish Art

Celtic and Anglo-Saxon fine art display similar aesthetic qualities and media, including architecture and metalwork.

Learning Objectives

Compare elements of Anglo-Saxon and Celtic art

Key Takeaways

Key Points

• Anglo-Saxon art emerged when the Anglo-Saxons migrated from the continent in the fifth century and ended in 1066 with the Norman Conquest. Anglo-Saxon art, which favored effulgence and color, survives by and large in architecture and metalwork .
• The Sutton Hoo burial site contains the best known examples of Anglo-Saxon metalwork, showing the masterful craftsmanship of items such every bit armor and ornamental objects.
• The architectural graphic symbol of Anglo-Saxon ecclesiastical buildings range from influence from Celtic and Early Christian styles . Later Anglo-Saxon architecture is characterized by pilasters , blank arcading, baluster shafts and triangular-headed openings.
• Celtic art is ornamental, avoiding straight lines , only occasionally using symmetry , and oftentimes involving complex symbolism . Celtic art has used a multifariousness of styles and as shown influences from other cultures in knotwork, spirals, primal patterns, lettering, and human being figures.
• With the inflow of Christianity, Celtic art was influenced by both Mediterranean and Germanic traditions, creating the Insular style. The interlace patterns that are typical of Celtic fine art were in fact introduced to Insular fine art from the Mediterranean and Migration artistic traditions.

Key Terms

• Insular Fine art: Art produced in the post-Roman history of the British Isles, also known as Hiberno-Saxon art. The term derives from the Latin term for island. Britain and Ireland shared a common manner that differed from that of the rest of Europe in this menstruum.

Anglo-Saxon art emerged when the Anglo-Saxons migrated from the continent in the fifth century and ended in 1066 with the Norman Conquest. Anglo-Saxon art, which favored effulgence and color, survives generally in architecture and metalwork.

Anglo-Saxon Metalwork

Anglo-Saxon metalwork consisted of Germanic-style jewelry and armor, which was commonly placed in burials. Afterwards the conversion of the Anglo-Saxons to Christianity in the seventh century, the fusion of Germanic Anglo-Saxon, Celtic, and Early on Christian techniques created the Hiberno-Saxon style (or Insular art) in the class of sculpted crosses and liturgical metalwork. Insular art is characterized by detailed geometric designs, interlace, and stylized fauna decoration.

Anglo-Saxon metalwork initially used the Germanic Beast Style ornament that would exist expected from recent immigrants, but gradually developed a distinctive Anglo-Saxon character. For instance, round deejay brooches were preferred for the grandest Anglo-Saxon pieces, over continental styles of fibulae and Romano-British penannular brooches. Ornamentation included cloisonné ("cellwork") in gold and garnet for loftier-condition pieces. Despite a considerable number of other finds, the discovery of the transport burying at Sutton Hoo transformed the history of Anglo-Saxon art, showing a level of sophistication and quality that was wholly unexpected at this date. Amidst the most famous finds from Sutton Hoo are a helmet and an ornamental purse lid.

Sutton Hoo helmet (reconstruction): The Sutton Hoo helmet features an fe skull of a single vaulted beat out and has a total face mask, a solid neck guard, and deep cheekpieces. These features suggest an English language origin for the basic structure of the helmet. Although outwardly similar to the Swedish examples, the Sutton Hoo helmet is a product of improve adroitness. This reconstruction in the Royal Armouries shows the intricate jeweled inlay, repoussé reliefs, and abstruse designs that once adorned the original.

Sutton Hoo Purse Lid: This ornamental handbag chapeau covered a lost leather pouch, hung from a waist chugalug. The forms on the top row feature interlace typical of Insular art, while the lesser row features stylized humans and mythical animals either devouring or being devoured.

Anglo-Saxon Architecture

Anglo-Saxon secular buildings in Britain were generally simple, constructed mainly using timber with thatch for roofing. No universally accepted example survives aboveground. At that place are, however, many remains of Anglo-Saxon church architecture. At least 50 churches of Anglo-Saxon origin display the culture's major architectural features, although in some cases these aspects are small and significantly altered. The round-belfry church and tower-nave church building are distinctive Anglo-Saxon types. All surviving churches, except i timber church, are built of stone or brick, and in some cases show bear witness of reused Roman work.

Fobbing Parish Church, section of outer wall.: Blocked Anglo-Saxon circular-biconvex window at Fobbing Parish Church. Also visible is the textured rock work of the outer wall.

