The word ‘Medieval’ recalls the popular tale of King Arthur and his knights, around the famous Round Table. However, this is only a minor fraction of the expansive era of medieval art, which beholds some of the best works of art. The Period of Early Medieval Art spanned over 1000 years, geographically encompassing Europe, the Middle East, and North America. The prolific medieval period witnessed the dawn of several key phases of art, Early Christian, Migration Period, Celtic, Byzantine, Islamic, Pre-Romanesque, Romanesque, and Gothic, with each period further diversifying into several other time zones. In short, medieval art is a combination of various art movements, such as classical, early Christian, and pagan arts.

One of the most prominent periods in the history of early medieval art is the period of migration. The works of art produced during this era were inspired by the Germans and Eastern Europeans, who were on the move from approximately the 3rd to 9th centuries (300-900). The history of the Migration Period dates back to the 3rd century, when the Roman Empire fell to the Germans. In reality, the number of Germans in the army increased, and by the end of the 6th century small and less politically organized, but dynamic, German kingdoms replaced the entire Western Roman Empire.

Although cosmopolitan, these German groups shared a common cultural background, ‘Mobile Art’, which emphasized the practical applicability and operation of weapons, tools, and jewelry. Indeed, these works encompassed portable personal adornments that could be buried in the tomb, as an act of restoring dead spirits, safeguarding the living. The main styles that dominated medieval art early in the migration period include ‘polychrome style’, ‘animal style’, and ‘winter-Saxon style’.

The ‘polychrome style’, which originated in the Goths on the Black Sea, comprised works of art such as statuettes and objects of gold, ornamented with precious stones. The most prominent example of this style is found in the 4th century (4th century) “Pietrossa Treasure” in Romania, complete with a large gold eagle brooch. Some other examples include a “Polychrome Sword” (5th century), in the tomb of the Frankish king Childeric I, “Visigothic polychrome votive crown” (c. 670) of the then King of Toledo, Recceswinth, and “Mounts of the Alamanic belt” ( 7th century), at Weingarten.

Originally, in Scandinavia, northern Germany, and Anglo-Saxon England, the ‘animal style’ of the migration period was practiced in the 5th century. The works of art of this philosophy were composed of zoomorphic decorations with the application of ‘chip carving’ on copper and silver. In fact, chip carving was introduced with this style. The artworks depicted the animals as interlocking, surreal, exaggerated, and / or fragmented body parts. These images filled almost all the spaces available in the artistic environment, thus energizing the feeling of work. “Norwegian Vendel Sword Hilt”, Norway and “Fibula” (400-50 AD), Isle of Osland, and “Gold Purse Lid” (625), Sutton Hoo, England, are some good examples of the “Animal style”. At the end of the 7th century, the style had an important Christian religious influence, passing the artistic essence from Germanic to Mediterranean.

Another style of early Medieval Art belonging to the Migration Period, was the ‘Hiberno-Saxon Art’ or the ‘Insular Art’, it reflected the fusion of the ‘Animal Style’ (German) and the ‘Celtic Art’ (Irish), especially in the “Illuminated Manuscripts.” The style began in the late 7th century and continued until the 9th century. Some important winter-Saxon handicrafts include “Texts with Works of Art” and “Carpet Pages”, which refer to ornate pages without text. The “Book of Durrow” (late 7th century) and the “Lindisfarne Gospels” (late 7th or early 8th century), Northumbria, are the working examples here.

The “Brooch of Tara” and the “Chalice of Ardah” are the magnificence of metallurgy from the Migration Period, which began in the 7th century. This Early Medieval Period technique combined the art of metalworking, ornamentation, filigree, and chip carving and rock crystal to produce a work of art.

“High Cross”, built primarily in Ireland, Great Britain and Scandinavia, tells the story of ornate stone sculpture from the Migration Period, such as the “High Cross of Muiredach”, in Ireland. The Migration Period chapter in the book of Early Medieval Art is definitely one of the most prosperous periods of all.