Figure 1.--This is the funeral sculpture of Béatrice de Beausart and her son Guillaume. She was the wife of Hugues de Melun. The sculpture was done about 1456. We thought this was a cathedral sculpture, but apparently it was done for a casyle (chateau), we assume Castle of Antoing. Antoing is a town in the Waloon area of Belgium.

The Medieval period is a long, comple era in European history between ancient and modern times. Historians vary, but often define it from the fall of Rome in the 5th century AD to the Renaissanc of the 15th-16th century. There are many phases of this amazingly complex period, including pre-Christian antecedents, early Christian, Byzantine, Romanesque, and Gothic periods. In some areas, especially Spain there was an important Islamic influence. There was a general decline in civilizatioin and this is reflected in the in loss of ability by the medieval artist to depict scenes in classical precision. Some art historians suggest that this is a lessening concern of Christian art with the world. This may well be, but it also reflects a decline in education and training associated with civilization as well as the wealth needed to support sophticated art. There is also a wide ange of media, including wooden and stone free-standing and architectural sculpture to stained glass, metalwork, enamels, ivories, manuscript illuminations (typically tempera and gold leaf on parchment or vellum), oil paintings, tapestries, and others. Medieval art presents a problem for HBC in that it is directly primaily at the glorification of God. Thus domestic scenes and everyday life are not commonly depicted, leaving us relatively few depictions of children. HBC wants to build a list of medieval artists that provide useful images of boys clothing. Our knowledge of artists during this period is very limited at this time. It is an a topic that we hope to be able to address evntually. Here establishing a clear time line concerning medieval art is not a easy matter. A HBC reader writes, for example, "The 16th century was no longer medieval with regard to the official culture, but itīs not that easy. Pieter Breugel was "modern" painter in the sense that HBC wrote. His paintings tend to show late medieval scenes. He painted simple people and showed their clothing. What I understand from his paintings is, that children wore almost the same type of clothing.

Medieval Europe

The medieval period is a long, comple era in European history between ancient and modern times. Historians vary, but often define it from the fall of Rome in the 5th century AD to the Renaissanc of the 15th-16th century. There are many phases of this amazingly complex period, including pre-Christian antecedents, early Christian, Byzantine, Romanesque, and Gothic periods. In some areas, especially Spain there was an important Islamic influence.

Development

The medieval era spanned a milenia and during this period art made the transition from Roman art to an entirely new form, what we now know as medieval art. The base for medieval art is the classical tradition of Greece and Rome. The fall of Rome, however, destroyed the ibfrastruture and economic base which supported Romn art. Thus the quality and refinement of art declined in the dark ages. The fall of Rome also curtailed trade and commerce. This meant among other impacts that art forms became more localized. The growing importance of the Church, howevr, provided some central themes and formats as well as support for art. The conquests of the Germanic tribes introduced an important new element to Roman art. Later Islamix art influenced art in Spain and as a result of the Crusades to the wider European community. The mixture of Roman art with that of the Germans and Muslims created what we now know as medieval art.

Forms

Medieval art is generally seen as the art of Europe after the fall of Rome (5th century) through to the Renaissance (15th-16th centuries). Give the vast time span and the many different cultures and peoples, there were many different types of medieval art. And the various types of medieval art were often expressed quite differently depending on the specific country. The major forms of medieval art in western Europe include: Late Antique art (lingering Roman styles in the early medieval period), Romanesque, and Gothic. Byzantine art was important in eastern Rurope. The Byzantines reqjected western art in the medieval era seeing as a barbaric (German) perversion oof Roman art.

Art Quality

There was a general decline in civilization and this is reflected in the in loss of ability by the medieval artist to depict scenes in classical precision. Some art historians suggest that this is a lessening concern of Christian art with the world. This may well be, but it also reflects a decline in education and training associated with civilization as well as the wealth needed to support sophticated art.

Media

There is also a wide ange of media, including wooden and stone free-standing and architectural sculpture to stained glass, metalwork, enamels, ivories, manuscript illuminations (typically tempera and gold leaf on parchment or vellum), oil paintings, tapestries, and others. Painting as we now know it virtually disappeared with the fall of Rome. For an incrediblr 7-8 centuries there are almost no notable paintings. Western pictorial expression is almost totally focused on the art of manuscript illumination--mostly the illumination of Bibles and other religious texts.

Religion

Clothing Depictions

Medieval art presents a problem for HBC in that it is directly primaily at the glorification of God. Thus domestic scenes and everyday life are not commonly depicted, leaving us relatively few depictions of children. Even though the scenes are commonly Biblical depictions, the fashions sown are contemporary. I had always thought that this was due to a lack of historical perspective. A HBC reader tells us that this was not the case. Rather it was a conscious attemp to convey immediacy and t make Bible ztories relevant to people at the time.

Individual Artists

For much of the medievak era, artists were anonamous. HBC wants to build a list of medieval artists that provide useful images of boys clothing. Our knowledge of artists during this period is very limited at this time. It is an a topic that we hope to be able to address evntually. Here establishing a clear time line concerning medieval art is not a easy matter. This in part because the transition from medieval to modern with the advent of the Renaisance varied accross Europe. Occurring first in Italy and gradually moving north and east. A HBC reader writes, for example, "The 16th century was no longer medieval with regard to the official culture, but itīs not that easy. Pieter Breugel was "modern" painter in the sense that HBC wrote. His paintings tend to show late medieval scenes. He painted simple people and showed their clothing. What I understand from his paintings is, that children wore almost the same type of clothing.