Patrons, Priests, and Prayer

Unlike artists today, the masters of Gothic art had to join together to protect their source of income.  Many modern artists create their pieces purely out of self-expression, but artists in the Gothic period could only work when commissioned by patrons.  Guilds, the associations formed of artists and craftspeople, helped to protect the members from taxation and also help to create and enforce quality and training regulations.  The patrons that finance the work of guild members were typically a civic group, religious entity, or wealthy individual.  There were times, however, when the guilds themselves financed works.

One great example of a work endorsed and contracted by a patron is the Maesta altarpiece in the Siena Cathedral.  The principal panel of this altarpiece depicts the Virgin and Child Enthroned with Saints, as shone above.  Mary sits in the middle as the Queen of Heaven, surrounded by many angels and saints.  The artist Duccio di Buoninsegna used a combination of Byzantine and Gothic styles to create a sense of "new naturalism."  The composition of the piece is very rigid and symmetrical (typical of Byzantine paintings) but the figures themselves have a relaxed and casual sort of look.  Duccio even managed to give individuality to the four saints kneeling in the front.

The clothing depicted on this panel is quite exquisite.  This was painted at a time when silks imported from China were extremely popular, and the shimmering appearance of the saints' robes reflect the beauty of such fine linens.  Paintings of angels' and saints' robes before this time typically had gold to create folds, but Duccio used darker paint instead to create three-dimensional volume within the folds of the clothing.

Through hierarchy of scale and directional facing, the eyes are drawn to Mary and the Christ child placed in the center of this panel.  And as the seat of the bishop, this altarpiece was made to be the focus of the Siena Cathedral--all prayerful eyes drawn to the mother of our Savior in sacred remembrance. 

"At the expense of the poor."

This head reliquary of Saint Alexander (from the Stavelot Abbey in Belgium) is not any cheap memorandum.  Made of bronze, enamel, and repousse silver--and adorned with many jewels, of course--this box stands more as a competitive trophy of sorts that many Romanesque church officials endorsed.  However, there were also others who did not support the lavish and expensive reliquaries:

"[Men's] eyes are fixed on relics covered with gold and purses are opened . . . O vanity of vanities, but no more vain than insane!  The Church  . . . dresses its stones in gold and it abandons its children naked.  It serves the eyes of the rich at the expense of the poor."

As can be inferred from Bernard of Clairvaux's words above, the costly decorations came at a cost beyond money, depending upon one's perspective.  Some church leaders felt that their buildings should honor God with only the most refined materials and decorations.  Others felt that these unnecessary ornamentations only distracted worshipers from what their true focus should be:  serving God and sacrificing all of one's possessions to build His kingdom.

But no matter the view, expensive reliquaries were made.  This particular reliquary is one of the most exquisite and extremely stylistically diverse.  Byzantine enamels lie beneath a Romanesque classical-style head (similar to the youthful sculptures of Roman emperors).  The Byzantine-style box contains plaques with various figures inside--the front contains portraits of Pope Alexander II, Saint Eventius, and Saint Theodolus.  The other portraits are of women to represent allegorical figures such as Wisdom, Piety, and Humility.  Four bronze dragons stand as supporting legs for the reliquary.

A Watery Grave

 

During the medieval period, it was a common tradition to bury lords in great ships filled with furnishings and riches.

"They laid their dear lord, the giver of rings, deep within the ship by the mast in majesty; many treasures an adornments from far and wide were gathered there.  I have never heard of a ship equipped more handsomely with weapons and war-gear, swords and corselets;  on his breast lay countless treasures that were to travel far with him into the waves' domain."

At one such grave site, a burial mound at Sutton Hoo in Suffolk, England, laid many antiquities of "portable wealth": a gold belt buckle, 10 silver bowls, a silver plate with the imperial stamp of the Byzantine emperor, 40 gold coins, 2 silver spoons, and a purse cover.  Decorated with cloisonne plaques (metal strips filled with semiprecious stones or pieces of colored glass), the purse is the most exquisite of the treasures found at Sutton Hoo.

This purse cover is an example of the premier art of the middle ages due to the rarity and intricacy of the metalwork and the interlacing of animal figures.  These animal figures are arranged symmetrically in three different groups.  The first group depicts a man facing forward standing between the profiles of two beasts.  This composition is know as heraldic grouping and was a long-standing tradition from the ancient world.  The next two groups (found within the center of the purse cover) both depict eagles attaching ducks.  The way these figures were designed fit together well enough that they also look like abstract designs.

The owner of this intricate coin purse, and all of the other treasures, is unknown--but many speculate that these riches could only belong to a king.

Follow the Yellow Silk Road

This ragged scrap of fabric was once an exquisite example of the Islamic luxury arts (and remains to be, to some extent).  However, silk textiles are not only signs of the wealth of  their purchasers, they are also testaments to the well-established use of international trade in the third century BCE.  The thread used to make textiles like this one (from Zandana, Uzbekistan) were extremely expensive, primarily because the climate of the Middle East was, and is, not temperate enough to support silkworms.  Thus, silk had to be imported from China.

