Art Stories in the Middle Ages

The Middle Ages are still associated mainly with violence and obscurantism, but it is unfair to reduce it to that: in this period precious works were produced, some of them part of the collection of Calouste Gulbenkian.

It is not uncommon to see the Middle Ages referred to as the Dark Ages. Particularly in popular culture, this period of history continues to be associated with violence and obscurantism. But this is an unfair association – or a generalization, if you like –: the Middle Ages spans from the 5th to the 15th century, between the falls of the Western and Eastern Roman Empires. In that time period, much has passed. And not everything was violent or dark.

It is true that the great migrations, also called “barbarian invasions”, which began the Middle Ages, led to a phenomenon of ruralization, coinciding with the decline of cities, the retraction of trade and the degradation of large public structures such as roads, bridges and aqueducts.

But it didn't have to wait for the 15th century for there to be a renaissance – not to be confused with the Renaissance. There were even several revivals of the importance of cities from the 11th century onwards, when the first European universities began to emerge: Bologna in 1088, Paris around 1150, Oxford in 1167, Salamanca in 1218 and Coimbra in 1288.

When contemplating the art produced in the Middle Ages, the aforementioned generalization loses even more meaning. It is, for example, from the century. XIII the precious parchment of the Apocalypse, where gold and silver leaf is used, and tempera painting on parchment. It is one of only three examples that were executed in England between 1260 and 1275. It was part of the estate of the important British collector Henry Yates Thompson and was acquired by Calouste Gulbenkian in 1920.

Another work from the Founder's Collection of the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum that dates back to the Middle Ages is the Book of Hours of Margarida de Cleves, from 1395-1400. This type of book was intended for private worship, with texts illustrated by full-page miniatures. This stands out for including a representation of Margaret of Cleves herself, wife of Duke Albert of Bavaria, in prayer before the Virgin and Child, thus establishing a rare link between the profane and the divine world.

Religious art was the one that best survived the passage of time and political transformations. It had, at the time, a function greater than serving as a reflection or celebration: it was an agent of history, teaching the doctrine through images. An example of this is another work in the Collection, this one acquired by Gulbenkian in Paris in 1918: it is a diptych in ivory leaves with scenes from the Passion of Christ that had a catechetical function: it is equivalent, in essence, to a small book illustrated, such is the detail and refinement with which it was executed.

Diptych with Scenes from the Life and Passion of Christ. Paris, c. 1350-1375. Ivory. Calouste Gulbenkian Museum. Photo – Catarina Gomes Ferreira

The use of ivory also reveals that, contrary to what many people think, Europe was not closed in on itself during this period. On the contrary, it always maintained commercial, religious, diplomatic and military contacts with the peoples of the Mediterranean and even the Far East. Not only did goods arrive from these parts of the continent, but also reports from travelers – such as Marco Polo – who spread different ideas and cultural habits.

The revival of the Middle Ages took place in the 19th century, at the time of the industrial revolution and the liberal revolution, in which the Gothic style was recovered and revalued through the restoration of some of the great medieval monuments in Europe – here the action of some artists and architects of the time such as the French Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, William Morris or the Catalan Antoni Gaudí.

Even today, it is common to find reproductions of the rich medieval imagery in cinema and literature, the most flagrant and mediatic examples being the Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones sagas. That is, yes, there was a lot of violence and obscurantism in the Middle Ages, but as art proves, there was also much more than that.