The architectural character of Anglo-Saxon ecclesiastical buildings range from influence from Celtic and Early Christian styles. Later Anglo-Saxon architecture is characterized past pilasters, blank arcading, baluster shafts and triangular-headed openings. In the last decades of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom a more general Romanesque style was introduced from the Continent, every bit in the additions to  Westminster Abbey made from 1050 onwards.

Anglo-Saxon church building at Reculver: Triple arch opening separating the nave and apse in the seventh-century church building at Reculver, Kent (now destroyed). This reconstruction shows the blank arcading that was mutual in Anglo-Saxon architecture.

Celtic Fine art

"Celtic art" refers to the fine art of people who spoke Celtic languages in Europe and those with uncertain language but cultural and stylistic similarities with Celtic speakers. Typically, Celtic art is ornamental, avoiding direct lines, only occasionally using symmetry, and often involving circuitous symbolism. Celtic fine art has used a variety of styles and has shown influences from other cultures in knotwork, spirals, key patterns, lettering, and human figures.

Around 500 BCE, the La Tène mode appeared rather suddenly, congruent with some kind of societal upheaval that involved a shift of the major centers to the northwest. La Tène was peculiarly prominent in northern France and western Deutschland, only over the next three centuries the fashion spread as far as Republic of ireland, Italy, and modern Republic of hungary. Early La Tène style adapted ornamental motifs from strange cultures, including Scythian, Greek, and Etruscan arts. La Tène is a highly stylized curvilinear fine art based mainly on classical vegetable and foliage motifs such as leafy palmette forms, vines, tendrils, and lotus flowers together with spirals, Due south-scrolls, lyre , and trumpet shapes. Information technology remains uncertain whether some of the nigh notable objects institute from the La Tène catamenia were made in Republic of ireland or elsewhere (every bit far away every bit Arab republic of egypt in some cases). Just in Scotland and the western parts of Uk, versions of the La Tène style remained in employ until it became an important component of the Insular manner that developed to meet the needs of newly Christian populations.

Celtic fine art in the medieval period was produced by the people of Ireland and parts of Britain over the course of 700 years. With the arrival of Christianity, Celtic art was influenced by both Mediterranean and Germanic traditions, primarily through Irish contact with Anglo-Saxons, which resulted in the Insular style. The interlace patterns that are regarded as typical of Celtic fine art were in fact introduced from the Mediterranean and Migration Period artistic traditions. Specific examples of Celtic Insular art include the Tara Brooch and the Ardagh Beaker.

Tara Brooch, front view: Created in about 700 CE, the seven-inch long pseudo-penannular brooch is composed primarily of silver golden and embellished with intricate abstruse ornamentation including interlace on both the front and back.

The Ardagh Chalice: The Ardagh Chalice reflects the interlace styles introduced into the Celtic Insular Fine art form from the Mediterranean.

Catholic Celtic sculpture began to flourish in the course of the large rock crosses that held biblical scenes in carved relief . This fine art form reached its apex in the early tenth century, with Muiredach'due south Cross at Monasterboice and the Ahenny High Cantankerous.

Ahenny High Cross (700-800 CE): Ahenny High Cross, Ireland, one of the primary examples of Celtic sculpture.

Illustrated Books in the Early Eye Ages

Insular art is oftentimes characterized past detailed geometric designs, interlace, and stylized animal decorations in illuminated manuscripts.

Learning Objectives

Describe the history and characteristics of illuminated manuscripts in Insular fine art

Key Takeaways

Cardinal Points

• An illuminated manuscript features text supplemented past elaborate ornament. The term is more often than not used to refer to whatever decorated or illustrated manuscript from the Western tradition. Illuminated manuscripts were written on vellum , and some characteristic the use of precious metals and pigments that were imported to northern Europe.
• Insular fine art is characterized past detailed geometric designs, interlace,
  and stylized animate being ornamentation spread boldly across illuminated
  manuscripts. Insular manuscripts sometimes accept a whole page for a
  unmarried initial or the first few words at beginnings of gospels.
• The Book of Kells is considered a masterwork of Western calligraphy , with its illustrations and ornamentation surpassing that of other Insular Gospel books in complexity. The Kells manuscript's ornament combines traditional Christian iconography with the ornate swirling Insular motifs .
• Anglo-Saxon illuminated manuscripts, such as the Stockholm Codex Aureus, combine Insular art with Italian styles such as classicism.
• Mozarabic art refers to art of Mozarabs, Iberian Christians living in Al-Andalus who adopted Arab customs without converting to Islam during the Islamic invasion of the Iberian peninsula. It features a combination of (Hispano) Visigothic, and Islamic art styles, as in the Beatus manuscripts , which combine Insular art illumination forms with Arabic-influenced geometric designs.

