Resources on the Other Arts

General Resources

• NetSerf:  Art:  The best place to start for medieval painting, sculpture, manuscript art, etc.

• The WebMuseum:  An excellent resource.  The best starting point for European graphic arts on the web.  (Nicolas Pioch)  
  The following sections are of particular interest for the periods covered by this course:

  • Gothic Painting (1280-1515)

  • The Italian Renaissance (1420-1600)

  • The Northern Renaissance (1500-1615)

Back to top

Renaissance Painting and Portraiture

• Hans Holbein the Younger:  (1497-1543)  German painter (from Bavaria).  Friend of Erasmus, who introduced him to Sir Thomas More.  Court painter to King Henry VIII of England.  (Nicloas Pioch, WebMuseum)  
  The following paintings by Holbein are particularly worth noting for this course:

  • Portrait of King Henry VIII:  Ca. 1536.  (Lara Eakins, Tudor England)

  • Portrait of Sir Thomas More:  1527  (Rebecca Bushnell, U. of Pennsylvania)

  • Princess Mary:  Sketch, ca. 1536.  (Lara Eakins, Tudor England)

  • Prince Edward:  Ca. 1537.  (Lara Eakins, Tudor England)

  • Prince Edward with a Monkey:  Pen, ink and watercolor, ca. 1541-42.  (Lara Eakins, Tudor England)

• Albecht Durer:  (1471-1528)  Perhaps the greatest German painter of the Renaissance.  A devout Protestant and admirer of Luther; an educated man, in touch with the "new learning" of Humanism.  (Nicloas Pioch, WebMuseum)
  The following paintings from this exhibition are particularly worth noting for this course:

  • Portrait of Desiderius Erasmus:  Chalk drawing.  The most prominent figure of northern Humanism, and close friend of Sir Thomas More.

  • Portrait of Philip Melancthon:  Engraving, 1526.  One of the most influential intellectual leaders of early Protestantism.

  • Melancolia I:  Copper engraving, 1514.  Perhaps the most famous representation of one of the "humours."  For a quick overview of the humours, see Michael Hanly's (Wash. State U.) useful summary.  

• Nicholas Hilliard:  (1547-1619)  "The most celebrated of English miniaturists."  (Nicloas Pioch, WebMuseum)
  Compare three of his portraits of Queen Elizabeth:  

  • Queen Elizabeth I:  Miniature, 1572.  (Lara Eakins)

  • Queen Elizabeth I:  Pen and ink wash, ca. 1584.  (Nicloas Pioch, WebMuseum)

  • Queen Elizabeth I:  1585.  Called the "Ermine portrait."  (Lara Eakins)

• A collection of royal portraits

  • Tudor England has a an extensive set of portrait galleries for the Tudor English monarchs. [Many of the portraits below are links to these galleries.]  (Lara Eakins)

  • King Henry VIII:  Joos van Cleeve.  Henry at around age 40.  (Lara Eakins)

  • Portrait of King Henry VIII:  Hans Holbein the Younger, ca. 1536.  (Lara Eakins, Tudor England)

  • King Henry VIII:  Attributed to Hans Eworth, c. 1545.  (Lara Eakins)

  • The Family of Henry VIII:  Artist and date not given.  (Rebecca Bushnell, U. of Pennsylvania)

  • Prince Edward:  Hans Holbein the Younger, ca. 1537.  (Lara Eakins, Tudor England)

  • Prince Edward with a Monkey:  Hans Holbein the Younger, pen, ink and watercolor, ca. 1541-42.  (Lara Eakins, Tudor England)

  • King Edward VI:  Unknown artist, ca. 1546.  (Lara Eakins)

  • Princess Mary:  Hans Holbein the Younger, sketch, ca. 1536.  (Lara Eakins, Tudor England)

  • Queen Mary:  Hans Eworth, 1554.  (Lara Eakins)

  • Queen Elizabeth I:  Nicholas Hilliard, miniature, 1572.  (Lara Eakins)

