BEHIND THE MEDIEVAL SCENE

1. BEHIND THE MEDIEVAL SCENE PART ONE

2. How do you call… • The system of govern that ruled most of the Middle Ages: serfdom, feudalism or vassalism? • Land held by a vassal of a lord in return for his services, mainly military: an estate, a fief or a domain? • The warrior who owed military service to his lord in exchange for land: crusader, mercenary or knight? • A semi-free peasant who worked his lord's land: a lord, a tenant, or a serf? • A free man who held a lord's land and to whom he paid homage and swore loyalty: a vassal, a labourer, a peasant?

3. The medieval society • Oweallegiance to the king, swear an oath to the king, pledgeloyalty to the king • Rewardknights for theirmilitaryachievements • A land-basedeconomy • Grant a portion or a plot of land • A lasting bond between the king and hisvassals • Claim ownership of the land • To work the land • A squire • A yeoman • A villein

4. Structures atwork Translate the following sentences: Plus un soldat se montrait courageux sur le champ de bataille, plus ses terres étaient vastes. Plus les châteaux étaient luxueux, plus leur propriétaire était apprécié du roi. Plus les paysans travaillaient dur, plus ils étaient amers envers le propriétaire terrien. Plus on était au bas de la pyramide sociale, plus on avait de chances de grimper les échelons d’une société très hierarchisée.

5. Banquet scenes • King EDWARD the Confessor, 1003-1066, with Queen at Easter Banquet

6. The narrative sceneisframedby a purple rectangle ornamentedwithgeometrical patterns. The banquet sceneisset againsta blue background studdedwithstars thatreminds us / thatisreminiscent of byzantine art. The golden background alsobrings to mindmosaïcs. Gold wasused in illuminatedmanuscripts to symbolize the light of God. In the narrative scene, the painter uses a limited range of colours: blue and brick-redprevail. The masters and the servants are separated by the white table-cloth. One mayalso notice that the servants are smallerthantheir masters. Differences in size among the characters in medieval art wasfrequent.

7. Detailfrom the Bayeux tapestry • The Bayeux Tapestry is preserved and displayed in Bayeux. Nothing is known for certain about the tapestry’s origins. The first written record of the Bayeux Tapestry is in 1476 when it was recorded in the cathedral treasury at Bayeux as "a very long and narrow hanging on which are embroidered figures and inscriptions comprising a representation of the conquest of England". • The Bayeux Tapestry was probably commissioned in the 1070s by Bishop Odo of Bayeux, half-brother of William the Conqueror. It is over 70 metres long and although it is called a tapestry it is in fact an embroidery, stitched not woven in woollen yarns on linen. Some historians argue that it was embroidered in Kent, England. 

8. The Duke of Berry eating (details) Les Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry (”the very rich hours of the duke of Berry”) is the most renowned book of hours. It is often referred to as"the king of illuminated manuscripts", and it is one of the most important pieces of artwork in history.

9. Talking about illuminatedmanuscripts: • Surface: Vellum (calfskin); very well prepared and ruled in red • Ink: Iron gall ink • Paint: Prepared by the artists in their workshops by grinding the minerals or plants on a slab of marble and moistening them with water. This was then thickened with arabic or tragacanth gum to ensure it would stick to the vellum. Colors included black, white, pink, violet, three shades of red and two shades each of blue, green, and yellow.

10. Fill in the followingtextwith the appropriate article: the, a, or 0 …… book of hours was …………prayer book containing prayers for …………specific hours of ……….day, ………. days of the week, months, and seasons. ………… books of hours were usually beautifully illuminated. Initially, …………… books of hours were produced by ………….. scribes in monasteries for use by their fellow monks. …………… monastics divided their day into eight segments, or "hours," of prayer. ……………monk would set ……………. book of hours on …………. lectern or table and read from it aloud at each of these hours; ……………. books were therefore fairly large in format. The earliest known monastic books of hours were created in the 13th century. By the 14th century, ……………. smaller, portable books of hours with less complex liturgical systems were being produced for use by ……………. individuals. By the 15th century, these lay books of hours were so popular they outnumbered all other types of illuminated manuscript. Because …………… artwork was so splendid, …………. books of hours were too expensive for all but ……………. wealthiest of patrons: …………royalty, …………. nobility, and occasionally………….. very wealthy merchants or artisans ………books of hours would vary according to ………. preferences of their owners, but they always began with ……….. liturgical calendar; that is, a list of feast days in chronological order, as well as …………. method of calculating the date of Easter. Some included ………. multi-year almanac. Often ……… books of hours included ………… seven Penitential Psalms, as well as any of ……… wide variety of other prayers devoted to …………… favorite saints or personal issues. Frequently, ………… books of hours featured ………… cycle of prayers dedicated to ………Virgin Mary.

11. Book of hours illustrations: Each section of prayers was accompanied by an illustration to help the reader meditate on the subject. Most often, these illustrations depicted biblical scenes or saints, but sometimes simple scenes from rural life or displays of royal splendor were included, as were the occasional portraits of the patrons who ordered the books. Calendar pages often depicted signs of the Zodiac. It wasn't uncommon for the owner's coat of arms to be incorporated, as well. Pages that were largely text were often framed with or highlighted by foliage or symbolic motifs. The illustrations of books of hours and other manuscripts are sometimes called "miniatures.” Production of books of hours: Monastic books of hours were produced, as were most other illuminated manuscripts, by monks in a scriptorium. However, when books of hours became popular among the laity, a system of professional publication evolved. Scribes would write the text in one place, artists would paint the illustrations in another, and the two products were put together in a bookbinder's hall. Materials used in books of hours: Books of hours, like other medieval manuscripts, were written on parchment (sheepskin) or vellum (calfskin), specially treated to receive ink and paint. Ink was applied with a quill pen -- a feather, cut to a sharp point and dipped in a jar of ink. A wide variety of minerals, plants and chemicals were used to tint paints for the illustrations. Gold and silver leaves were also used to marvelous effect. The brilliance the use of precious metals achieved gave "illumination" its name