Virtual Museum 1000-1200

Pendant; 11th Century

Jan 1, 1000

The Fatimid dynasty gained control of much of the Mediterranean area of northern African in the 10th century. The Fatimid rulers claimed decent from the Prophet Muhammad's daughter Fatima. In Egypt the Fatimid founded the city of Cario as their home, which flourished from trade thanks to the Mediterranean and India. Thanks to this prosperity, new art began to grow. This pendant is one of the few works of enamel to survive. The design is typical of the Fatimid era.

Bernward's Column

Jan 1, 1000

The column is bronze-cast with 28 scenes from Christ’s life. It was ordered by Bishop Bernward for St. Michael's monastery in Germany. Since its creation the column has faced many challenges. The column is upheld with a steel pole inside. On top of the column, or its capital, was a rood, but during the reformation era the rood was melted down to make cannons. About 100 years later the capital itself was melted down to pay for a bell. The column has also moved at least five times in its history.

Book Cover with Byzantine Icon of the Crucifixion

Jan 1, 1000

As handmade objects each book was precious. The entire process of making a book was long and intensive, from killing the animals to make parchment form their hides to a scribe and artist filling each page with words and pictures. Some books had covers such as this one. The ivory on the cover was highly prized, along with the sapphire, glass and crystal used to decorate it. The name of Queen Felicia, founder of the nunnery of Santa Cruz de los Seros in Spain, appears on the back cover.

Reliquary Cross

Jan 1, 1050

Versions of the tree of life appear on all four sides symbolizing the union of God and creation. The image of Agnus Dei makes the cross related to the Trinity Gospels. This dates the piece to about mid 11th century. The cross was likely meant to hold a piece of the True Cross as well as being a pectoral cross. The cross is hinged with two silver rivets in order to open it to reveal a metal reliquary inside. The cross is made of Walrus ivory and is from England.

Tapestry with Dragons and Flowers; 11-12th Century

Jan 1, 1050

The dragons here are a hybrid of different dragons. Besides being Chinese in origin the dragons have Indian traits and are most closely those depicted in Central Asia. Traditional Central Asian aspects of the tapestry include; the long snot of the dragons, the floral background, most prominent is the three flower combination of a lotus blossom, lotus leaf and trefoil leaf, and the bright colors. The tapestry is made of silk and is thought to have been worn as part of a robe.

Earrings; 11th-12th Century

Jan 1, 1050

These earrings are constructed from gold wire and filigree and hail from Iran between the 11th and 12th century. The outside of the earrings has seven prongs with a cap, and what is not seen is that on the back of the earrings are five more. These are assumed to have been the side that was most visible when the earrings were worn. The prongs also have holes, which is assumed was meant to hold further decoration, like a string of pearls, for the earrings.

Bayeux Tapestry

Jan 1, 1070

The tapestry was probably embroidered after the Battle of Hastings 1066 to depict the conquest of England by William the Duke of Normandy. This date is unknown, since the first written record of the tapestry is in 1476. The tapestry stands at 70 meters long, and begins from the story of setting sail at Normandy to the end of the Battle of Hastings. The original tapestry is now in France, but in 1886 35 women from England embroidered an exact replica so that England could have her own copy.

Early Spring

Jan 1, 1072

Signed and dated by Guo Xi, 1072, this piece is an early example of the landscape tradition of the Northern Song, China. The entire painting is centered on the land emerging from the mist and revealing itself after the winter. Guo Xi painted three types of trees in his work. The bending trees represent man holding his creeds to himself. The gnarled trees are man trying to stay true to those virtues. The straight trees are those who remain true to oneself and flourish in their environment.

Durham Cathedral

Jan 1, 1093

Durham Cathedral began its construction in 1093 and took close to 40 years to complete. What is special about the cathedral is how much of it is original. It retains most of all the Norman craftsmanship and original design. This includes the nave, quire and the Galilee Chapel on the west end of the cathedral. The cathedral was built in honor of St Cuthbert and was built under William of Calais, who was appointed by William the Conqueror. UNESCO designated it a World Heritage Site.

Plaque with scenes from the life of Buddha; 12th Century

Jan 1, 1100

The plaque, made of mudstone, depicts the-soon-to-be Buddha's victory over the demon Mara. Right before he achieved enlightenment and became Buddha, the demon Mara tried everything to stop him. Instead of breaking his meditation, Buddha touched the ground to call upon earth goddess. The earth goddess responded by getting rid of Mara. Around the Buddha are the eight segments of his life. The piece is probably for a personal shrine. It is believed to be originally from India or Burma.

