- Glenn Dale, Maryland, United States
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Archaeology, Medieval Archaeology, Late Antique and Byzantine Studies, Funerary Archaeology, Iconography, Early Medieval History, and 25 moreEarly Medieval Archaeology, Early Medieval Art, Early Medieval Period, Early medieval numismatics, Byzantine Iconography, Engraved gems, Gemstone, Magical Gems, Religious History, Amulets, Roman Finger rings, Ancient jewellery, Medieval jewellery, Late Antique and Byzantine Jewellery, Roman Jewellery, Roman Glyptics and Jewelry, Glyptics, Late Antique and Byzantine Glyptics, Stamp Seals, Byzantine art, Byzantine Studies, Florin Curta, Archéologie Mérovingienne, Merovingian Gaul, and Barbarians and Romans in Late Antiquity and Early Middle Ages edit
Strictly understood, “Merovingian” refers to a ruling dynasty among the Franks, and some scholars use the term in this limited sense. But as the cohesiveness of various groups has been increasingly questioned over the past few decades, it... more
Strictly understood, “Merovingian” refers to a ruling dynasty among the Franks, and some scholars use the term in this limited sense. But as the cohesiveness of various groups has been increasingly questioned over the past few decades, it has also come to have geographical import, referring to the many different cultures in central and western Europe from the mid-5th to the mid-8th centuries. Such cultures include people identified as Franks, Alamanni (Alemanni, Alemans), Burgundians, Goths, Visigoths, Lombards (Langobards), and others; terms used include the more generic “barbarians” and “Dark Ages” and, chronologically, the “Migration Period,” following and intersecting with Late Antiquity. The negative connotations of “barbarians” and “Dark Ages” reflect a common devaluation of Merovingian culture based on uncritical acceptance of Carolingian propaganda and the Renaissance paradigm. Most preserved art of this period comes from many thousands of burials. There are also large-scale survivals—sarcophagi and architectural sculpture—but outside Italy, little wall painting remains. Few objects have been studied by art historians, even among works long known, and excavators are constantly adding to the corpus. Most scholarship listed in this article is archaeological. The field is very ready for new art historical approaches. Potentially meaningful details of individual objects have been neglected in favor of the broad trends that interest archaeologists. Contemporary Anglo-Saxon art, though it has much in common with Merovingian art, is generally treated as a distinct field. Separation of the two areas is reinforced by language: Merovingian culture has been studied most often in the languages of
the Continent, while Anglophone scholars have tended to look at the United Kingdom and Ireland. This article focuses on the territories
of modern France, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Switzerland. It excludes Spain and Italy, the British Isles, Denmark, Scandinavia, and the large quantity of related material to the east, from Austria and Hungary to Russia. It also excludes architecture and epigraphy.
the Continent, while Anglophone scholars have tended to look at the United Kingdom and Ireland. This article focuses on the territories
of modern France, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Switzerland. It excludes Spain and Italy, the British Isles, Denmark, Scandinavia, and the large quantity of related material to the east, from Austria and Hungary to Russia. It also excludes architecture and epigraphy.
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English version of "Bergkristall im Frühmittelalter: Merowingische Amulette und karolingische Intaglios." Merovingian and Carolingian works in rock crystal are among the most accomplished creations of the Early Middle Ages, the period... more
English version of "Bergkristall im Frühmittelalter: Merowingische Amulette und karolingische Intaglios." Merovingian and Carolingian works in rock crystal are among the most accomplished creations of the Early Middle Ages, the period formerly – and misleadingly! – known as the ‘dark ages’ in Western Europe. The Franks, Anglo-Saxons, and others living during the time of the Merovingian rulers (5th to 7th cent.) crafted
superb crystal objects that they wore as amulets along with their elaborate brooches and
rings. Their descendants the Carolingians (late 8th to late 10th cent.) used the same medium to express the complex religious and political thought of their day. So why did some of these people wear rock crystal, and how did artists move from non-figural rock crystal objects in the Merovingian era to Christian
superb crystal objects that they wore as amulets along with their elaborate brooches and
rings. Their descendants the Carolingians (late 8th to late 10th cent.) used the same medium to express the complex religious and political thought of their day. So why did some of these people wear rock crystal, and how did artists move from non-figural rock crystal objects in the Merovingian era to Christian
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German version of "Rock Crystal in the Early Middle Ages: Merovingian Amulets and Carolingian Intaglios." Merowingische und karolingische Arbeiten aus Bergkristall gehören zu den vollendetsten Werken des Frühmittelalters, jenem Zeitalter,... more
German version of "Rock Crystal in the Early Middle Ages: Merovingian Amulets and Carolingian Intaglios." Merowingische und karolingische Arbeiten aus Bergkristall gehören zu den vollendetsten Werken des Frühmittelalters, jenem Zeitalter, das in Westeuropa früher – und irreführenderweise! – als das ‚dunkle Zeitalter‘ bezeichnet wurde. Die Franken, Angelsachsen und andere, die zur Zeit der Merowinger (5.–7. Jh.) lebten, schufen fantastische Objekte aus Bergkristall, die sie als Amulette zusammen mit ihren kunstvollen Fibeln und Ringen trugen. Ihre Nachfahren, die Karolinger (spätes 8.–10. Jh.), nutzten dasselbe Material, um das komplexe religiöse und politische Denken ihrer Zeit auszudrücken. Warum also trugen einige dieser Menschen Bergkristall, und wie verlief die künstlerische Entwicklung von nichtfigürlichen Bergkristallobjekten der Merowingerzeit zu
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I am not allowed to post this yet, but will happily send copies to individual colleagues. Amulets, worn in almost all societies, were common in the Merovingian world. While bears’ teeth and cowrie shells needed little modification to... more
I am not allowed to post this yet, but will happily send copies to individual colleagues.
