We Three Kings

As we move away from Medieval and Renaissance style art and architecture, we enter a period of Gothic aesthetic. Both the Windmill Psalter and the Shrine of the Three Kings are characteristic of Gothic style art. The Windmill Psalter shows the first and second letters of the beginning word of Psalm 1, B and E. It combines the influence of Islamic and Celtic art in this page as seen through the dense and elaborate drawings filling most empty spaces on the sheet. The artists commissioned to create these beautifully decorated pages during the Gothic period worked to evoke certain emotions from their viewers. In terms of the Windmill Psalter, the artist wanted to stimulate extendeDSd reflection and meditation while the viewer took in the page. This was common of Gothic presentation pages because as it is with a going through a church, one was supposed to take their time reading the page just as they would take their time going through a church. There is different imagery for each letter depicted.

The letter B shows multiple different meaning because these pages were not supposed to represent a single truth or story. So, for example, one of the first things the B represents is the Tree of Jesse which is seen through the vast naturalistic foliage woven throughout the page. The letter B  also provides scenes from God’s creation of the world culminating in the creation of Adam and Eve. These two scenes are woven together such that medieval viewers could meditate on how Christ and the Virgin Mary, shown in the Jesse Tree, had redeemed humankind from Adam and Eve’s sin. Furthermore, there are various roundels acting as the border of the  page which depict the four evangelists; personified symbols writing at a couple desks.

The letter E on the other hand shows the scene of the Judgement of Solomon. The windmill, for which the page is named after is shown at the top of the E. This was meant to be a religious symbol based on a verse of the Psalm. Generally speaking, a windmill represents a spiritual evolution because it can take a raw material like grain and transform it into a refined substance.

The Shrine of the Three Kings is another prime example of Gothic art. It was commissioned by Nicholas of Verdun for the archbishop of Cologne. It is a triple sarcophagus made of gilded bronze and silver; with two sarcophagi stacked next to each other with the third placed on top. This was meant to look like a symbolize a basilica for the archbishop of Cologne. The Shrine of the The Kings is a reliquary for what is thought to be the relics of the three Magi. Furthermore, not only was it gilded, but it combines robust, expressive sculptural figures and forms with an elaborate array of inlaid gems and stones. The design of this sarcophagus was not inspired by Islamic art like the Windmill Psalter, but of the Romans and Byzantnes.

There are elaborately carved high relief figures covering all sides of the sarcophagus. The figures on the shrine were carved in such a way that they would look lifelike, full modeled, and covered in voluminous drapery. The Virgin Mary and the three Magi are presented on the front gable while the prophets and apostles are placed in the niches of the two levels of the sarcophagi. It shows various different scenes from the bible on all sides including the baptism of Christ, the crucifixion and the resurrection.

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