Germanic animal style
The expression Germanic animal style or animal style describes a style of the early Middle Ages in parts of Western , Central and Northern Europe in the history of style and archeology . Characteristic of this style is the representation of intertwined, stylized animals and people. It is characterized by the dissolution of human and animal bodies into individual forms, which often change the basic motif beyond recognition, so that individual animals can only be identified by their attributes.
background
As far as we know today, the pictorial works of Germanic art of the first millennium after Christ neither reflect the individual artistic expression of individual people nor the results of free artistic or craftsmanship. The sculptures are mainly to be seen in a religious or spiritual context . When designing the motifs, the artists and craftsmen always followed very strict guidelines and strict design rules. Depending on the material to be decorated, the existing design and motif elements were combined without deviating from the current fashion or style directions. The pictorial works of animal styles I and II show great northern and central European uniformity and no regional peculiarities can be identified, which suggests that the Germanic cultures consciously tried to differentiate themselves from neighboring cultures. The animal styles were continuously developed and only occasionally influenced by stylistic influences from other cultures.
description
The Germanic animal style developed in Scandinavia as so-called Nordic animal ornamentation from the Vendel style , which took up late Roman and other forms of ornament. It soon formed independent patterns and quickly spread across Central Europe . Stylized representations of dragons, boars, snakes, wolves and birds such as eagles and ravens are characteristic. Representations of horses and people are rarer.
Styles
The animal style developed in the course of time in different directions, which the Swedish archaeologist Bernhard Salin (1861–1931) categorized in 1904 in animal style I to III (Salins style):
Nydam style
The Nydam style originated from the first half of the 5th century to the second half. It probably developed under the strong influence of provincial Roman metal art (especially the belt fittings). While the surfaces are decorated with floral and geometric decorations (tendrils, palmettes, meanders, etc.), there are animal figures on the edge.
Animal style I
The animal style I probably originated in Scandinavia in the 2nd half of the 5th century, but spread quickly to Central Europe (Rhineland and southern Germany) and England. The animals are initially quadrupeds and sea creatures, depicted naturalistically and clearly separated. As with the late Roman chip carving decorations, the animals are mostly arranged in a crouching position at the edges of the decorated objects. In contrast to the Nydam style, the animals can now be found as dominant elements on the surfaces. They are also highlighted with borders. In the second half of the 5th century the sea creatures disappeared completely and the four-legged animals dominated.
Animal style I is divided into phases A - D.
- A: Transitional style between nydam and animal styles.
- B: The carcasses are raised by means of transverse lines (especially common in Eastern Scandinavia and Pannonia / Hungary).
- C and D: bandage. The carcasses are shown with several parallel bands. In phase D these are intertwined. Occurrence mainly in southern and western Scandinavia and southern Germany ( Alemanni ).
Phases B - D do not represent a chronological sequence, but occur simultaneously, sometimes even on the same object. Animal style I is slowly being replaced by animal style II in the last third of the 6th century ( Vendel period ) at the latest , but also occurs alongside this until the end of the 6th century.
Braided ribbon ornament
Ornaments made of complex interwoven ribbons and lines. These knot patterns came to Central Europe from the East around the same time as Animal Style I. Braided ribbon decorations are already in use in late antiquity in both Roman and Germanic areas (e.g. Roman mosaic floors, wood carvings from Danish sacrificial moors)
Animal style II
From approx. 570 AD to approx. The middle of the 8th century.
The origin of Tierstil II has not yet been clarified with certainty. While it used to be that the animal style II was a fusion of the animal style I from the north and the braided ribbon ornamentation from the south (especially among the Lombards in Italy), today one is no longer sure, whereby a mutual influence and respective adoption is most likely appear. The rapid spread of the animal style II from Scandinavia, England to Germany and Italy and the strong similarities of the image motifs across the entire area around 600 speak for an intensive contact with probably wandering craftsmen.
It is also not clear where animal style II was first trained. A bandage and entanglement already exist z. Sometimes in animal style I (phase D), so that it is sometimes difficult to distinguish whether a representation is still animal style I or already II.
As with animal style I, there are sometimes considerable differences in the quality of the execution (sometimes some craftsmen no longer understood the motifs when making their copies) and there were signs of degeneration in which the (animal) shapes could only be seen with the help of better-executed models can recognize. A distinction must be made between pure animal ornamentation, in which the animals are in the foreground of the picture and the animal body is clearly shown with head, body and feet, and braided ribbon motifs in which only animal heads were attached (especially in the course of the 7th century on the European one Mainland).
