Art and Artistry

The medieval period is rich in artistic activity, although many painters, writers and craf workers remain anonymous. Artistic ability is seen as a divine gift, and the production process is usually a collaborative one.

1066 and all that:

The Bayeux Tapestry tells the story of the Norman conquest in 1066 from the point of view of the victors – an early form of political propaganda. Measuring 6 metres (20 feet) high and 69m (230ft) long, and stitched with wool thread on a linen base, its 70 scenes depict everyday incidents, such as bear-baiting, as well as crucial episodes, such as Harold being hit in the eye during the battle of Hastings.

The tapestry has most likely been commissioned by William I's half-brother, Bishop Odo of Bayeux, and is thought to be the work of English embroiderers, who are much admired for their skills. But its designer remains unknown.

Fine silk embroidery known as 'opus anglicanum' ('English work') is a lucrative export in the 14th century, especially in the form of ecclesiastical garments.

Write stuff:

Literacy only begins to spread in the 15th century, so, in earlier centuries, stories – both factual and fictional – are told in pictures and in song as well as in writing.

Language is a mix of Middle-English (which comes from Anglo-Saxon), French (spoken by the conquering Normans and of most of the invading nobility) and Latin (spoken by churchmen and lawyers). Latin is the preferred language of scholars, but the bulk of the population speak either French or English dialects. English finally becomes the norm in the 15th century.

Once and future king:

The legend of King Arthur and the knights of the Round Table is popular with story-tellers and writers. Geoffrey of Monmouth's History of the Kings of Britain mixes fact and fiction in its stories of a glorious age of chivalry. These are then embellished by later writers.

The idea of courtly love – respect for women, good manners, honourable deeds – comes to England from French poets in Provence. Romances with happy endings featuring noble men and women are popular from the mid-1200s. A favourite chivalric romance is the alliterative poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, whose author is unknown.

Thomas Malory picks up the Arthurian theme in his Le Morte D'Arthur, written in about 1469. It is the first English work in poetic prose and concentrates in eight tales on the nitty-gritty of the knights' adventures.
Malory's work is printed by William Caxton (c 1422-c 1491) in 1485. Caxton, who sets up the first English printing press at Westminster in 1476, is a successful mercer (cloth dealer) with literary tastes who discovers printing while trading in Flanders.

Poetry please:

Poetry is the most common form of writing and is often laced with social comment. In his poem, The Mirror of Fools, for example, satirist Nigel Wireker has a go at English students for their heavy drinking, whoring and over-eating.

The two most fêted poets of the late 14th century are William Langland (c 1332-1400) and John Gower (c 1330-1408), both preachers. Langland's Piers Plowman, written in a Midlands dialect, attacks the political and Church establishment.

Gower is more conservative. Although he denounces greedy lawyers and profligate clergy in some of his works, he also criticises the Peasants' Revolt of 1381 in Vox Clamantis.

Geoffrey Chaucer is the first major writer in English. His work is popular because he is a master of characterisation, humour and description. His final work, The Canterbury Tales, in which pilgrims entertain each other on the way from Southwark to the shrine of Thomas Becket, is rooted in the lives of people Chaucer has encountered on his travels.

John Lydgate (c 1370-1450) and Thomas Hoccleve (c 1368-1454) are the two most prolific poets of the early 15th century. Both enjoy royal patronage. Lydgate pens the lengthy but popular The Fall of Princes and The Troy Book, the latter commissioned by Henry V while prince of Wales. In 1411, Hoccleve writes a guide to virtuous princely behaviour called The Regement of Princes.

Kings aren't averse to writing poetry themselves. James I of Scotland pens The Kingis Quair, describing how he falls in love while a captive in England in the early 1400s.

(tbc)

Chronicles and guides:

Most factual work is initially written by monks. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, a saga of goings-on in the country which was started before the Normans arrived, is continued in monasteries. One of the most famous – and often very critical – chroniclers of Norman times is Orderic Vitalis, who lives at the abbey of St Evroul.

In the mid-1200s, when the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle finally ends, Matthew Paris, a monk at St Albans, is the top historian. His best work is Chronica Majora.

The demand for books in English in the 15th century leads to instructional works such as The Pricke of Conscience, a guide to morals, and Book of the Ordre of Chyvalry, a guide to chivalrous behaviour. The latter is printed by Caxton in 1484, updated from an earlier Catalan work.

Songs:

Songs, which are often improvised, are a means of communicating with the of the population. The first song written in English, some time after the end of the 1200s, is 'Sumer Is Icumen In' ('Summer Has Come').

Carols develop in the 15th century and contain some of the best poetry of the time. Originally songs to accompany a dance, carols keep their lyrical qualities but add a religious element which makes them suitable for singing at Christmas. They also contain political messages – 'The Agincourt Song', for instance, praises the English victory. There are others about the Wars of the Roses.

Music is sometimes used by doctors to aid healing. Joyful music is prescribed for melancholy, and music that provokes anger is aimed at curing paralysis. 'Shivarees' are the sexy sounds played to newly-weds to encourage consummation of the marriage. Popular instruments are the harp, with up to 25 sheep-gut strings, the fiddle, the lute, the bagpipes and the timbre (an early tambourine).

Street entertainment:

From the 12th century, jesters, minstrels, tumblers, jugglers, contortionists and stilt-walkers provide popular entertainment. Jesters and minstrels, who frequent fairs and markets, are classed alongside prostitutes by scholars because their comic acts are usually obscene. But nobles frequently employ them as part of the household. Minstrels perform narrative songs – romances and ballads – about saints and princes. A favourite is 'The Bargain of Judas' about the betrayal of Jesus.

In 1306, a woman going under the name Matilda Makejoy is employed as a professional acrobat.

There are no theatrical buildings in the Middle Ages. Plays are usually performed from the back of a wagon that is wheeled around to different locations. Religious and moral themes dominate the subject matter.

Miracle plays emerge in the 12th century. Often performed in Latin by clerics, they describe the lives of the saints. In the 14th century, they become known as mystery plays when put on by guilds (or 'misteries') in towns such as Chester and York. They begin to develop into cycles of plays performed at Whitsun and Corpus Christi, covering the Creation to the Last Judgement. By the early 15th century, there are 48 plays in the York cycle and they can only be fitted into one day if they begin at 4.30am and end at midnight.

Morality plays, which are greeted with less enthusiasm, concern themselves with the struggle between good and evil. The most famous are Everyman, which is an allegory of Christian death, and Mankind.

Crafts and manuscripts:

Memorial brasses become popular in the 14th and 15th centuries. The top workshop is based in St Paul's churchyard in London. The engravings are cheaper than sculptured effigies, and a good example is the one of Thomas de la Mare, abbot of St Albans, produced in 1360.

Illuminated manuscripts – decorated religious tracts – are produced in monasteries before the Norman conquest. The work is done on parchment. The text is written first, then the pigment is applied, beginning with powdered gold.

One of the best medieval examples is the Winchester Bible, begun when Henry of Blois is bishop of that diocese. The work of at least six talented artists, its initial letters incorporate tiny drawings of biblical subjects. The quality of work peaks in the early 14th century. The East Anglian school of illuminators is renowned for its work. The Luttrell psalter depicts scenes from everyday life, while the Gorleston psalter (1310-20) includes a painting of a duck exclaiming 'queck' when it is caught by a fox.

Very interesting Vicki. Thank you for the knowledge.

Thanks Vicki!