Medieval Art

What the unit covers

This page follows medieval art across several traditions. Some resources start with early medieval work, such as the Book of Kells and Hiberno-Saxon monastic art. Others cover Byzantine and Romanesque art, Gothic architecture, Viking art and medieval art on the Iberian Peninsula. There is also a pair of medieval African art quizzes.

Much of the material is built for slide identification. The flashcards name a work, its date, its medium and what makes it notable. One deck, for instance, pairs the Door of Bishop Bernward at Hildesheim with its bronze casting and its not-quite-classical figures.

Where to start

1. Open the Romanesque and Gothic Review and Identification quiz. It asks you to fill in blanks such as the church, its location and its era, so it shows quickly what you already know.
2. Read a broad mind map, such as the one titled MEDIEVAL ART, which sets out Romanesque and Gothic by century and region.
3. Move to the flashcards. Medieval Art and Architecture and Western Medieval Art Key Terms are good places to learn the vocabulary.

Using quizzes and maps together

Use a mind map first to see how styles connect. Romanesque has its own maps for architecture and sculpture, and Gothic has maps for art and architecture. Then take a quiz without looking and note what you missed. Go back to the map for those points and test yourself again.

For architecture, the flashcards on the Basilica of St. Denis list features such as pointed arches and rib vaulting. Read them beside the map on medieval cathedral architecture.

Specific topics

• Iberian art: a flashcard deck on Christian art in the Iberian Peninsula, plus maps and a flowchart.
• Objects and images: maps on the Tara Brooch and the Lady and the Unicorn tapestries.
• Ideas: notes on sacred art as the Bible of the Poor, and a map on Moralised Bibles.

Several decks mention AP Art History, so school students can use them for that course, while university students will recognise the exam and slide-test style.

Where it fits

This unit sits in the Medieval Art strand of Art history. When you are ready, choose one resource, work through it, and then make a flashcard set of your own for the works you find hardest.