Medieval Art

 

  1. The Metropolitan Museum of Art Explore the 50 highlights of the Medieval Collection.

  2. The Cloisters This is a separate collection at the Metropolitan Museum with even more beautiful Medievel works of art. It concentrates on the art and architecture of the monastaries of Southern France.

  3. Web Gallery of Art Virtual Tours There are 14 virtual tours of masterpieces of European art from 1200 - 1800 AD. For instance, tour #3 shows you paintings in the Church of San Francesco in Assis from 1280. They are organized by country and some tours cover two to three of our major time periods. There are many paintings and sculptures for our theme of the Spiritual World. Try one of the tours. If you choose an artwork, make sure to check the dates so that you place the art in the right time period.

  4. The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Object number 1 - 10 in the The Europe to 1900 Highlights includes artworks from the Medieval time period.

  5. The Byzantine Gallery The Metropolitan put together this exceptional website to celebrate the artwork from the Byzantine Empire. It was a powerhouse of art in the Medieval Ages.

  6. The Walters Collection Clear, beautiful images of Medieval artworks with interesting information.

  7. Medieval Manuscripts This is a special collection within The Walters Museum with excellent examples of gorgeously illustrated bibles, prayers books and manuscripts.

  8. Medieval Celtic Art Celtic Art covers about 1,000 years and many areas of Europe. This web site was developed by a college class and contains over 270 examples of Celtice art from the Early Medieval time period. There is also another web gallery of Early Medieval Pictish Art with over 100 images. Celtic artists created masterpieces of geometric patterns, animal and plant forms and spiritual images.

  9. The Middle Ages: An Introduction This excellent web site gives you a great introduction to what life was like in the middle ages. You can learn what it was like to live in a feudal town, how people entertained themselves, what homes of the wealthy and poor were like, and many other topics. There are many links to other web sites with interesting related topics. It's a fascinating and quick look at the history of the Middle Ages.

  10. Christianity: Introduction is a series of short, informative essays on the major beliefs, religious figures and holy days of the Christian religion.

  11. The Metropolitan Museum of Art has a wonderful feature, the Timeline of Art History. There are hundreds of beautifully illustrated articles on special topics organized chronologically, or from the oldest to the newest, as art developed around the world. Here are topics and artworks of interest for Medieval Europe.

    • Animals in Medieval Art Animals both real and fantastic were important in medieval art for decoration and for their symbolism.
    • The Art of the Book Before the invention of the printing press, books were handmade objects, treasured as works of art.
    • Classical Antiquity in the Middle Ages Medieval artists kept alive the traditions of ancient Greece and Rome.
    • The Cult of the Virgin Mary The Virgin Mary, considered by Christians as the Mother of God, was an important religious and artistic subject during the Middle Ages.
    • Decorated Armor Some of the earliest decorated armor was produced during the Celtic Bronze Age. Greeks, Romans and Medieval artists developed ceremonial armor as works of art.
    • German Sculpture Sculpture workshops in 15th century Germany created masterpieces for altars and cathedrals.
    • Gothic Art Twelfth century architects developed an inspiring new style that created larger churches with higher ceilings and more windows
    • Icons in Byzantium Icons are sacred images of Christ, the Virgin and the saints. They could be as small as jewelry or large murals in churches.
    • Italian Panel Painting Beautifully colored altarpieces were created by combining painted panels illustrating Christian stories.
    • The Age of Justinian Justinian I, ruler of the Byzantine Empire from 527-565 AD, commissioned over 30 churches and many magnificent artworks.
    • Liturgical Art Medieval artists created great ritual artworks for the many ceremonies of the Christian church.
    • Stained Glass These brightly colored, deeply spiritual artworks were gifts of faith to the great cathedrals by wealthy individuals and merchant guilds.
    • Patronage at the French Court The French kings, their relatives and members of their court commissioned luxurious works of art to display their high status.

 
Previous Back to Discover Western Art Next