The Bulletin of the Metropolitan Museum of Art Volume 6 (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1911 Excerpt: ...been found in Roman work, especially in the decoration of ornaments made by Roman workmen in the provinces, showing the familiar interlaced patterns, rosettes, and superimposed equilateral triangles, as well as the special technique of the angular incision. From this it is evident that the question of the character and origin of early Germanic art is still very much involved. According to such scholars as Lasteyrie, Lindenschmit and Haupt, the style was originally invented by the northern barbaric races; others, especially Alois Riegl, have tried to prove that this art is only a development of a late Roman industry and that most, if not all of the material, is due to Roman workmen who carried their art with them to the newly founded empires in the north. A third scholar advances the claim that Oriental and Byzantine art are the decisive influences in the development of the new style. The right explanation probably lies in a compromise of all these different views.1 The new 1 The best rtsumi on the subject has been given by O. v. Falke Geschichte des Kunstgewerbes. Berlin, 191o. I. Chapter VI. European art developed under Byzantine-Oriental and late Roman influences, but, at the same time, created something independent of both. The differences which we f1nd in it depend usually upon the varying strength of local influences, so that in certain places, Spain, for instance, Roman elements predominate, while elsewhere, as in Hungary and Russia, the Oriental influence is more marked. The attempt, however, to localize the different styles is enormously complicated by the mingling of various art influences in Europe at this time, as a study of the material in Mr. Morgan's collection, known to have come from different sources, will show. At the same time it is evide...