Medieval Europe

Intricate stained glass window depicting three figures in a geometric design, surrounded by floral patterns and colorful detailing in blue, red, and green hues.

Uncover the artistic heritage of medieval Europe, where illuminated manuscripts, towering cathedrals, and intricate objects reflect a world shaped by faith, power, and craftsmanship

Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal)
Italy
France
Germany

The Iberian Peninsula

(Spain and Portugal)

The Iberian Peninsula in the Middle Ages was home to Christians, Jews, and Muslims

The Visigoths

The Visigoths, a Germanic people who shaped the late Roman Empire and early medieval Europe, migrated across Europe to establish of the Visigothic Kingdom in Spain.

Anglo-Saxon metal brooch shaped like a bird, featuring inlaid red stones and intricate designs.

Visigothic fibulae of eagles

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Important terms and concepts

Fibulae

Cloisonné

Germanic Tribes

Iberian Peninsula

Al-Andalus

ivory container covered in decoration

Al-Andalus, the Muslim-ruled region of the Iberian Peninsula from the 8th to the 15th century, is celebrated for its flourishing art, architecture, science, and cultural exchanges that shaped both Europe and the Islamic world.

Explaining the term pyxis using the Pyxis of al-Mughira

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Important terms and concepts

Pyxis

Al-Andalus

France

A beautiful circular stained glass window from Chartres cathedral

When we think of soaring Gothic cathedrals, we tend to imagine those in France

What is a rose window in Gothic architecture?

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stained glass windows in a space lit by candles

What is a fleur-de-lis?

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Important terms and concepts

Cathedral

Stained Glass

Rose window

Fleur-de-lis

Calendar Pages in the Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry

Painted mainly by the Limbourg Brothers, the Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry is an illuminated manuscript that was created between c. 1412 and 1416. It is one of the most famous medieval manuscripts in the world.

The September page in the Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry shows peasants harvesting grapes, donkeys hauling baskets, and the Château de Saumur in the background

September Calendar Page in the Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry

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A medieval illuminated manuscript featuring a colorful illustration of a castle and countryside scene on the left page, with a decorated calendar and text on the right page.

October Calendar Page in the Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry

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A medieval illustration divided into three sections: the top shows a starry sky with an astrological chart and zodiac signs; the middle depicts a castle with a blue sky background; the bottom features hunters with dogs in a forest, actively hunting, with the castle in the background.

December Calendar Page in the Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry

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Important terms and concepts

Book of Hours

Illuminated Manuscript

Calendar Page

Zodiac

The Limbourg Brothers

Two pages are open in a manuscript with one showing a colorful scene of a forest with a pig farmer tending to a group of pigs eating acorns

November Calendar Page in the Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry

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Italy

Powerful city-states emerged in this period

An angel kneels before a woman in a bright blue mantle

What is an angel? | Simone Martini's Annunciation

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Important terms and concepts

Angel

Altarpiece

Germany

Skeletons dance in a graveyard in an image of the medieval danse macabre (dance of death)

Feudal principalities, the Holy Roman Empire, and more characterized medieval Germany

What is the medieval Dance of Death (danse macabre)?

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Important terms and concepts

Danse macabre

Woodcut

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