The Middle Ages in 50 Objects

Description

The extraordinary array of images included in this volume reveals the full and rich history of the Middle Ages. Exploring material objects from the European, Byzantine and Islamic worlds, the book casts a new light on the cultures that formed them, each culture illuminated by its treasures. The objects are divided among four topics: The Holy and the Faithful; The Sinful and the Spectral; Daily Life and Its Fictions, and Death and Its Aftermath. Cover ......Page 1 Reviews ......Page 3 Half-title page......Page 5 Title page......Page 7 Copyright page......Page 8 Contents......Page 9 Acknowledgments......Page 12 Abbreviations and Conventions......Page 13 Introduction......Page 15 Part I The Holy and the Faithful......Page 21 1 Jonah Cast Up, c. 280–290, Asia Minor (?), marble; 41.50 × 36.00 × 18.50 cm (16 5/16 × 14 1/8 × 7 1/4 inches)......Page 22 2 Altar Front, c. 540–600, Constantinople or Ravenna, marble; 101.00 × 169.50 × 25.50 cm (39 3/4 × 66 11/16 × 10 inches)......Page 26 3 Pilgrim’s Flask with Saint Menas, sixth–seventh century, Egypt, terracotta; 10.00 × 6.40 cm (3 7/8 × 2 1/2 inches)......Page 30 4 Calyx (Chalice), 900s–1000s, Byzantium, Middle Byzantine, blood jasper (heliotrope) with gilt -copper mounts; h: 7.70 cm (3 inches)......Page 34 5 Christ’s Mission to the Apostles, c. 970–980, Ottonian, Milan, Italy, ivory; 18.20 × 9.90 × 1.00 cm (7 1/8 × 3 7/8 × 3/8 inches) ......Page 38 6 Feline Incense Burner, 1100s, eastern Iran, western Afghanistan, or Turkmenistan, Khurasan, copper alloy, cast and chased; 35.50 × 11.00 × 32.50 cm (13 15/16 × 4 5/16 × 12 3/4 inches)......Page 42 7 Leaf from a Qur’an, 1100s, Iran, opaque watercolor, ink, and gold on paper; 32.00 × 21.30 cm (12 9/16 × 8 3/8 inches)......Page 46 8 Arm Reliquary of the Apostles, c.1190, Lower Saxony, Hildesheim, Germany, gilt-silver, champlevé enamel, oak; 51.00 × 14.00 × 9.20 cm (20 1/16 × 5 1/2 × 3 9/16 inches)......Page 50 9 Virgin and Child, late thirteenth century, Liège (?), wood (oak) with polychromy and gilding; 83.00 × 24.00 × 20.00 cm (32 5/8 × 9 7/16 × 7 13/16 inches)......Page 54 10 Christ and Saint John the Evangelist, early fourteenth century, Germany, Swabia, near Bodensee (Lake Constance), polychromy and gilded oak; 92.71 × 64.45 × 28.84 cm (36 1/2 × 25 5/16 × 11 5/16 inches)......Page 58 11 Master of Rubielos de Mora, The Coronation of the Virgin with the Trinity, c. 1400, Spain, oil on panel; 144.60 × 91.40 cm (56 7/8 × 35 15/16 inches)......Page 62 12 Christ Carrying the Cross (panel from an altarpiece), 1400s, England, Nottingham, painted and gilded alabaster; 47 × 28.3 cm (18 1/2 × 11 1/8 inches)......Page 66 13 Leaf from an Antiphonary, Initial H with the Nativity, c. 1480, south Germany, Augsburg (?), ink, tempera, and gold on vellum; leaf 62.50 × 41.00 cm (24 9/16 × 16 1/8 inches)......Page 70 Part II The Sinful and the Spectral......Page 75 14 Adam and Eve, Fragment of a Floor Mosaic, late 400s to early 500s, northern Syria, marble and stone tesserae; 142.90 × 107.30 × 5.72 cm (56 1/4 × 42 3/16 × 2 1/4 inches)......Page 76 15 Curtain Panel