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DOI Artikel:Kalinowski, Lech: The English Romanesque art exhibition at the Hayward Gallery: An iconographical gloss
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.20542#0151
Folia Historiae Artium, T. XXIV (1988)
PL ISSN 0071—6723
RECENZJE I PRZEGLĄDY
THE ENGLISH ROMANESQUE ART EXHIBITION AT THE HAYWARD GALLERY:
AN ICONOGRAPHICAL GLOSS *
Discussing the Englishness of English art in his
outstanding Reith lectures foroadcast in 1955, the
late Sir Nikolaus Pevsner referred to English
art and architeeture of all periods, from Anglo-
-Saxoin and Norman to the modern period. He
convincingly analysed the ”observed life” of the
Bayeux tapestry, brought to light the ”hne and
not body” of the Peterborough Psalter, pointed
the ”conservatism” of the Eadwine Psalter, un-
derlined the ”empbasis on verticalism” of the
St Albans Psalter, stressed ”the flowing linę” of
the Lambeth Bibie, and talked of the ”exceeding
length” of Norwich and Ely cathedrals. Hcwever,
because his approaeh to the geography of art was
purely istylistic he did not go beyond the frontiers
of the history of form h Now, looking at the
remarkable vairiety of the highly iinterestlng
works of art at the Hayward Gallery, and at the
catalogue of the exhibition, one is prompted to
raise a eonsecutive ąuestion: whether, and to what
degree, theire exists in the artistic achievements
of the English people a similar distinct iccnogra-
phy2. And if it does, was it iintroduced by and
develoiped under the rule of the Norman invaders,
or was it already established by the Anglo-Sa-
xoims?
It was not easy to solve theise problems at
the present exhibitioin, though ”a surprising amo-
unt of monumental sculpture and istained glaiss,
as well as movable objects of art madę in En-
gland during the period” were on show3. The
presence of 86 illuminated manusaripts on dis-
* I should like to express my thanks to Prof. George
Zarnecki for his comments on the typescript and to Dr
Paul Crossley for looking through the text and impro-
ving its English. I am also grateful to Prof. Zarnecki
and Mr Paul Williamson, Assistant Keeper in the De-
partment of Sculpture at the Victoria and Albert Museum,
for the actual procurement of photographs.
1 N. Pevsner, The Englishness of English Art. An
play — a good part, of the total of 551 catalo-
gue entries — seemed to make this task very
complex, sińce no matter how im port ant a ma-
nuscript might be, and no matter how numerous
its miniatures and initials, each eodex is repre-
sented by only one opening. But although neither
of thesie ąuestions — the role of English inspira-
tion in the shaping of medieval religicus and
seoular iconography, and the Anglo-Saxon share
in this process —- have never been closely stu-
died, the catalogue touches on numerous Anglo-
-Saxon and Anglo-Norman iconographic novelties
and distinctive features. We learn that ,,God sein-
d;ng out Gabriel is of Byzantine origin, and the
only other 12th century Western example is in
the Winchester Psalter” (N° 25), that ”the Ascen-
tion follows a peculiar English type, for which
there are precedents in Anglo-Saxon art, in which
Christ is shown disappearing into clouds” (N°
75), that ”the earliect complete illustrated Mar-
vels of the East manuscripts are the Anglo-Sa-
xon oines of about 1000” >(N° 39), not to mention
such English items as the iconography of the
English saints in the Life of St Cuthbert (N°
15) and the Miracles of St Edmund, King and
Martyr (N° 20), or the English history narrated
by the Bayeux tapeistry (N° 551), the Florence
and John of Worcester’s Chronicie (N° 33) and
Simeon of Durham’s Chronicie from the coming
of the Saxons (N° 80). These catalogue referen-
ces tempt us {despite the evident difficulties) to
examine in, greater depth certain iconographic
expanded and annotated nersion of the Reith Lectures
broadcast in October and Nonember 1955, London [1956],
2 English Romanesąue art 1066—1200. Hayward Ga-
llery, London 5 April—8 July 1984, Exh. Cat. ed. by G.
Zarnecki, J. Holt and T. Holland, London [1984].
3 Editorial: 1066 and (nearly) all that English Roma-
nesąue at the Hayward (Burl. Mag., CXXVI, No 973
(April 1981)), p. 195.