Key Terms

• parchment: A material made from the polished peel of a calf, sheep, goat or other animal, used as writing paper.
• Mozarabic: Art of Iberian Christians living in Al-Andalus, the Muslim-conquered territories, after the Arab invasion of the Iberian Peninsula (711 CE) to the end of the 11th century. These people adopted some Arab customs without converting to Islam, preserving their organized religion and some ecclesiastical and judicial autonomy.
• Volume of Kells: An illuminated manuscript in Latin containing the 4 Gospels of the New Testament together with various prefatory texts and tables. It was created past Celtic monks circa 800 or slightly before.
• Insular Art: Fine art produced in the post-Roman history of the British Isles, as well known as Hiberno-Saxon art. The term derives from the Latin term for isle. Britain and Ireland shared a common mode that differed from that of the rest of Europe.
• illuminated manuscript: A book in which the text is supplemented by ornamentation, such every bit initials, borders (marginalia), and miniature illustrations.

Background

An illuminated manuscript contains text supplemented by the addition of ornamentation, such as busy initials, borders (marginalia), and miniature illustrations. In the strict definition of the term, an illuminated manuscript indicates simply those manuscripts decorated with gold or silver. Notwithstanding, the term is now used to refer to whatever decorated manuscript from the Western tradition. The earliest surviving substantive illuminated manuscripts are from the period 400 to 600 CE and were initially produced in Italy and the Eastern Roman Empire. The significance of these works lies not only in their inherent fine art historical value , only also in the maintenance of literacy offered past not-illuminated texts also. Had information technology non been for the monastic scribes of Late Antiquity who produced both illuminated and non-illuminated manuscripts, nigh literature of aboriginal Greece and Rome would accept perished in Europe.

The bulk of surviving illuminated manuscripts are from the Middle Ages , and hence most are of a religious nature. Illuminated manuscripts were written on the best quality of parchment , called vellum. By the sixteenth century, the introduction of printing and paper rapidly led to the decline of illumination, although illuminated manuscripts continued to be produced in much smaller numbers for the very wealthy. Early medieval illuminated manuscripts are the all-time examples of medieval painting, and indeed, for many areas and fourth dimension periods, they are the only surviving examples of pre-Renaissance painting.

Insular Art in Illustrated Books

Deriving from the Latin word for isle (insula), Insular art is characterized by detailed geometric designs, interlace, and stylized animal decoration spread boldly across illuminated manuscripts. Insular manuscripts sometimes accept a whole page for a unmarried initial or the first few words at beginnings of gospels. The technique of allowing ornament the right to roam was later influential on Romanesque and Gothic fine art. From the seventh through 9th centuries, Celtic missionaries traveled to United kingdom and brought the Irish tradition of manuscript illumination, which came into contact with Anglo-Saxon metalworking. New techniques employed were filigree and chip-carving, while new motifs included interlace patterns and animal ornamentation.

The Book of Kells (Irish gaelic: Leabhar Cheanannais), created by Celtic monks in 800, is an illustrated manuscript considered the pinnacle of Insular art. Also known every bit the Book of Columba, The Book of Kellsis considered a masterwork of Western calligraphy, with its illustrations and ornamentation surpassing that of other Insular Gospel books in extravagance and complication. The Book of Kells'southward ornament combines traditional Christian iconography with the ornate swirling motifs typical of Insular art. Figures of humans, animals, and mythical beasts, together with Celtic knots and interlacing patterns in vibrant colors, enliven the manuscript's pages. Many of these minor decorative elements are imbued with Christian symbolism . The manuscript comprises 340 folios made of high-quality vellum and unprecedentedly elaborate ornamentation including x full-page illustrations and text pages vibrant with decorated initials and interlinear miniatures. These mark the furthest extension of the anti- classical and energetic qualities of Insular art.

Book of Kells: Folio 27v: Folio 27v contains the symbols of the Four Evangelists (clockwise from elevation left): a homo (Matthew), a lion (Mark), an eagle (John), and an ox (Luke). The Evangelists are placed in a grid and enclosed in an arcade, as is common in the Mediterranean tradition. Nonetheless, notice the elaborate geometric and stylized decoration in the arcade that highlights the Insular aesthetic.

