Anglo-Saxon: Medieval Art in England

MEDIEVAL ART IN ENGLAND
Adela Suárez; Agustina Viale; Rocío G. Viera; Pía Vilar and Cristina Villalba.
Anglo-Saxon art is between the years 450 and 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 contain a religious message
predominate. 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, the primary art mediums were sculpture, panel
painting, stained glass, fresco, and illuminated manuscript. [4]. During this period sculptures
evolved into being more realistic and lifelike rather than the stiff appearance of Romanesque
sculptures. [5]
The art movement
Anglo-Saxon 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.[6] The Anglo Saxons were
respected as artisans of textiles and embroidery, known throughout Europe as the best in
these art forms. [7]
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. [8] It was used for
decoration of arms, equipment, jewelry, pottery, and other small personal belongings or
home decorations. [9] Examples of metalwork are the belt buckle, the fuller brooch, and the
fibula brooch. The Belt buckle is decorated with a fish, a Christian symbol, and it has
serpents from pagans. [10] The fuller brooch is decorated with five figures who represent the
five senses, and in the outer border are human, bird, animal, and plant motifs, which may
represent different aspects of divine creation. [11] Fibulae were brooches that were popular
by 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.[12] It was found a helmet that has boar's heads on the end of
each eyebrow and a dragon head above the nose. Together they make the shape of a bird
with outspread wings. [13] It was also found shoulder clasps, which are made in 2 halves:
each clasp is decorated with garnets (which is a mineral) and glass. It has serpents with
blue-glass eyes border the clasps' edges, while two interlocking boars (symbols of strength
and courage) decorate the rounded ends. [15]
Another kind of art was woodwork. Timber was used for ships, musical instruments, coffins,
bridges, roads/paths, and many more mundane items as well. [16]. Wood was versatile so it
did not require highly specialized tools or skills to work with. [17]
It was also important the Ivory carving. They tended to carved in walrus bone, while
elsewhere elephant tusk was used. [18] One example is the Franks casket, which is carved
out of whalebone. It is the representation of the Anglo Saxons view of the history of the
world. The facts are moving from paganism to Christianity. [19]
The Bayeux tapestry is one of the greater interest as a work of art and it can be classificated
as needlework. It is a 70-metre long embroidery of woolen thread on linen backing. It is
about the story of the Norman takeover of England, including one of the most famous battles
in British history, the battle of Hastings. [20]
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.[12]
In 597 Pope Gregory I sent the bishop Augustine on a mission to spread the Gospel in the
Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. From here on, the art starts to have religious symbols, for example,
one animal which is the fish.[12]
When the paganism was fading away, churches and stone crosses started to appear.[12]
The decoration of the Sandbach crosses has narrative scenes as the Nativity and the
Crucifixion. It has figures of animals and ornament which are more difficult to interpret,
although they most likely represent different aspects of the Christian community. [21]
Another kind of art were the illuminated Manuscripts. They were hand-made books. This
artwork was characterized by the use of bright and vivid colors. [9] Examples of this kind of
artwork are the Lindisfarne Gospel and The Book of Kells.
The Anglo-saxon stained glass were used in churches and they were very small. 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. [22]
References
[1] https://www.brighthubeducation.com/history-homework-help/114458-the-history-of-
medieval-art/
[2] https://www.ancient.eu/Byzantine_Art
[3] https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/medieval-world/romanesque-art/beginners-
guide-romanesque/a/a-beginners-guide-to-romanesque-art
[4] https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Gothic_Art
[5] https://www.brighthubeducation.com/history-homework-help/114458-the-history-of-
medieval-art/
[6] https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-29646111
[7] https://www.theartist.me/art-movement/anglo-saxon-art/
[8] https://www.medievalchronicles.com/medieval-art/anglo-saxon-art/
[9] https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-
maps/anglo-saxon-art
[10] https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zxsbcdm/articles/zwjq2hv
[11] https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/medieval-world/early-medieval-art/early-
medieval-objects/a/the-fuller-brooch
[12] https://youtu.be/ZUHdJ_lXH1k
[13] https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zxqkvwx
[15] https://www.ancient.eu/image/5107/the-sutton-hoo-shoulder-clasps/
[16] ://regia.org/research/life/woodwork.htm
[17] http://blogs.carleton.edu/anglo-saxon-material-culture/anglo-saxon-crafts/woodworking/
[18] https://arts.st-andrews.ac.uk/after-empire/resources/material-culture/ivory-carving/
[19] https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/medieval-world/early-medieval-art/early-
medieval-objects/a/the-franks-casket
[20] https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-42713552
[21] https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/sandbach-crosses/history/
[22] http://www.teachinghistory100.org/objects/about_the_object/anglo_saxon_stained_glass

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MEDIEVAL ART IN ENGLAND

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