art history

Golden Haggadah   (The Plagues of Egypt, Scenes of Liberation, and Preparation for Passover). Late medieval Spain. c. 1320 C.E. Illuminated manuscript (pigments and gold leaf on vellum). FOUR PLAGUES DOMESTIC KILLED BY PESTS; ANIMALS INVADE THE CITY; FROGS OVERRUN THE LAND CONVINCED EGYPTIAN PHARAOHS TO FREE THE JEWS SURVIVAL FROM THE ANGEL OF DEATH ENSURED; MOST LUXURIOUS BOOKS EVER CREATED; ILLUMINATED MEDIEVAL MANUSCRIPT   HAGGADAH MEANS NARRATION IN HEBREW; MOST LAVISHLY DECORATED; 56 MINIATURES FOUND WITHIN THE MANUSCRIPT; EACH PAINTED W/ A GOLDEN LEAF BACKGROUND; USED FOR CEREMONIAL PURPOSES; EDUCATIONAL RATHER THAN RELIGIOUS USE SIMILAR TO CHRISTIAN GOTHIC MANUSCRIPT; ARCHITECTURAL DETAILS, PATTERNED BACKGROUNDS STYLISTICALLY AN EXAMPLE OF JEWISH AND CHRISTIAN ARTS; SPAIN COMBINED JEWISH, CHRISTIAN AND MUSLIM STYLES  HAGGADAH STANDS AS A TESTAMENT OF THE IMPACT AND SIGNIFICANCE OF JEWISH CULTURE IN SPAIN it is one of the most luxurious...

Röttgen Pietà . Late medieval Europe. c. 1300–1325 C.E. Painted wood. VIRGIN MARY HOLDING DEAD CHRIST IN HER LAP; SUFFERING OF JESUS AND GRIEF OF HIS MOTHER; CHRIST STIFFENED IN DEATH, COVERED IN STREAMS OF BLOOD; VIRGIN CRADLES HIM; MATERNAL ANGUISH; EXPRESSION OF GRIEF; DOES NOT EXPRESSES SERENITY OF OTHER PERIODS; AGONY, DEATH, SORROW; DISFIGUREMENT Christ clearly died from the horrific ordeal of crucifixion, but his skin is taut around his ribs, showing that he also led a life of hunger and suffering. Pietà statues appeared in Germany in the late 1200s and were made in this region throughout the Middle Ages. Röttgen Pietà is made of wood and retains some of its original paint. The Röttgen Pietà is the most gruesome of these extant examples. Mary in the Röttgen Pietà appears to be angry and confused. She doesn’t seem to know that her son will live again. She shows strong negative emotions that emphasize her humanity, just as the representation of Christ emphasizes h...

Dedication Page with Blanche of Castile and King Louis IX of France , Scenes from the Apocalypse from Bibles moralisées. Gothic Europe. c. 1225–1245 C.E. Illuminated manuscript (ink, tempera, and gold leaf on vellum). PARIS WAS THE CENTER OF PRODUCTION OF FINE BOOKS. TRIPLE LOBED ARCHES AND MINIATURE CITYSCAPES; INSPIRED FROM STAIN GLASS WINDOWS The Bible moralisée, or moralized bibles, are a small group of illustrated bibles that were made in thirteenth-century France and Spain. These books are among the most expensive medieval manuscripts ever made because they contain an unusually large number of illustrations. These books were generally commissioned by members of royal families, as no one else would have been able to afford such luxury. owners of one Bible moralisée: Blanche of Castile and King Louis IX of France. Bible moralisée contain two texts: the biblical text and the commentary text, which is sometimes called a gloss. These commentary texts interpreted the biblical t...

Time Period: 1140-1400  Paris Era of peace and prosperity; centralised monarchy; peaceful succession of kings  Increasing growth and wealth in cities and towns; agricultural products converted to goods and services  Schools in Paris became intellectual centers; transformed western thinking; arguing using logic  Major events:  Hundred Years War between France and England; devastated both economically/socially  Popes relocated; spiritual crisis; religion decayed Black Death; quarter of the world perished; punishment from God; painting became conservative and looked backward to earlier styles; Europe spent decades recovering Master builders coordinated hundreds of laborers in the building of a cathedral; public works project; artists needed everywhere  Manuscripts; scribes; decorative touches such as borders, narrative scenes; embellishments  Architecture:  Reinforces religious symbolism of the building  Surrounded by o...

Chartres Cathedral. Chartres, France. Gothic Europe. Original construction c. 1145–1155 C.E.; reconstructed c. 1194–1220 C.E. Limestone, stained glass. CONSISTS OF THE MOST COMPLETE SURVIVING ENSEMBLE OF EARLY GOTHIC SCULPTURE  CHRISTIAN/ASTROLOGICAL/EDUCATIONAL SUBJECTS/MOTIFS DEDICATION PAGE WITH BLANCHE OF CASTILE AND KING LOUIS XI OF FRANCE, SCENES FROM THE APOCALYPSE