The medieval world produced countless examples of art, some of which have become iconic – for many, these images have come to represent the Middle Ages.
To narrow down to just 10 images, we selected those that are not just well-known but have come to represent a particular culture or period of history. One can see them repeatedly appear in books, videos and other media. Even people who are not familiar with medieval history can recognize many of these images as quintessential examples of what is ‘medieval’.
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1. The Mosaic of Emperor Justinian and His Court at the Basilica of San Vitale, Ravenna
The Byzantine Emperor Justinian I (527-565) is immortalized in this mosaic, which was created during the construction of the Basilica of San Vitale between 527 and 547. Most times one sees this image it is centred on the head and upper body of Justinian, where one can see his crown, purple robe and a golden halo around his head. It is a striking depiction of power and politics, not just of Byzantium, but of the medieval world.
However, this is only a small part of the mosaic, which shows Justinian’s full figure and 12 other individuals. Those to the right of the emperor are members of the clergy, including Maximianus, the Bishop of Ravenna. To the left of the emperor are several military men, including the generals Belisarius and Narses, and a few guards, two of which are barely seen. One of the soldiers is also holding an impressive shield that bears the chi-rho, a Christian symbol.
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2. The Bayeux Tapestry
The opening section of the Bayeux Tapestry
Perhaps the most widely-known artwork to be associated with the Middle Ages, the Bayeux Tapestry tells the story of the Norman duke William invading and conquering England in the year 1066. The embroidered cloth is over 70 metres long and was likely made in the 1070s.
Harold’s death, scene 57 – Harold rex interfectus est, “Harold the King is killed”, the Bayeux Tapestry .
One of the key scenes in the tapestry shows the Battle of Hastings and includes the death of King Harold II of England, although it is likely that he is not the figure being struck by an arrow to the eye (in fact the original version probably showed something different). The Bayeux Tapestry is now kept at a special museum in the French town of Bayeux.
3. Primavera by Sandro Botticelli
Also one of the most iconic images of the Renaissance, this painting dates to the late 1470s or early 1480s. Primavera, which means ‘Springs,’ has been described as “an elaborate mythological allegory of the burgeoning fertility of the world.” Several characters of mythology are shown in a garden, most notably the goddess Venus. You can now see it at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence.
One of the most famous illuminated manuscripts we have today, Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry was created around the year 1415 for John, Duke of Berry, by three brothers: Herman, Paul, and Johan. This Book of Hours has over a hundred illuminations, with the most notable being a calendar of each of the twelve months. The image above is for September and shows peasants collecting the harvest with an imposing castle, Château de Saumur located in Anjou, in the background.
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5. Portrait of Chinngis Khan
If a historian wants to show the Mongol ruler Chinngis Khan (also known as Genghis Khan) they will inevitably make use of this fourteenth-century painting found in an album of Yuan Dynasty emperors known as Yuandjai di banshenxiang. Painted and inked on silk, the portrait shows Chinngis in his old age. He is one of the most famous figures of not just the Middle Ages, but of history, and this is the picture that has come to represent Chinngis Khan.
6. The Blue Quran
In the Islamic world, calligraphy was one of the main forms of art, with the Quran often receiving an elaborate decoration. The Blue Quran is one of the best versions of this genre, with its gold lettering on indigo-coloured parchment. Written in Kufic script, the manuscript is believed to date from the ninth or tenth centuries, but where it was made is unknown. While the most popular theory is that the Blue Quran was created in Tunisia, other possibilities include Iran, Iraq, Spain, or Sicily. About a hundred folios of the manuscript exist, which have split up and reside in several museums around the world.
7. Madonna and Child, by Duccio di Buoninsegna
Perhaps the subject most depicted by medieval European artists shows Jesus Christ as an infant sitting on the lap of his mother, the Virgin Mary. Often entitled ‘Madonna and Child,’ this can be seen in many paintings, sculptures and manuscripts. One of the most well-known versions of the Madonna and Child comes from a late 13th-century painting by Duccio di Buoninsegna. This Italian artist combined the artistic styles of Byzantine with the Early Renaissance.
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The painting is now on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which bought it in 2006 for an estimated price of $45 million (US).
8. Along the River During the Qingming Festival
The Bridge scene from the scroll
One of the most iconic artworks in Chinese history was the scene painted by Zhang Zeduan (1085–1145). This handscroll, which is over five metres long, depicts life in the city of Kaifeng during a spring festival. One can see 814 humans, 28 boats, 60 animals, 30 buildings, 20 vehicles, 8 sedan chairs, and 170 trees depicted in this scene, revealing much about daily life in Song-era China.
9. The Catalan Atlas
One of the most interesting maps created in the Middle Ages, the Catalan Atlas was designed by a Jewish book illuminator named Cresques Abraham in 1375. It originally consisted of six vellum leaves folded vertically, painted in various colours including gold and silver. Showing most of Europe, northern Africa and the western regions of Asia, map, the map offers more than just placenames, as it includes drawings of people and buildings and texts offering more details.
One of the interesting details in the Catalan Atlas shows Mansa Musa, who ruled the Mali Empire in the first half of the fourteenth century. He is shown holding a gold coin, a nod to his vast wealth. This particular image is often used to depict Africa in the Middle Ages.
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10. Patients with boils in the Toggenburg Bible
This image, found in an early 15th-century Swiss manuscript, shows two patients with boils with festering skin boils. There is a standing figure with him, who is often referred to as a physician but is supposed to be Moses. The entire scene is actually from the Bible’s Book of Exodus where God inflicts a plague of boils on the Egyptians.
However, the fame of this image comes from how it is misinterpreted as a view of medieval medicine, and the Black Death in particular. Countless books and websites (including ourselves at one time) showed it as an example of plague. While historians are now correcting this distortion, it still remains the classic depiction of illness in the Middle Ages.