Wisdom King Fudo; 12th Century

Jan 1, 1100

Fudo Myo-o is considered to be the central deity of the Five Wisdom kings. His depiction in this wooden carving is a common appearance of him. Fudo is said to use fear to convert people to follow Dainichi Nyorai, the main deity in Esoteric Buddhism. Fudo has his sword upright and noose ready to stop anything from harming a believer. Fangs, an eye that turns inward and exaggerated length in his limbs are all meant to bring fear. This piece is from the Heian period of Japan.

Cloudy Mountains

Jan 1, 1100

Ca. 1074-1151.
This painting was done by Mi Youren on a handscroll. The technique that Mi used to paint the scene is done with wet ink dots, which came to be known as Mi-family dots. This technique varied from the tradition of using lines to show the world. Instead the dot style allowed for Mi to show mist and rain around the hills and lakes of his region. This was done by using wet ink and then horizontal brush strokes. This style was copied in the Southern Song period of China.

Bottle with Sprinkler Top

Jan 1, 1100

This style of bottle was common in the Selijuq period of Iran to hold oils. The knobs on the bottle allowed for a better grip if the entire thing became slippery. The decorations on the bottle, including the six birds sitting on top and the sprinkler style opening suggest this was made during the later part of the period, probably mid 12th century. Around the bottle are inscribed words wishing the owner well.

Genji Monogatari Emaki; 12th Century

Jan 1, 1100

The Genji Monogatari Emaki is an illustrated tale. The story follows characters, not a plot, as things happen to them. In the tale the characters were referred to by their job not by name. The entire tale is 54 chapters long and can be divided into three sections. The first section deals with the rise and fall of Genji, the emperor’s son. The second section is a transition to the section about Genji's decedents. The entire tale was written by Murasaki Shikibu, a court lady.

Along the River During the Qingming Festival; 12th Century

Jan 1, 1100

This 8 1/2 foot scroll is attributed to Zhang Zeduan during the Song Dynasty, China. The scroll depicts everyday life around the capital of the Song Dynasty during the Qingming Festival, a May Day like festival. This piece has been used to identify proper clothing, architecture and lifestyles of the people from the period. A handscroll was originally meant to be held by one person, so the painting would seem to move closer and further away from the holder as it was unrolled.

Temple Pendant with Two Birds Flanking the Tree of Life

Jan 1, 1100

Kievan Rus was a powerful Slavic state which prospered for roughly 300 years. During this time Grand Prince Vladimir of Kiev converted his entire state to Christianity. After this conversion the artist of Kievan Rus adopted Byzantine fashion and manners. This pendant was a mix of Byzantine and original Kievan Rus design. It is unknown exactly how the pendant was worn, but common Byzantine practice had it close to the face of both men and women. The pendant was found in 1842 in the Ukraine.

The Gloucester Candlestick

Jan 1, 1104

This candlestick originally belonged to the Church of St Peter in Gloucester England. The candlestick survived being melted down and is a great example of Romanesque style. Three inscriptions in Latin can be found on the candlestick. The first details its origins, which also helps date the piece to between 1104 and 1113. On the outside of the drip pan, the inscription details that the candle was meant to reveal God's light and prevent the shadow of sin.

Griffin Ewer

Jan 1, 1120

Ewer's, also known as an aquamanilia (Latin for hand wash), were used at home and church to wash ones hands. The designs of ewers varied in the 12th century to copy animals and mystical creatures and guardians. This one is a griffin, body of a lion and wings of an eagle, which were considered noble creatures. This piece is one of the oldest surviving ewers and one of very sophisticated detail. The place of origin is unknown, but it is believed to have been in northern Europe, around Germany.

The Hindu Deity Vishnu; 11th-12th Century

Jan 1, 1150

This stone stele depicts Vishnu flanked by Lakshmi and Sarasvati, his two consorts. Vishnu is shown here standing on a double lotus pedal. It is through the items he carries in his arms the Vishnu is recognized. His two raised arms have a mace and a discus, while his lowered arms have a conch shell and seed. It is assumed that this stele would have been found in a place of honor and devotion in a temple, sadly no complete structure exists today from this time period in India.

Stavelot Triptych

Jan 1, 1156

This triptych contains three triptyches, two in the center panel and the bigger one that holds the two. It was constructed at the Abby of Stavelot, Belgium, under Abbot Wibald. The center triptych's are said to hold two pieces of the True Cross. The panels of the bigger triptych depict the life of Constantine and St. Helena. The larger of the two triptyches in the center depict two male and two female saints, while the smaller one shows the crucifixion with Mary and John flanking it.

Tabernacle

Jan 1, 1180

In 2005 a research project was undertaken on the Tabernacle. Originally thought of as a Reliquary, the project discovered it was used as a Tabernacle instead. This project also discovered a note on the piece claiming that it came from Cologne. A study of the wood inside of the Tabernacle was used to date the piece authentically, pinpointing a completion date around 1180. The piece was touched up in the 19th century; this project determined that most of the Tabernacle is original.