The Ottonians were renowned for their metalwork, producing bejeweled book covers and massive bronze church doors with relief carvings depicting biblical scenes, a process so complex that it would not be repeated until the Renaissance. Fine, small-scale sculpture in metals flourished and exquisite book covers made of ivory and embellished with gems, enamels, crystals, and cameos were produced during this period.
The Cross of Lothair
Many of the finest examples of the crux gemmata (jeweled cross) date from Ottonian rule. Made of wood, these crosses then were encased in carved gold and silver and encrusted with jewels and engraved gems. Arguably the finest of these Ottonian jeweled crosses is the Cross of Lothair, dating from around 1,000 and housed in the Aachen Cathedral. The cross takes its name from the large engraved green rock crystal seal near its base, bearing the portrait and name of the Carolingian ruler Lothair II, King of Lotharingia (835-869). However, the cross was actually commissioned over a century later for Otto III, the Holy Roman Emperor. The cross bears a cameo of the great Roman emperor Augustus Caesar on one side and an engraving of the crucifixion of Jesus on the other. The cross thus represents both church and state, in keeping with the Ottonian agenda, and serving to connect the Ottonian emperors to the original Roman emperors.
The Cross of Lothair (c. 1000)
An example of the prestigious metalwork of the time. The front side shows a cameo of the emperor Augustus.
The cross also depicts the Hand of God holding a wreath containing a dove representing the Holy Spirit in the crucifixion scene. This is the earliest known appearance of the dove motif and the introduction of the entire Trinity into the crucifixion, an iconography that was to have a long future.
The Codex Aureus of Echternach
Ottonian relief figures from treasure bindings and cast sculptures are often more stylized, yet more dramatic than their restrained Carolingian counterparts. The cover of the Codex Aureus of Echternach (1030-1050) dates from about 50 years before the manuscript. The metalwork is attributed to the Trier workshop set up by Egbert, Archbishop of Trier. It centers on an ivory plaque showing the Crucifixion. Surrounding the ivory plaque are panels with figures in repoussé gold relief. The style of the metal reliefs differ significantly from the central plaque. These panels are set in a framework whose larger elements are made up of alternating units of gold filigree set with gems, and cloisonné enamel with stylized plant decorative motifs. Thinner gold bands set with small pearls run along the diagonal axes, further separating the relief images into compartments and creating an "X" that may stand for "Christ." The figures are produced in an elegant, elongated style that contrasts strongly with the forceful and slightly squat figures of the ivory.
Codex Aureus of Echternach (c. 980s)
Front cover of the Codex.
Bronze Sculptures in Hildesheim
Ottonian metalwork also includes objects produced from non-precious metals. The most famous of these is the pair of church doors, the Bernward Doors, commissioned by Bishop Bernward of Hildesheim. They contain biblical scenes from the Gospels and the Book of Genesis in bronze relief, each cast in a single piece. These powerfully simple compositions convey their meanings by emphatic gestures, a hallmark of the Ottonian style.
Bernward Doors, St. Mary's Cathedral at Hildesheim (c. 1015)
These bronze doors bear relief sculptures depicting the history of humanity from Adam to Christ.
A progressive feature of the figures on the Bernward Doors is their style of relief. The figures do not extend a uniform distance from the background, but seem to lean out from it. A particularly apt example of this is the figure of Mary with the baby Jesus in the depiction of the Adoration of the Magi. While her lower body is still in low relief, her upper body and Christ project out further, and finally Mary's shoulders and head are cast in the round. This unusual style was used for artistic reasons, not because of technical limitations.
Another striking Ottonian metal sculpture from is the Bernward Column (c. 1000), named for the same patron as the Bernward Doors. Produced for St. Michael's Cathedral in Hildesheim, the column depicts images from the life of Jesus, arranged in a helix similar to Trajan's Column. Just as Roman victory columns depict the military deeds of the Emperor in an upward spiralling frieze, so the Bernward Column depicts the peaceful deeds of Christ, beginning with his baptism at the Jordan and ending with his triumphal entry into Jerusalem.
Bernward Column (c. 1000)
Bernward had this victory column cast from bronze in conscious imitation of Trajan's column and the Column of Marcus Aurelius in Rome.
The column is significant for the vitality of the figural relief, which is unusual for the time. The relief complements the Bernward Doors. Both artworks reflect Bernward's efforts to put his seat in the position of a northern Rome in the context of the Ottonian Dynasty's renewed Christian Roman Empire and also to emphasize Christ as a model of just and godly kingship for the rulers. For this reason, the execution of John the Baptist by Herod Antipas is given a great deal of space.