The medieval world produced countless examples of art, some of which have become iconic – for many, these images have come to represent the Middle Ages.
To narrow down to just 10 images, we selected those that are not just well-known but have come to represent a particular culture or period of history. One can see them repeatedly appear in books, videos and other media. Even people who are not familiar with medieval history can recognize many of these images as quintessential examples of what is ‘medieval’.
1. The Mosaic of Emperor Justinian and His Court at the Basilica of San Vitale, Ravenna
The Byzantine Emperor Justinian I (527-565) is immortalized in this mosaic, which was created during the construction of the Basilica of San Vitale between 527 and 547. Most times one sees this image it is centred on the head and upper body of Justinian, where one can see his crown, purple robe and a golden halo around his head. It is a striking depiction of power and politics, not just of Byzantium, but of the medieval world.
However, this is only a small part of the mosaic, which shows Justinian’s full figure and 12 other individuals. Those to the right of the emperor are members of the clergy, including Maximianus, the Bishop of Ravenna. To the left of the emperor are several military men, including the generals Belisarius and Narses, and a few guards, two of which are barely seen. One of the soldiers is also holding an impressive shield that bears the chi-rho, a Christian symbol.
2. The Bayeux Tapestry
Perhaps the most widely-known artwork to be associated with the Middle Ages, the Bayeux Tapestry tells the story of the Norman duke William invading and conquering England in the year 1066. The embroidered cloth is over 70 metres long and was likely made in the 1070s.
One of the key scenes in the tapestry shows the Battle of Hastings and includes the death of King Harold II of England, although it is likely that he is not the figure being struck by an arrow to the eye (in fact the original version probably showed something different). The Bayeux Tapestry is now kept at a special museum in the French town of Bayeux.
3. Primavera by Sandro Botticelli
Also one of the most iconic images of the Renaissance, this painting dates to the late 1470s or early 1480s. Primavera, which means ‘Springs,’ has been described as “an elaborate mythological allegory of the burgeoning fertility of the world.” Several characters of mythology are shown in a garden, most notably the goddess Venus. You can now see it at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence.
4. Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry
One of the most famous illuminated manuscripts we have today, Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry was created around the year 1415 for John, Duke of Berry, by three brothers: Herman, Paul, and Johan. This Book of Hours has over a hundred illuminations, with the most notable being a calendar of each of the twelve months. The image above is for September and shows peasants collecting the harvest with an imposing castle, Château de Saumur located in Anjou, in the background.
5. Portrait of Chinngis Khan
If a historian wants to show the Mongol ruler Chinngis Khan (also known as Genghis Khan) they will inevitably make use of this fourteenth-century painting found in an album of Yuan Dynasty emperors known as Yuandjai di banshenxiang. Painted and inked on silk, the portrait shows Chinngis in his old age. He is one of the most famous figures of not just the Middle Ages, but of history, and this is the picture that has come to represent Chinngis Khan.
6. The Blue Quran
In the Islamic world, calligraphy was one of the main forms of art, with the Quran often receiving an elaborate decoration. The Blue Quran is one of the best versions of this genre, with its gold lettering on indigo-coloured parchment. Written in Kufic script, the manuscript is believed to date from the ninth or tenth centuries, but where it was made is unknown. While the most popular theory is that the Blue Quran was created in Tunisia, other possibilities include Iran, Iraq, Spain, or Sicily. About a hundred folios of the manuscript exist, which have split up and reside in several museums around the world.
7. Madonna and Child, by Duccio di Buoninsegna
Perhaps the subject most depicted by medieval European artists shows Jesus Christ as an infant sitting on the lap of his mother, the Virgin Mary. Often entitled ‘Madonna and Child,’ this can be seen in many paintings, sculptures and manuscripts. One of the most well-known versions of the Madonna and Child comes from a late 13th-century painting by Duccio di Buoninsegna. This Italian artist combined the artistic styles of Byzantine with the Early Renaissance.
The painting is now on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which bought it in 2006 for an estimated price of $45 million (US).
8. Along the River During the Qingming Festival
One of the most iconic artworks in Chinese history was the scene painted by Zhang Zeduan (1085–1145). This handscroll, which is over five metres long, depicts life in the city of Kaifeng during a spring festival. One can see 814 humans, 28 boats, 60 animals, 30 buildings, 20 vehicles, 8 sedan chairs, and 170 trees depicted in this scene, revealing much about daily life in Song-era China.
9. The Catalan Atlas
One of the most interesting maps created in the Middle Ages, the Catalan Atlas was designed by a Jewish book illuminator named Cresques Abraham in 1375. It originally consisted of six vellum leaves folded vertically, painted in various colours including gold and silver. Showing most of Europe, northern Africa and the western regions of Asia, map, the map offers more than just placenames, as it includes drawings of people and buildings and texts offering more details.
One of the interesting details in the Catalan Atlas shows Mansa Musa, who ruled the Mali Empire in the first half of the fourteenth century. He is shown holding a gold coin, a nod to his vast wealth. This particular image is often used to depict Africa in the Middle Ages.
10. Patients with boils in the Toggenburg Bible
This image, found in an early 15th-century Swiss manuscript, shows two patients with boils with festering skin boils. There is a standing figure with him, who is often referred to as a physician but is supposed to be Moses. The entire scene is actually from the Bible’s Book of Exodus where God inflicts a plague of boils on the Egyptians.
However, the fame of this image comes from how it is misinterpreted as a view of medieval medicine, and the Black Death in particular. Countless books and websites (including ourselves at one time) showed it as an example of plague. While historians are now correcting this distortion, it still remains the classic depiction of illness in the Middle Ages.
See also: Medieval Images of Love
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