The animal representations are completely subordinate to the braided ribbon pattern. The animals are very abstract and are difficult to recognize. At the same time, the individual animals are intricately intertwined and intertwined. Sometimes the braided ribbon ornaments become so complex and flawed that they can no longer be logically resolved.
symbolism
The images and motifs that are used in animal styles I and II are assigned a magical meaning as “images of salvation”. Motifs such as the "mask between the animals" were already known in the Roman Empire (god / hero? With accompanying heraldic animals), without it being clear what significance these images and motifs had in the north. A disastrous (apotropaic) effect is being discussed. Similar to the Nordic bracteates , however, a "Germanic reinterpretation" must be expected, in which the meaning of the Germanic world of gods and myths was adapted. Individual animals such as horse, wolf, eagle and boar could represent Germanic gods or totem animals (cf. Germanic personal names with reference to animals such as Eber-hard (strong like a boar); Wolf-gang = wolf-walkers, wolf warriors, etc. .); Arnold (Old High German arn- → Adler -wald → Walter, ruler). Ultimately, the decorations (especially of animal style II) could have been a kind of "heraldry" and pictograms or hierarchies with which groups (followers of a powerful leader / chief / king) identified and demonstrated their solidarity.
All of these interpretations are speculative.
Other styles
During the Viking Age (from 800 AD) several independent styles developed in Northern Europe:
- Oseberg-Berdal style from the 8th to the 9th century (especially the first to the third quarter of the 9th century) It is the first own Viking Age art style, which is also known as the 1st prey animal style. The women's grave in Oseberg in Vestfold, Norway is famous. Small animals are put together to form extensive patterns, the use of loops has been weakened, the three-dimensional relief has several levels, so that new light and shadow effects are created.
- In parallel to Oseberg, the Berdal style , which is no longer regarded as an independent one, emerged after the main find in western Norway. It is particularly common in Jutland and Norway. In the Oseberg-Berdal style, the animals are always depicted in their entirety, with accentuated front and rear bodies as well as four paws or claws that encompass the frame parts of the depiction or other animals, hence the designation of the predatory animal style. The head is always shown en face, with bulging eyes and the head of the neck.
- Borre style from the 9th to the 10th century (especially 850/875 - 925/950 grave Fund of Borre in Vestfold, Norway.) That comes density, mirror-symmetrical motifs, especially the circle and square, for example in plaits expressed that the characteristic ring chains and form pretzel knots. It represents the second phase of the predatory style. It was particularly widespread in the eastern north. In the Borre style, the mythical animals are often connected with geometric braided ribbon ornaments. The gryphon animal style was replaced by the Jelling style.
- Jellingestil in the second half of the 10th century (Jelling in Jutland A single motif. Band and S-shaped animals).
- Mammenstil in the 11th century (970/971 splendid hatchet from Mammen in Denmark. A new feature is the representation of individual motifs).
- Ringerike style from 10th to 11th centuries (especially in Denmark)
- Urnes style from 11th to 12th century (last 'Nordic' style phase - named after the fragments of the first church in Urnes in Sogn , Norway. Extremely stylized four-legged friends, ribbon-shaped animals and snakes. The winged dragon appears for the first time in Scandinavia, possibly based on Anglo-Saxon models. Principle: open figure-eight loops and a system of several loops that interlock, only two line widths, heads and feet simplified to long narrow ends).
Initial of the Lindisfarne Bible
Detail of the Oseberg ship
Jelling Stone
Door of Urnes
See also
supporting documents
- ↑ Alexandra Pesch: Of animals, people and monsters . In: Archaeological Society Schleswig-Holstein eV (Hrsg.): Archaeological news from Schleswig-Holstein . 2010, ISSN 0942-9107 , p. 68–76 , here: 68–70 .
literature
- Günther Haseloff : Art styles of the early Middle Ages - Migration and Merovingian times; shown on finds from the Württembergisches Landesmuseum Stuttgart published by the Württembergisches Landesmuseum Stuttgart, 1979
- Hans Hollaender: Art of the early Middle Ages. Pawlak, Herrsching 1981, ISBN 3-88199-040-2
- Lennart Karlsson: Nordisk form: om djurornamentik. Statens Historiska Museer. Stockholm 1983.
- DM Wilson: Vikings. § 3: Art. In: Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde Volume 34. Berlin 2007.
- Michael Neiß: Fenrisulv och Midgårdsorm. Två basic motif i vendeltidens djurornanmentik. (Kontinuitetsfrågor i germansk djurornamentik I.) With a German summary. In: Fornvännen 99. Stockholm 2004 ( fornvannen.se PDF).
- Michael Neiß: The ornamental Echoe of Oðinn's Cult. (Kontinuitetsfrågor i germansk djurornamentik II). In: Ulf Fransson: Cultural Contacts between East and West. Stockholm 2007 ( michaelneiss.hardell.net PDF).