with Scenes of Merrymaking, sixth century, Egypt, tapestry weave with supplementary weft wrapping, undyed linen and dyed wool; 144.20 × 26.70 cm (56 3/4 × 10 1/2 inches)......Page 80 16 Plaque from a Portable Altar Showing the Crucifixion, 1050–1100, Germany, Lower Rhine Valley, walrus ivory; 5.10 × 9.55 cm (2 × 3 3/4 inches)......Page 84 17 Dragon’s Head, 1100–1150, Anglo-Norman (?), walrus ivory; height 6.40 cm (2 1/2 inches)......Page 88 18 Bowl with Engraved Figures of Vices, 1150–1200, Germany, bronze, spun, hammered, chased, and punched; 6.05 × 28.95 cm (2 3/8 × 11 3/8 inches)......Page 92 19 Engaged Capital with a Lion and a Basilisk, 1175–1200, Northern Italy, Emilia (Bologna?), marble; 30.20 × 33.00 × 29.25 cm (11 7/8 × 12 15/16 × 11 1/2 inches)......Page 96 20 Leaf from a Cocharelli Treatise on the Vices, Acedia and Her Court, c. 1330, Genoa, ink, tempera, and gold on vellum; sheet 16.30 × 10.30 cm (6 3/8 × 4 inches)......Page 100 21 Miniature from a Mariegola, The Flagellation, 1359–1360, Venice, workshop of Lorenzo Veneziano, tempera and gold on parchment; sheet 29.50 × 21.00 cm (11 9/16 × 8 1/4 inches)......Page 104 22 The Madonna of Humility with the Temptation of Eve, c. 1400, Italy, tempera and gold on wood panel; framed 191.50 × 99.00 × 11.00 cm (75 3/8 × 38 15/16 × 4 5/16 inches)......Page 108 23 Zebo (Zecho) da Firenze, Grotesques from the Hours of Charles the Noble, c. 1404, France, folio 22, ink, tempera, and gold on vellum; codex 20.32 × 15.71 × 6.98 cm (8 × 6 1/8 × 2 11/16 inches)......Page 112 24 Günther Zainer, The Virgin Mary Overcoming a Devil, from Speculum Humanae Salvationis/Spiegel menschlicher Behältnis, c. 1473, Germany, Augsburg, hand-colored woodcut; 7.4 × 12.0 cm (2 15/16 × 4 3/4 inches)......Page 116 25 Demon in Chains, illustrated single page manuscript, c. 1453, style of Muhammad Siyah Qalam (Iran?), opaque watercolor and gold on paper; 25.70 × 34.40 cm (10 1/16 × 13 1/2 inches)......Page 120 Part III Daily Life and Its Fictions......Page 125 26 S -Shaped Fibula, sixth century, Frankish, silver with garnets; 2.20 × 2.80 × 0.80 cm (13/16 × 1 1/16 × 5/16 inches)......Page 126 27 Button, 500s, Byzantium, rock crystal, garnet, granulated gold; diameter: 3.05 cm (1 3/16 inches)......Page 130 28 Solidus with Busts of Constans II and Constantine IV (obverse), 659–661, Byzantium, gold; diameter 1.90 cm (11/16 inches)......Page 134 29 Bifolium Excised from a Carolingian Gradual, c. 830–860, Germany or northeastern France, gold and silver ink on purple parchment; sheet 29.00 × 10.00 cm (11 3/8 × 3 7/8 inches)......Page 138 30 Jug, Buyid period, reign of Samsam al-Dawla, 985–998, Iran or Iraq, gold with repoussé and chased and engraved decoration; overall 12.50 × 10.20 cm (4 7/8 × 4 inches), diameter of base 7.00 cm (2 3/4 inches)......Page 142 31 Lion Aquamanile, 1200–1250, Germany, Lower Saxony, Hildesheim, copper alloy, cast, chased, and punched; 26.40 × 29.00 × 15.00 cm (10 3/8 × 11 3/8 × 5 7/8 inches)......Page 146 32 Luster Wall Tile with a Couple, 1266, Iran, Kashan, fritware with luster-painted design; 19.50 × 16.00 cm (7 5/8 × 6 1/4 