The vivid blues, greens, and oranges on this particular silk textile have now subsided to dimmer hues over the years.  It was used to transport the relics of Saint Amon when they were transported to the Toul Cathedral in 820.  The designs on this textile are unlike the Islamic art found within mosques, particularly because animals (things that breathe) are portrayed on the silk.  This textile has repeated medallions encircling lions and palm trees.  Outside of the circular designs are bugs and other animals.  The fact that animals are present on this textile add much to its value.

From Rags to Riches

Like in any classic love story,  Justinian and his wife Theodora overcame the separation of socioeconomic classes.  Despite being born into poverty, Justinian was the first member of this couple to rise from the ashes as he moved to Constantinople with his uncle Justin.  There, Justinian gained an education and inherited the empire from his uncle in 527 BCE.  

Before becoming emperor, however, Justinian was married in 525 to Theodora--a woman who was at the bottom of the money-chain.  Working as an actress and a harlot, Theodora was not deemed "worthy" to be an emperor's wife.  However, loving her for more than just her looks (Theodora was supposedly quite smart), Justinian convinced his uncle to change the laws so that he could marry his one true love.  Theodora continued on to be one of Justinian's most trusted advisers.

This mosaic depicting Theodora and her attendants adorns the south wall of the apse in the San Vitale church in Ravenna, Italy (a place neither she nor Justinian ever visited).  In Theodora's hands rests the golden cup used to hold the Eucharist wine.  She and her attendants are waiting underneath an imperial canopy for Justinian to proceed into the apse (in a mosaic reflected on the opposite wall of the apse).  And although the portrayal of Theodora waiting for Justinian shows that she was not of equal rank, the fact that she was even illustrated in this mosaic testifies of Theodora's importance in Justinian's rule.  This role is emphasized with the illustration of the three magi at the bottom of her robe--suggesting that she is of high enough importance to even be in the same company as the wise men of the East.

And that position, especially for a woman during that time, is truly a story of one who went from rags to riches.

Sumptuous Stories

Although the title "minor art" might seem to demean a work, some of the most extravagant (and expensive) pieces fall under this category.  Also known as "luxury arts," jewelry, carved ivory, gold and silver vessels, and illuminated manuscripts were popular items of the Late Antiquity period (partially because artists tried to steer clear from idolatry).  

The name "illuminated manuscripts" came from the Latin word illuminare which means "to adorn, ornament, or brighten."  These books were made of costly, durable materials (i.e., calfskin and lambskin) and required a lot of labor.  To create an illuminated manuscript, the paper first had to be cured, cut, and dyed.  Lines would then be drawn to set up areas for the scribe to write and to set aside areas for illustrations and "illuminations."  Buckles, covers, and clasps would be added to finish off the book and make it a work of art. 

The Vatican Vergil is the oldest existing painted manuscript, dated to about 400 CE.  Its artwork represented Roman iconography after the time of pagan cults.  Despite being a part of such an expensively embellished text, this particular painting from the Vatican Vergil (form the Georgics text) illustrates the farming class of the Roman Empire (even though its style is similar to Pompeian murals).  The farmer on the far left is speaking to the others about the "pleasures of the simple life" that farming brings.  Ragged togas and a modest house in the background attest to the simplicity of a farmer's life.

Let the Games Begin

 

"While stand the Colosseum, Rome shall stand; when falls the Colosseum, Rome shall fall; and when Rome falls--the World."

Constructed  during the Flavian dynasty, the Colosseum was built where Nero's "Pleasure Palace" used to be (the expense alone of draining Nero's lake shows how much the Romans invested in the Colosseum) to exemplify the wealth and power of the Roman Empire.  The grandiose and complexity of the Colosseum's architecture is also a testament of wealth--made of concrete with complex barrel-vaults, marble seats, complex vaults below, and a facade designed with ornate columns (of Ionic, Tuscan, and Corinthian order).

Despite many centuries and advances in the structure of life, Romans still belittled the life of slaves just as seen in Ancient Babylon.  Searching for a profit, slaveholders "rented" out their slaves, who had been trained in hand-to-hand combat, to fight in the gladiator games.  However, these fights were not the only events to take place in the Colosseum.  Wild animal hunts, plays, and even naval battles attracted crowds and cheers . . . all for a ticket fee, of course.

Similar to today's sporting events, the best seats were saved for the highest in society's scale (and were the most expensive to purchase); but cheaper seats were still available so that  lower classes could enjoy the fights as well.  And also like entertainment today, the existence of the Colosseum shows that Romans were willing to pay for entertainment--their life was not solely dedicated to trying to  build Rome in a day.