  • Queen Elizabeth I:  Perhaps by Federigo Zuccaro, c. 1575.  Known as the "Darnley portrait."  (Lara Eakins)

  • Queen Elizabeth I:  Nicholas Hilliard, pen and ink wash, ca. 1584.  (Nicloas Pioch, WebMuseum)

  • Queen Elizabeth I:  Nicholas Hilliard, 1585.  Called the "Ermine portrait."  (Lara Eakins)

  • Queen Elizabeth I:  Marcus Gheeraerts, ca. 1592.  Known as the "Ditchley portrait."  (Rebecca Bushnell, U. of Pennsylvania)

• A selection of other portraits

• Sir Thomas More's Family (sketch)  (Patricia Bushnell, U. of Pennsylvania)
• Sir Thomas More's Family (painting):  Painting from the sketch above.  (Patricia Bushnell, U. of Pennsylvania)
• Sir Thomas More's Family (painting):  Painting of More's family, with a key to identifying the individuals in the picture.  (Thomas More Society)
• Portrait of Ben Jonson:  The Vaughan portrait.  (Luminarium)

Back to top

Books and Manuscripts

• Early Manuscripts at Oxford University:  Medieval:  Excellent collection of digital images scanned from the manuscript collections at Oxford.  Some examples include the following:
  • Junius 11, p. 46:  A page from Old English Genesis, with an illustration of Adam and Eve banished from the Garden of Eden.
  • Laud Misc. 636, f. 1r:  Page with initial illuminated capital.
• Old English Pages:  Electronic Text and Manuscript Images:  Links to a variety of sample images of manuscript pages.  (Georgetown U.)
• The Classic Text:  Chaucer:  An intriguing overview of the manuscript and printing history of Chaucer's works, with good illustrations from the Ellesmere manuscript, the Kelmscott Chaucer, etc.  (U. of Wisconsin/Milwaukee)
• Les très riches heures du Duc de Berry:  The most famous late medieval "book of hours" (a devotional book giving litrugical texts for each hour of the day); produced by the Limbourg brothers for Jean de Berry.  One of the most beautiful illuminated manuscripts ever produced.  (Nicolas Pioch, WebMuseum)
• Book of Hours--Illustration of Death:  Illumination from an unnamed book of hours; early fifteenth century.  (Boise State U.)
• Library of Congress Vatican Exhibit:  An exhibition from the Vatican Library.  Includes a stunning array of images of Renaissance manuscripts and printed books, as well as copious background material.  For starters, see the first page of Henry VIII's tract against Martin Luther (printed), and the title page from a copy of Sallust's Histories (manuscript).
• Images from John Foxe, Acts and Monuments of These Latter and Perilous Days (the Book of Martyrs):  1563. One of the most influential anti-Catholic works of early Elizabethan England.  It depicts, in lurid and often highly inventive detail, the persecution of English Protestants.  Highly sensational, it appealed to a broadly popular audience. (Rebecca Busnell, U. of Pennsylvania)
  • The Burning of Three Women:  An especially brutal image, including a pregnant Protestant woman giving birth in the flames.
  • The Torture of Cuthbert Simson:  A composite image of the various torments of a Protestant martyr.

