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.
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.…
Date: c. 980 Place of Production: Germany Description: 74cm-tall sculpture of the Virgin holding the infant Jesus, made from a wooden core covered with sheets of gold. It is one of the oldest known full-length, free-standing sculptures of the Madonna in the medieval West. Held at: Essen Cathedral Treasury Image 1 licensed under CC BY 2.5. Image by Arnoldius. Image…
Date: 1080 Place of Production: Merseburg, Germany Description: Bronze tomb effigy embedded in the floor of Merseburg Cathedral. Rudolf’s tomb is one of the first known in the medieval west to be marked with a sculpted effigy in bronze, which was originally covered in gilding. Held at: Merseburg Cathedral Images licensed under CC BY 2.5. Image by Michail Jungierek.
Date: c. 970s Place of Production: Cologne, Germany Description: Oak cross with crucified Christ, made for Archbishop Gero of Cologne. The sculpture is carved, painted and partially gilded. The halo and cross are original, but the surround was a later 17th-century Baroque addition. Standing over six feet tall, it is one of the earliest monumental…
Date: c. 947 Place of Production: Germany Description: Edith was originally buried in the monastery of St Maurice in Magdeburg, which was converted into Magdeburg Cathedral. In 2008, the 16th-century stone sarcophagus in Magdeburg Cathedral was opened and a lead coffin found with Edith’s body inside. Held at: Magdeburg Cathedral Image in Public Domain. For more, see H. Meller, W.Schenkluhn,…
Date: Late 9th–10th century Place of Production: Campania, Southern Italy Description: Despite its mythical origins, the griffin was a popular motif in Christian art. Here, two griffins face each other, a design that was borrowed from ancient Near Eastern art and may have been inspired by woven textiles. A surviving similar panel found in Sorrento…
Date: 10th century Place of Production: Spain, likely Cordoba Description: This capital is thought to have come from Madinat al-Zahra’, near Cordoba, Spain, which was founded in 936. The city housed a magnificent Umayyad royal residence. The capital bears the legacy of artistic traditions brought by the Umayyads from Syria to Spain. Inscription: On boss at one side…
Date: 10th century Place of Production: Carved 1000s, assembled 1100s or 1200s Description: ‘This doorway is an example of the reuse of materials during the life of a single medieval church’. The marble used to construct the doorway was taken from local Roman ruins. The principal elements were carved at different times during the eleventh century, putting…
Date: 9th- to 11th-century Place of Production: Italy Description: This architectural element has decoration carved in flat raised relief on all four faces. The ornament on each face is different. Motifs, such as the as eyes of a lamb, are pointed up with lead- only the lead in the eyes now remains. There is a hole at…
