Comedic Elements In Early Medieval Art. Funny Images From The Pages Of History

(Vandals Sacking Rome. 19th Century Woodcut)

In 410 AD Alaric King Of The Visigoths attacked Rome effectively putting the mother of the civilized world on life support. The third siege of Rome and sack that followed officially ripped down any perceptions in the mind of the Western European peoples that order as it had been known for centuries would ever exist again. The dark ages had begun, and within a century the inhabitants of the Italian peninsula were taking stones from great architectural masterpieces to solidify and insulate the walls of their hovels. Well ordered society and all that came with it were gone and all over Europe both peasantry and warlord alike did one thing. Fight. Whether it was against frost or blade these human beings fought the unyielding realities of life and death for wheat, gold, and warmth.

(Riches Heures 1410)

But the early medieval ages weren't all dark and gloom. Despite the constant turmoil of the time people from Scandinavia to Constantinople prayed, loved, laughed, and above all had a sense of humor. Despite the absolute almost mystical power of the monk or bishop to pray and heal the most desperate of maladies, we can still find many paintings and poems highlighting the lecherous monk or fondling priest. But above all the fool was ever present in the illuminated manuscript. Despite the feverish piety and articulations of grief, woe, and bloodshed the dancing idiot seemed to always be present in the mind of the medieval artist. Or people doing foolish things. Of course religion and the philosophy of piety or morality was always at the base of this art, but it is impossible to not get a sense of sarcasm and witty retort from these beautifully illustrated commentaries. Especially when we consider that they are from a time when man was supposed to be wallowing in the dark and stupidity of his own impulses.

The above depiction of the fool is from Bernardus Silvestris of Tours work Cosmographia. It was painted around 1140 and though allegorical to an extent, is deeply embedded in Platonic philosophy and of course Judaeo Christianity. The Cosmographia tells the story of the creation of man and his mirroring the universe in his own physical constitution. In Plato's dialouge Timaeus we have Timaeus of Locri offering in depth speculation on the nature of the universe and this style of logic can be seen throughout Silvestris work. Even throughout all that seriousness though our dear fool found his way in.

This fun little piece comes from Roman de la rose. A 14th century poem and illuminated manuscript. Now the naughty nun clearly engaging in what a nun shouldn't be engaging in is a clear shot at the artificial piety of the ecumenical institution of the day.... But then again, maybe not. Poetry is all about interpretation. Either way, centuries later it's still pretty funny. As is the depiction below from the same folio.

Though there is a bit of an illustrated happy ending.


Now I know there does seem to be a bit of a genital theme here, but hey.... It was the flavour of the day. Now I'm not sure whether to take the Erotic badge, 1375-1450, Bruges from the Collection Family Van Beuningen, Langbroek as funny or just odd. The reason for wearing a badge with a vulva on a sedan chair and penises with hands is anybody's guess. Perhaps it was a wishful thinking badge, or maybe a way to show the ladies the wearer had skills to be desired. Either way it's still funny so I had to include it in this little write up.

This interesting piece comes from the Gorleston Psalter. It was an early 14th century illuminated manuscript containing music instruction predominantly centered around the Psalms. It is peppered with humorous little pieces of art throughout. Though the hybrid rear end sniffing monk creature is definitely the best. Given that most of our humor in the English speaking world still starts below the waist we can see that we really haven't moved on much. I've also included below another illustration from the same manuscript.

It could be argued that today we stand on the threshold of our next dark age. Whether it's a collapsing dollar, nuclear holocaust, EMP attack, or a global pandemic. Either way we can always take a lesson from the past and no matter what, try to keep a sense of humor. Well guys, that's it for now. I'll be doing other write up's later on the strangeness that can be found in medieval manuscripts. I'm probably going to cover medicine next as it is a fascinating and dark subject that could be fun. Thanks for reading and Steem on.