Amulets, worn in almost all societies, were common in the Merovingian world. While bears’ teeth and cowrie shells needed little modification to be worn protectively, and coins had only to be pierced and occasionally inscribed, more elaborate amulets were specially crafted in complex forms. Bound pendants held spheroid materials, most often stone, in metalwork cages. Among those materials, rock crystal was the most popular, probably because it was thought to have apotropaic and healing properties. The next most frequent choice, iron ore, was credited with power against wounds, bleeding, and animal bites. The pendants were buried with grave assemblages gendered feminine, and most often accompanied women of childbearing age (rarely children or elders), suggesting that they were instrumental in constructing and manifesting those important aspects of social identity. Wealth and social status—of incumbents, their families, and/or their communities—is reflected in both the precious materia...
Amulets, worn in almost all societies, were common in the Merovingian world. While bears’ teeth and cowrie shells needed little modification to be worn protectively, and coins had only to be pierced and occasionally inscribed, more elaborate amulets were specially crafted in complex forms. Bound pendants held spheroid materials, most often stone, in metalwork cages. Among those materials, rock crystal was the most popular, probably because it was thought to have apotropaic and healing properties. The next most frequent choice, iron ore, was credited with power against wounds, bleeding, and animal bites. The pendants were buried with grave assemblages gendered feminine, and most often accompanied women of childbearing age (rarely children or elders), suggesting that they were instrumental in constructing and manifesting those important aspects of social identity. Wealth and social status—of incumbents, their families, and/or their communities—is reflected in both the precious materia...
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I am not allowed to post this, but will happily send copies to individual colleagues. A sapphire intaglio in a London collection (L) with the same composition as the seal of Alaric II in Vienna (V) is probably authentic. Both L and V show... more
I am not allowed to post this, but will happily send copies to individual colleagues. A sapphire intaglio in a London collection (L) with the same composition as the seal of Alaric II in Vienna (V) is probably authentic. Both L and V show surface damage consistent with the internal structure of their stones. The letter forms and figure styles of both are reasonable in fifth/sixth-century contexts. An illustration published in 1811 probably reflects L rather than V, as its figural proportions demonstrate. Early medieval multiples and copies provide ample precedent for two very similar seals naming the same person.
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This is a long online bibliography. I am allowed to post only the introduction. The full article (with links to materials online) can be accessed by subscription at... more
This is a long online bibliography. I am allowed to post only the introduction. The full article (with links to materials online) can be accessed by subscription at <http://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780199920105/obo-9780199920105-0095.xml#obo-9780199920105-0095-div1-0003>. I have a PDF (without the live links) that I may not post, but I will send it to friends and colleagues on request. I am currently (Dec. 2021) working on an update-- recommendations welcome!
I am not allowed to post this article, but will happily send copies to individual colleagues.
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Rock crystal is a stone frequently used for amulets, though among the materials least favored for magical intaglios. Particularly important are the polished crystal spheres surviving both from imperial Roman Italy and from early medieval... more
Rock crystal is a stone frequently used for amulets, though among the materials least favored for magical intaglios. Particularly important
are the polished crystal spheres surviving both from imperial Roman Italy and from early medieval western Europe. The simple geometric forms of both groups are of course very similar, but I suggest that their usage was different in important ways.
are the polished crystal spheres surviving both from imperial Roman Italy and from early medieval western Europe. The simple geometric forms of both groups are of course very similar, but I suggest that their usage was different in important ways.
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A sapphire ring stone in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna which bears the legend ALARICVS REX GOTHORVM fits well into a late fifth/early sixth-century context. Forgery is highly unlikely. It was probably meant to seal letters and... more
A sapphire ring stone in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna which bears the legend ALARICVS REX GOTHORVM fits well into a late fifth/early sixth-century context. Forgery is highly unlikely. It was probably meant to seal letters and secure valuables, though chancery use is possible. Its composition, most probably modelled on imperial coinage, combines with an extremely high-status medium to present a flattering picture of Alaric as a peaceful king. This paper suggests that Theoderic the Ostrogoth may have commissioned the intaglio in an effort to avert war between the Franks and Visigoths, and to enhance his own status.
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THE ALFRED JEWEL'S covering panel of rock crystal is anomalous in the context of Anglo-Saxon art. Typology indicates that it was probably not imported from a contemporary Continental workshop. Markings on the stone's surfaces show that... more
THE ALFRED JEWEL'S covering panel of rock crystal is anomalous in the context of
Anglo-Saxon art. Typology indicates that it was probably not imported from a contemporary Continental workshop. Markings on the stone's surfaces show that it was, however, used in another context before being set in its present mount. Roman comparanda (crystal panels in Rome and opus sectile elements from Kenchreai) best parallel the crystal's size and shape. The Oxford panel was probably a Roman decorative inset, possibly salvaged from a wall or piece of furniture. It must have determined the unusual shape of the Alfred jewel.
Anglo-Saxon art. Typology indicates that it was probably not imported from a contemporary Continental workshop. Markings on the stone's surfaces show that it was, however, used in another context before being set in its present mount. Roman comparanda (crystal panels in Rome and opus sectile elements from Kenchreai) best parallel the crystal's size and shape. The Oxford panel was probably a Roman decorative inset, possibly salvaged from a wall or piece of furniture. It must have determined the unusual shape of the Alfred jewel.