“Anglo-Saxon Art”: Benedict Biscop
I began this class with Bede’s account of the journeys of Benedict Biscop in his Lives of the Abbots of Wearmouth and Jarrow. He describes the bringing of workmen from abroad, as well as of numerous objects, including most notably, two sets of painted panels. The first set for Saint Peter’s at Jarrow included Gospel scenes for the north wall and Apocalyptic scenes for the south wall The second set for Saint Paul’s at Wearmouth included Old and New Testament scenes to display “the concordance between the Old and New Testaments.” Bede’s explanation of typology proves much more compelling than a modern one. If students understand typology and why the visual conveys typology the most effectively of all possible means, then they have learned an essential function of art in the early Middle Ages.