10 — Fclia Historiae Artium XXIV
145
PL ISSN 0071—6723
RECENZJE I PRZEGLĄDY
THE ENGLISH ROMANESQUE ART EXHIBITION AT THE HAYWARD GALLERY:
AN ICONOGRAPHICAL GLOSS *
Discussing the Englishness of English art in his
outstanding Reith lectures foroadcast in 1955, the
late Sir Nikolaus Pevsner referred to English
art and architeeture of all periods, from Anglo-
-Saxoin and Norman to the modern period. He
convincingly analysed the ”observed life” of the
Bayeux tapestry, brought to light the ”hne and
not body” of the Peterborough Psalter, pointed
the ”conservatism” of the Eadwine Psalter, un-
derlined the ”empbasis on verticalism” of the
St Albans Psalter, stressed ”the flowing linę” of
the Lambeth Bibie, and talked of the ”exceeding
length” of Norwich and Ely cathedrals. Hcwever,
because his approaeh to the geography of art was
purely istylistic he did not go beyond the frontiers
of the history of form h Now, looking at the
remarkable vairiety of the highly iinterestlng
works of art at the Hayward Gallery, and at the
catalogue of the exhibition, one is prompted to
raise a eonsecutive ąuestion: whether, and to what
degree, theire exists in the artistic achievements
of the English people a similar distinct iccnogra-
phy2. And if it does, was it iintroduced by and
develoiped under the rule of the Norman invaders,
or was it already established by the Anglo-Sa-
xoims?
It was not easy to solve theise problems at
the present exhibitioin, though ”a surprising amo-
unt of monumental sculpture and istained glaiss,
as well as movable objects of art madę in En-
gland during the period” were on show3. The
presence of 86 illuminated manusaripts on dis-
* I should like to express my thanks to Prof. George
Zarnecki for his comments on the typescript and to Dr
Paul Crossley for looking through the text and impro-
ving its English. I am also grateful to Prof. Zarnecki
and Mr Paul Williamson, Assistant Keeper in the De-
partment of Sculpture at the Victoria and Albert Museum,
for the actual procurement of photographs.
1 N. Pevsner, The Englishness of English Art. An
play — a good part, of the total of 551 catalo-
gue entries — seemed to make this task very
complex, sińce no matter how im port ant a ma-
nuscript might be, and no matter how numerous
its miniatures and initials, each eodex is repre-
sented by only one opening. But although neither
of thesie ąuestions — the role of English inspira-
tion in the shaping of medieval religicus and
seoular iconography, and the Anglo-Saxon share
in this process —- have never been closely stu-
died, the catalogue touches on numerous Anglo-
-Saxon and Anglo-Norman iconographic novelties
and distinctive features. We learn that ,,God sein-
d;ng out Gabriel is of Byzantine origin, and the
only other 12th century Western example is in
the Winchester Psalter” (N° 25), that ”the Ascen-
tion follows a peculiar English type, for which
there are precedents in Anglo-Saxon art, in which
Christ is shown disappearing into clouds” (N°
75), that ”the earliect complete illustrated Mar-
vels of the East manuscripts are the Anglo-Sa-
xon oines of about 1000” >(N° 39), not to mention
such English items as the iconography of the
English saints in the Life of St Cuthbert (N°
15) and the Miracles of St Edmund, King and
Martyr (N° 20), or the English history narrated
by the Bayeux tapeistry (N° 551), the Florence
and John of Worcester’s Chronicie (N° 33) and
Simeon of Durham’s Chronicie from the coming
of the Saxons (N° 80). These catalogue referen-
ces tempt us {despite the evident difficulties) to
examine in, greater depth certain iconographic
expanded and annotated nersion of the Reith Lectures
broadcast in October and Nonember 1955, London [1956],
2 English Romanesąue art 1066—1200. Hayward Ga-
llery, London 5 April—8 July 1984, Exh. Cat. ed. by G.
Zarnecki, J. Holt and T. Holland, London [1984].
3 Editorial: 1066 and (nearly) all that English Roma-
nesąue at the Hayward (Burl. Mag., CXXVI, No 973
(April 1981)), p. 195.
10 — Fclia Historiae Artium XXIV
145