History of mediæval art (1893) (14779694892)

Identifier: historyofmedival00rebe (find matches)
Title: History of mediæval art
Year: 1893 (1890s)
Authors: Reber, Franz von, 1834-1919 Clarke, Joseph Thacher, d. 1920
Subjects: Art, Medieval
Publisher: New York : Harper & Bros.
Contributing Library: Boston Public Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Boston Public Library



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gh legends andrude symbols. It cannot be denied that theCarolingian works of preciousmetal were decidedly inferior tothe Byzantine models. They werefar from attaining to the artisticeminence of one of the contem-porary works of Italy, the mag-nificent revetment of the altar ofS. Ambrogio in Milan, dedicatedin 827 by the archbishop Angil-bert, and executed by MasterWolvinius, whose name leads usto think him a German. Theworkmanship of its gilded sheetsof silver rivals the best contemporary products of Byzantium, whilethe figures, in correctness and beauty of form, and in facial ex-pression, far surpass all other works of the kind which have beenpreserved from this period. Ivory carvings in relief continued greatly in vogue, yet butfew of them can be accurately dated. Among these the two re-liefs executed by the versatile monk Tutilo of St. Gall, who diedin 915, are particularly adapted to convey a distinct conception ofthe tendencies of Carolingian art (Fig. 129). Antique reminiscences
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Fig. 128. -The Chalice of Thassilo inKremsmuenster. SCULPTURE. 241 are evident in the allegorical figures of Sol, Luna, Oceanus, andTellus; the Evangelists resemble ancient philosophers, while theChrist and the cherubim distinctly display the influences of By-zantium. Nevertheless, the composition is original in many re-spects, and the action of the figures is lifelike, often even exagger-ated, as in the case of St. Mark, who is represented as cutting acalamus. The diptych of Tutilo, however, must have surpassedthe other works of thisepoch, as did his fame asan artist that of all his con-temporaries. The mosaics of Raven-na executed during thedomination of the Ostro-goths, such as those in theBaptistery of the Arians(S. Maria in Cosmedin), andin S. Apollinare nuovo, thecourt church of Theodoric,are only to be distinguishedfrom the works of the Ital-ians preceding and follow-ing that epoch by thesteady decline of the ar-tistic style. The portraitsof Theodoric in mosaic, known to have e