Module 4

• Fall of the Roman Empire

  5th Century CE
• End of the Middle Ages

  Beginning of the Renaissance Period
• Middle Ages


  The period from the fall of the Roman Empire until the beginning of the Renaissance
• The term "Middle Ages" was introduced by Italian humanists to differentiate the 1000-year gap from the Classical Period (Ancient Greek and Roman) up to the Renaissance
• Why the Roman Empire fell

  1. Losses against Germanic tribes

  2. Financial crisis (overspending, minimal resources, depletion of labor force)

  3. Division into Western and Eastern Empires

  4. Over-expansion

  5. Corrupt officials

  6. Frequent civil wars

  7. Arrival of the Huns

  8. Spread of Christianity
• Marcus Augustulus was the last Roman emperor, defeated by the Germanic tribe leader Odoacer in 476 CE
• Early Christian Art


  Painting, sculpture, and architecture from the beginnings of Christianity up to the 6th Century CE in Italy and the Western part of the Mediterranean
• Characteristics of Early Christian Art


  • Hidden and symbolic
  • Sketchy style derived from Roman impressionism
• Early Christian symbols


  • Ichthys (fish)
  • Alpha and Omega
  • Dove
• Ichthys


  Greek word for fish, an important early Christian symbol representing "Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior"
• Alpha and Omega


  The first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, representing the eternity of Christ as the Son of God
• Dove


  Symbol of the Holy Spirit, often depicted in connection with early representations of baptism
• Early Christian art in the Roman catacombs

  • Good Shepherd
  • Jesus healing the bleeding woman
  • Noah praying in the Ark
• Edict of Milan


  Agreement that shifted Christianity from being an illicit, persecuted sect to being a welcome—and soon dominant—religion of the Roman Empire
• Basilica


  Christian churches needed large interior spaces to house growing congregations and mark the separation of the faithful from the unfaithful
• Basilicas


  • Aula Palatina in Trier, Germany
  • Basilica of St. John Lateran
  • Old St. Peter's Basilica
• Old St. Peter's Basilica


  • Around 403 feet long and 208 feet in width, 4 aisles instead of the usual 2, transept running through the nave and the apse
• Early Christian Mosaics


  Wall mosaics had come into use in Roman art well before Emperor Constantine's edict of toleration of the Christian faith in 313 CE
• Early Christian Mosaics


  • Mosaic of the Traditio Legis (Christ giving the law) at the Church of Santa Costanza
  • Christ presenting the key of His Kingdom to St. Peter at the Church of Santa Costanza
  • Apse Mosaic at the Church of Santi Cosma e Damiano
  • Mosaic at the Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta
• Romanesque Art


  Art style that took shape in the eleventh century, initially developing in France then spreading across Europe, symbolizing the growing wealth of European cities and the power of church monasteries
• Characteristics of Romanesque Art


  • Retained many basic features of Roman architectural style, with distinctive regional characteristics
  • Painting followed Byzantine iconographic models with subjects varying in size depending on importance and abstract backgrounds
  • Sculpture revived after 600 years of dormancy, with relief sculpture depicting biblical history and church doctrine
• Romanesque Art


  • Fresco on the Apse of the Basilica of Saint Angelo in Formis, Italy
  • Fresco on the Apse of San Sebastiano al Palatino in Italy
  • Christ in Majesty fresco at the Château des Moines, Berzé-la-Ville, France
  • Christ of the Day of the Judgement fresco from the church of Sant Climent de Taüll in Spain
  • Central portal of the Vézelay Abbey in Burgundy France
  • Majestat Batlló wooden crucifix from Catalonia
  • Madonna as Seat of Wisdom from the Camaldolese abbey in Borgo San Sepolcro
  • Baptismal Font at St. Bartholomew's Church
  • Bamberg Cathedral in Germany
• Carved capitals of columns


  • Often depicted complete scenes consisting of several figures
• Precious objects


  • Sculpted in metal, enamel, and ivory, such as reliquaries
• Vézelay Abbey


  Central portal depicts Christ with His arms wide open to the Crusaders
• Majestat Batlló


  12th century Romanesque wooden crucifix, symbolizing Christ's triumph over death
• Madonna as Seat of Wisdom


  1199, inscribed as by Presbyter Martinus, from the Camaldolese abbey in Borgo San Sepolcro near Arezzo, Italy
• Baptismal Font at St. Bartholomew's Church


  Attributed to Reiner of Huy, a 12th century metalworker and sculptor
• Bamberg Cathedral


  • Founded by Emperor Henry II in 1002, approximately 94 meters long, four towers each about 81 meters high, houses many beautiful German works of art and an equestrian statue known as the Bamberg Horseman
• Basilica of Saint Servatius in Maastricht

  • Roman Catholic Church dedicated to Saint Servatius, the main church of Deanery of Maastricht
• Porto Cathedral


  • One of the oldest cathedrals in Porto, Portugal, characterized by its two square towers supported by buttresses and crowned by a cupola, has undergone many restorations but remained strikingly Romanesque
• St. Andrew's Church in Krakow


  • One of the few existing examples of European fortress churches, built between 1079 and 1098, located in the middle of the Old Town district of Krakow and designed by a medieval Polish statesman, Palatine Sieciech
• Gothic art


  Developed after the Romanesque, in the 12th century, continued to be used well into the 16th century in some parts of Europe, while giving way to the Renaissance style earlier in some regions
• The term Gothic


  Coined by classicizing Italian writers of the Renaissance, who attributed the invention (and what to them was the nonclassical ugliness) of medieval architecture to the barbarian Gothic tribes that had destroyed the Roman Empire and its classical culture in the 5th century CE
• Illumination


  Originally denoted the embellishment of the text of handwritten books with gold or, more rarely, silver, giving the impression that the page had been literally illuminated
• Illuminated Manuscripts


  • Westminster Abbey Bestiary (c. 1275-1290 CE), Book of Hours of Jeanne d'Evreux (c. 1324-1328 CE), Grimani Breviary (c. 1510 CE)
• Stained Glass


  • Used in French churches in the Romanesque period, the Gothic windows were much larger, eventually filling entire walls, their function was to fill the interior with a mystical colored light, representing the Holy Spirit, and also to illustrate the stories of the Bible for the large majority of the congregation who could not read
• Sainte-Chapelle


  Built in the 13th century by King Louis IX, initially intended to house precious relics, particularly renowned for its collection of 15 windows measuring nearly 50 feet in height, each depicting a sparkling interpretation of a biblical scene rendered in gem-like tones and impressive detail
• King's College Chapel


  A beautiful Gothic chapel erected in the University of Cambridge in the late 15th and early 16th centuries, famous for its treasure trove of narrative windows incorporating both religious and royal motifs
• Chartres Cathedral


  Home to the largest collection of preserved medieval stained-glass windows in the world, most dating from the early years of the 13th century, an exceptional legacy of the thriving artistic, intellectual and spiritual activity of a time when Gothic Humanism was reaching full maturity