Carolingian art

Carolingian art

Ivory book cover from the Lorsch Gospels, early 9th century; in the Victoria and Albert Museum, …

(credit: Courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, Crown copyright)

Art produced in Europe during the reign of Charlemagne and his successors until c. 900. The outstanding characteristic of the period was a revival of interest in Roman antiquity. Works of Byzantine art and architecture served as models. Illuminated manuscripts and relief scenes in ivory and metalwork reflected Classical motifs; mosaics and murals were also produced, but few have survived.