The Insular majuscule script of the text itself in the Book of Kells appears to be the work of at least three different scribes. The lettering is in iron gall ink with colors derived from a wide range of substances, many of which were imported from distant lands. The text is accompanied by many full-folio miniatures, while smaller painted decorations announced throughout the text in unprecedented quantities. The ornament of the book is famous for combining intricate detail with bold and energetic compositions . The illustrations feature a wide range of colors, nearly frequently purple, lilac, cherry-red, pink, green, and yellow. As typical with Insular work, there was neither gold nor silver leafage in the manuscript. Yet, the pigments for the illustrations, which included red and yellow ochre , light-green copper pigment (sometimes chosen verdigris), indigo , and lapis lazuli , were very costly and precious. They were imported from the Mediterranean region and, in the case of the lapis lazuli, from northeast Afghanistan.

The decoration of the first eight pages of the canon tables is heavily influenced by early on Gospel Books from the Mediterranean, where it was traditional to enclose the tables inside an arcade . Although influenced past this Mediterranean tradition, the Kells manuscript presents this motif in an Insular spirit, where the arcades are not seen as architectural elements but rather become stylized geometric patterns with Insular decoration. Further, the complicated knot work and interweaving found in the Kells manuscript echo the metalwork and rock etching works that characterized the artistic legacy of the Insular menstruum.

The Volume of Kells: This example from the manuscript (page 292r) shows the lavishly busy department that opens the Gospel of John.

Anglo-Saxon illuminated manuscripts class a significant part of Insular art and reflect a combination of influences from the Celtic styles that arose when the Anglo-Saxons encountered Irish missionary action. A different mixture is seen in the opening from the Stockholm Codex Aureus, where the evangelist portrait reflects an adaptation of classical Italian fashion, while the text page is mainly in Insular style, especially the beginning line with its vigorous Celtic spirals and interlace. This is one of the and then-chosen "Tiberius Grouping" of manuscripts with influence from the Italian style. It is the last English manuscript in which trumpet spiral patterns are found.

The Stockholm Codex Aureus: The evangelist portrait from the Stockholm Codex Aureus, ane of the "Tiberius Grouping," that shows the Insular style and classicizing continental styles that combined and competed in early on Anglo-Saxon manuscripts.

The Beatus Manuscripts

The Commentary on the Apocalypse was originally a Mozabaric eighth-century piece of work by the Spanish monk and theologian Beatus of Liébana. Often referred to simply as the Beatus, it is used today to reference any of the extant manuscript copies of this work, specially any of the 26 illuminated copies that have survived. The historical significance of the Commentary is even more pronounced since it included a world map, offering a rare insight into the geographical understanding of the post-Roman world. Considered together, the Beatus codices are amidst the most important Spanish and Mozarabic medieval manuscripts and take been the discipline of extensive scholarly and antique inquiry.

Beatus World Map: The world map from the Saint-Sever Beatus, measuring 37 x 57 cm. This was painted c. 1050 as an illustration to Beatus's piece of work at the Abbey of Saint-Sever in Aquitaine, on the gild of Gregori de Montaner, Abbot from 1028 to 1072.

Though Beatus might have written these commentaries as a response to Adoptionism in the Hispania of the late 700s, many scholars believe that the book's popularity in monasteries stemmed from the Arabic-Islamic conquest of the Iberian peninsula, which some Iberian Christians took as a sign of the Antichrist. Not all of the Beatus manuscripts are complete, and some exist only in fragmentary course. However, the surviving manuscripts are lavishly busy in the Mozarabic, Romanesque, or Gothic style of illumination.

Mozarabic fine art refers to art of Mozarabs, Iberian Christians living in Al-Andalus who adopted Arab customs without converting to Islam during the Islamic invasion of the Iberian peninsula (from the eighth through the 11th centuries). Mozarabic art features a combination of (Hispano) Visigothic and Islamic fine art styles, as in the Beatus manuscripts, which combine Insular fine art illumination forms with Arabic-influenced geometric designs.

Beatus of Liébana. Sentence of Babylon. : From Beatus Apocalypse. Depicts Babylon on fire using Insular art illumination forms, influenced by Arabic geometric designs.

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Source: https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-arthistory/chapter/the-early-middle-ages/

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