The Many Faces of Pelayo

The centrepiece of the Chronicle of Alfonso III, written in the late 9th or early 10th centuries, is the description of a certain Pelayo and his rebellion against the Saracen foreign rulers of the Iberian Peninsula. Pelayo, as the chronicle describes it, led a small group of Asturians in the pathless mountains in the North…

Gosforth Cross

Date: first half of the 10th century Place of Production: England Description: A large, 4.4m stone cross, featuring elaborate carvings representing scenes drawn from Norse mythology as well as a depiction of the crucifixion of Christ. Held at: St Mary’s Church, Gosforth. Images licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. Image by Doug Sim.

The Maaseik Embroideries

Date: 9th century Place of Production: England. Description: These pieces of embroidered material are believed to be the oldest extant Western European embroideries. Though they were identified as textiles made by Saints Relindis and Harlindis, two Frankish noble sisters from the convent of Aldeneik, it is now thought that they are of Anglo-Saxon English origin from some point…

St Cuthbert’s Maniple

Date: Early 10th century Place of Production: England, possibly Winchester. Description: When St Cuthbert’s coffin was opened in the nineteenth century, several well-preserved textiles dating from the early tenth century were found inside, including a stole and maniple. Both were embroidered with ‘Ælflæd ordered this to be made’ on the reverse; this is most likely the second wife…

Bayeux Tapestry

Date: c. 1070s Place of Production: England Description: The Bayeux Tapestry (or Bayeux Embroidery) is a remarkable achievement of eleventh-century textile art. At 50cm x 68m, it is an exceptionally large example of embroidered artwork, with scenes depicting the lead-up to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066 embroidered in wool on a linen background. The origins of…

Henry II Sternenmantel

Date: c. 1020 Place of Production: Uncertain Description: Embroidered cope (ceremonial cloak) of Henry II. The original fabric of the cope no longer survives; the embroidered sections were cut out and remounted onto a new blue silk damask. The current cope is 3m x 1.5m and was originally commissioned by Duke Ismahel of Bari before being given to…

Bernward Doors

Date: c. 1015 Place of Production: Germany Description: Two bronze cast doors with relief decoration showing scenes from the Bible. Each of the doors was cast as a single piece using the lost-wax method. Each door measures 4.7 x c.1.2 m and weighs about 1.85 tonnes. Held at: Hildesheim Cathedral Image 1 in Public Domain. Image by Bischöfliche Pressestelle Hildesheim.…