Architecture and Craftsmanship

• Anglo-Saxon Artifacts
  • Anglo-Saxon Images:  A selection of images from the Sutton Hoo ship burial and elsewhere.  (U. of Vermont)
  • Old English Pages:  Art and Artifacts:  A selection of images from a variety of locations.  (Georgetown U.)
  • Old English Pages:  Early British Coinage:  Samples from Catherine Ball's collection.  (Georgetown U.)
  • Anglo-Saxon Coin:  "Silver Penny of Offa, King of Mercia from 757 to 796 A.D."  (British Museum)
  • The Alfred Jewel:  One of the most famous pieces of Anglo-Saxon goldwork, produced at the order of King Alfred the Great.  (Royal Holloway/U. of London)
  • Anglo-Saxon Helmet:  "Reconstruction of the ceremonial helmet from the 7th century Anglo-Saxon ship burial at Sutton Hoo, Suffolk."  (British Museum)
• Period and Style for Designers:  An extensive collection of architectural images, from ancient Egypt to the twentieth century.  See especially the English Medieval and English Renaissance pages.  (Lester, Tulane U.)
• Medieval Art and Architecture:  A growing site for images of medieval architecture.  Currently includes images from Britain and France, as well as a useful glossary of terms.  (U. of Pittsburgh)
• Renaissance and Baroque Architecture:  Images from an architectural history class.  Includes material from fifteenth-century Italy through sixteenth-century England.  (C. W.  Westfall, U. of Virginia)
• Tudor Architecture:  Useful overview of architecture under the Tudors.  Includes an array of images, a glossary of terms, some explanatory material, etc.  (Lara Eakins, Tudor England)
• London Theatres
  • The Swan Theater, London:  Ca. 1596. "One of the few surving images of a
    London theater, this is a copy by Aernout van Buchel of a drawing by Johannes de Witt."  (Rebecca Bushnell, U. of Pennsylvania)
  • Shakespeare's Globe Theatre:  Web site for the rebuilt Globe Theatre in Southwark, London.  See especially their Panoramic Views to get a good idea of what the Globe looked like.
  • Shakespeare's Globe Research Database:  Useful site, including background and technical information on the old Globe and the new Globe, as well as images, etc.  (U. of Reading)
  • Shakespeare and the Globe:  Then and Now:  Encyclopedia Britannica's excellent background.

Back to top

Music and Dance

• SCA Music and Dance Homepage:  Links to resources on medieval and Renaissance music and dance.  (Society for Creative Anachronism)
• Early Music FAQ:  A good basic introduction to early music forms, periods, composers, etc.  (Associated with the rec.music.early discussion list/newsgroup)
• Gregorian Chant
  • Gregorian Chant:  Index page for the Gregorian Association in England.  Includes historical background, an overview of Gregorian modes, etc.
  • Gregorian Schola:  Web page for a Gregorian chant organization in Arkansas.  Includes some basic background, as well as a very valuable page of links to other resources.  Check out their Chant sounds on the web if you want to sample the sound of Gregorian chant.  (St. Joseph Catholic Church, Fayetteville, Arkansas)
  • Chant:  Part of a monastery web page.  Offers 21 sound files from Gregorian chant, including part of a version of the Alma Redemptoris [cf. Chaucer's "Prioress' Tale"].  (Monastery of Christ in the Desert)
• Music of the Fourteenth Century: Includes MIDI files of music from fourteenth century composers. (VMI)
• Ars subtilior: More MIDI files of medieval music, not all from the fourteenth century.
• Listening to Medieval Music:  An outline of the development of music from ancient to medieval times.  Built around a guide to available CDs, but with useful background material as well.  (P. Halsall, Medieval Sourcebook/ U. of Northern Florida)
• Camerata Mediterranea: Lo Gai Saber:  Web page for a recording of music from Occitanian and Catalan "troubadours and minstrels. 1100-1300."  Includes some interesting cover notes and some samples of songs in RealAudio format.  (Boston Camerata)
• The Internet Renaissance Band:  A nice selection of medieval and Renaissance MIDI files.  (Curtis Clark, California State U./Pomona)
• MIDIWORLD:  Early Music MIDI files:  Includes music through the 17th and 18th centuries, but with a number of composers from the period covered by this course.
• Classical MIDI Archives:  Early Music:  An extensive collection of MIDI files from "composers born before the XVIIth century."  Part of the Classical MIDI Archive.  (Pierre Schwab)
• MIDIs for the Period:  "A collection of music from composers living in 1605."  Much of the music is a little late for this course, but is still of interest.  Take a look also at the music and Lyrics to Thomas Campion Songs. (Conrad Bladey)
• Classical Net--Early Music Links:  Excellent collection of links to sites having to do with all aspects of early music.
• Acadia Early Music Resources:  A useful collection of resources, including scores, timelines, software, etc.  (Gordon J. Callon, Acadia U.)