The Arts of Medieval Europe: 800 to 1050

This course focusses on medieval art from 800-1050, inspired by the V&A's abundant medieval collections. In 800, Charlemagne, King of the Franks, became Emperor of the Romans. He, and the subsequent dynasty of Carolingian emperors, revived Christian Antiquity, instigating a renaissance of sorts. Assuming the imperial title in 962, the Saxon Ottonian Emperors revered Antiquity as well as Byzantine aesthetics. Carolingian and Ottonian patronage was often linked to imperial power, via monasteries, epicentres of craftsmanship and learning. The visual arts flourished in late 10th to 11th century England under Continental influence, with monasteries playing a vital role. By the 960s Iconoclasm’s influence in the West had waned and monumental, three-dimensional sculpture re-emerged.
1000 was met with anxiety, its passing with relief. The new, confident millennium witnessed the emergence of a powerful, centralized Western church, dominated by monastic orders; some established, others, like the Cistercians, new. Unprecedented investment was made in church buildings; inspired by aspects of Roman monuments and characterised by regional variety, they demonstrate the mighty Romanesque style.