Hillinus Codex

 


 

    Ottonian art can be a difficult to grasp at first for the average modern viewer like myself. Unlike the art we’ve seen before, the depictions of people and places do not conform to a naturalistic style and the symbolism is often obscure. It is important to note that the artists intent was not to create something realistic, but instead was to display abstract concepts. So, it is important to pay attention to the symbolism in Ottonian art.  Ottonian art takes a number of traditional medieval forms, including elegantly illuminated manuscripts, lavish metalwork, intricate carving, and Romanesque churches and cathedrals. The Ottonians held mathematical sciences in high regard and this is reflected in many of their artistic productions.

                While looking at the Hillinus Codex that comes from the years somewhere between 1010 and 1020, we see a basilica building in the background which was a very popular structural design for buildings during this time. On the side of each person there are same pillars or columns, that we have seen throughout previous eras of art such as the Islamic, Roman, and the Greek era of art. Most importantly, we see a monk who is presenting the codex that he has written or possibly even painted himself. The codex appears to be bedazzled with some gems or stones; bejeweled book covers was one of their common Ottonian metalwork practices. This specific book cover on the image above is one of the most expensive that survived for not only its jewels, but also because there is an ivory craving of the death of the virgin Mary as well. In addition the importance of St. Peter can be seen as he is sitting on a gold throne of some sort, also representing his wealth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ø  Victoria Valdes, "Ottonian art, an introduction," in Smarthistory, December 25, 2015, accessed October 1, 2020, https://smarthistory.org/ottonian-art-an-introduction/.


Comments

  1. Ashley MOctober 2, 2020 at 7:47 PM

    I don't know a lot about the gospels, but I have heard the old adage "we have to rob Peter to pay Paul" so I'm guessing Peter was a rich guy as depicted here. When I first looked at this it took me forever to find the basilica because I was looking for a window or something off in the distance. They really were terrible at rendering perspective, but the genius of the symbolism makes up for it. I get that most of these artworks are allegorical, but there are so many layers to these paintings that I wonder how the populous worked out what was happening.

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  2. Bvigil7October 4, 2020 at 9:08 PM

    I really enjoyed reading this, as someone that is very interested in how abstract art evolves through time this really displays a different meaning in the use of abstract art. Modern abstract art is used to relay a message, but in such a different way in comparison to how this is. The sense of mystery and a story comes with this, the symbolism is amazing in this piece.

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