inches)......Page 150 33 Leaf Excised from Henry of Segusio’s Summa Aurea: Table of Consanguinity, c. 1280, France, Paris, ink, tempera, and gold on parchment; 44.20 × 27.50 cm (17 3/8 × 10 13/16 inches)......Page 154 34 Albarello with Two Hares, fourteenth century, Spain, Paterna, tin-glazed earthenware (maiolica); 22.30 × 9.90 cm (8 3/4 × 3 7/8 inches)......Page 158 35 Mirror Case with a Couple Playing Chess, 1325–1350, France, Paris, ivory; diameter 10.20 cm (4 inches)......Page 162 36 Table Fountain, c. 1320–1340, France, Paris, gilt-silver and translucent enamels; 31.10 × 24.10 × 26.00 cm (12 1/4 × 9 1/2 × 10 3/16 inches)......Page 166 37 Barbute, 1350–1420, Northern Italy, iron; 29.00 × 21.00 × 25.00 cm (11 3/8 × 8 1/4 × 9 13/16 inches), 1.58 kg (3.48 lb.)......Page 170 38 Time, from Chateau de Chaumont Set, 1512–1515, France, Lyon (?), silk and wool, tapestry weave; 321.80 × 452.00 cm (126 11/16 × 177 15/16 inches)......Page 174 Part IV Death and Its Aftermath......Page 179 39 Columbarium Tomb Plaque with the Monogram of Christ, 500–800, Spanish (Visigothic or Byzantine?), terracotta; 32.40 × 20.80 cm (12 3/4 × 8 3/16 inches)......Page 180 40 Single -Edged Knife (Scramasax), 600s, Frankish, Burgundy (?), iron, copper, and gold foil; 36.90 × 4.10 cm (14 1/2 × 1 9/16 inches)......Page 184 41 Inscribed Tombstone of Shaikh al-Husain ibn Abdallah ibn al- Hasan(d.1110/AH 504), Iran, Yazd, limestone; overall: 65.00 × 42.60 cm (25 9/16 × 16 3/4 inches)......Page 188 42 Condemnation and Martyrdom of Saint Lawrence, c. 1180, Germany, Lower Saxony (Hildesheim?), gilded copper, champlevé enamel; 9.55 × 20.80 × 0.16 cm (3 3/4 × 8 3/16 × 1/16 inches)......Page 192 43 Leaf from a Psalter, The Crucifixion, c. 1300–1330, Flanders, Liège, ink, tempera, and gold on vellum; 9.4 × 7.3 cm (3 11/16 × 2 13/16 inches)......Page 196 44 Diptych with Scenes from the Life of Christ, c. 1350–1375, Germany, Thuringia or Saxony, ivory; 20.7 × 11.1 cm (8 1/8 × 4 3/8 inches) (each panel)......Page 200 45 Master of Heiligenkreuz, Death of the Virgin, c. 1400, Austria, tempera and oil with gold on panel; 66.00 × 53.30 cm (25 15/16 × 20 15/16 inches)......Page 204 46 Claus de Werve, Mourner from the Tomb of Philip the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, 1404–1410, Champmol, Vizille alabaster; 41.1 × 17.6 × 11 cm (16 1/8 × 6 7/8 × 4 5/16 inches)......Page 208 47 Master of Guillebert de Mets and Workshop, The Last Judgment, Leaf from a Book of Hours, 1430s, Flemish, ink, tempera, and gold on vellum; 12.60 × 8.50 cm (4 15/16 × 3 5/16 inches)......Page 212 48 Initial T from a Choral Book with Isaac and Esau, c. 1460–1470, Northern Italy, ink, tempera, and gold on parchment; sheet 18.00 × 16.00 cm (7 1/16 × 6 1/4 inches)......Page 216 49 A Bridal Couple, c. 1470, southern Germany, oil on panel; unframed 62.30 × 36.50 cm (24 1/2 × 14 5/16 inches)......Page 220 50 Hans Holbein, Dance of Death, The Pope, cut c. 1526–1527, Germany, woodcut; trimmed sheet 7.0 × 4.8 cm (2 3/4 × 1 7/8 inches)......Page 224 Illustrations......Page 228 List of Maps......Page 233 References......Page 234 Index......Page 242