Art of primary and early history: Germanic art; Langobardian art

The Langobardreich has long passed (it existed from 568 to 774), but left us a rich art treasure.

The Germanic people were originally known under the name Winniler and settled on the lower Elbe (in the fertile area, which was later called Magdeburg Börde). After a departure south, the name of the expansive and innovative peoples changed into the name Langobarden, because of their long beards or long stitches of Hallbarten and perhaps other, today no longer understandable reasons.

After a long hike, the Langobards were finally able to settle in northern Italy and build their Langobardreis there. In a very long period of security and prosperity, many buildings that are among the earliest preserved buildings in history .

UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) recorded the most important testimonials and buildings of the Langobards in northern Italy in June 2011 in the list of the UNESCO World Heritage Erben. These "places of power" - as the official name of the UNESCO for the seven groups of important buildings on the Italian peninsula - are in today's Italian places Cividale del Friuli, Brescia, Castelseprio Torba, Spoleto, Campello Sul Clitunno, Benevento and Monte Sant'angelo; These are a number of fortresses, church buildings and monasteries.

UNESCO has justified the admission to the World Heritage Site by ensuring that the selected sites testified a high performance of the Germanic people they had developed their own specific culture there from the 6th century, which was completed until the 8th century.

Documentation: The Langobards (preview)

The Lombardian building and art style

The Lombard style shows a synthesis of style elements that mark the transition from antiquity to the European Middle Ages . The Lombard architecture ties in with the legacy of ancient Rome, goes into Christian spirituality, processes influences byzantine art and the cultural heritage of the Germanic Northern Europe .

Above all, the seven protected groups testify to an important role in Langobards in the intellectual and cultural development of medieval European Christianity.

The Langobards left us a lot more of Lombardy art antiquity (especially byzantic) initially influenced northern Italy was a considerable cultural setback.

But the Lombard rulers took over the Roman and Byzantine cultural influences as willingly as the Catholic religion (and surprisingly quickly also the Latin language); "Avantgardist art" was now formed from all this and the traditions they brought with them.

There was still a lot of "Germanic animal style" in Lombardy goldsmithing , under the sight of Romanesque robe bodies, the animals now took on completely new forms, rich and soon -to -no -gemstones, the long fibula -decorated windows soon also served as crooked clips to hold clothes.

Germanic braided band ornaments were developed on the one hand into a final form of form and on the other hand supplemented with new motifs (human figures whose illustration was a novelty), the first Christian crosses are designed and decorated.

Byzantine designs such as basilica and central building were added to new style elements: relief art on stone, which introduces a preference for ornamental elements and to a new bloom of architecture "Lombard" style .

In addition to architecture at the "7 locations of power", the iron crown , the gold leaf crosses , the Ratchis Altar and the Agilulf plate among the best-known traditional works of Lombard art.

Literature recommendations:

• Langobardian art: the language of the braided bands , by Rudolf Kutzli (bound edition)
• Cross and rune. Langobardian-Romanesque art in Italy. Volume I: becoming time , by Felix Kayser

• Cross and rune. Langobardian-Romanesque art in Italy. Volume II: Ripe time , by Felix Kayser