Art Pursuits 2022 brochure

GERMANY
IMPERIAL SAXONY
Treasures of Mediaeval Art & Architecture in the Ottonian Crownland
Imperial Palace, Goslar
Saxony’s career within the mediaeval German empire is striking. It took Emperor Charlemagne over 20 years to subjugate
the rebellious Saxons and make them a loyal member of the Frankish Empire. And only some 100 years later, Saxons
successfully rule the vast realm as emperors themselves. With the election of the Saxon duke Henry I to the royal throne in
919, the Ottonian dynasty’s rise to power began. By founding palaces and endowing the church, they distinguished their
Saxon heartland stretching from the fabled, densely forested Harz Mountains to the sandy plains around Magdeburg on
the river Elbe. Quedlinburg, one of the region’s many beautifully preserved and sensitively restored towns, became the
preferred site of imperial visits. Some of Germany’s most spectacular Ottonian architecture is to be found in and around
this delightful half-timbered town. To enforce their rule, the emperors heavily relied on the learned bishops of their realm.
Their impressive cathedrals in Hildesheim, Halberstadt, and Magdeburg, replete with sumptuous sculpture in stone, wood,
stucco and bronze, testify for Saxony’s international artistic connections at the time. The wealth of church treasuries
in this region, the precious metalworks and textile arts they hoard, are hardly paralleled anywhere else in the country.
Monumental works of art in bronze – church doors, chandeliers, a throne and an altar – are preserved in pristine conditions
in Goslar and Hildesheim. When the Ottonian house became extinct in the male line, power shifted from Saxony to the
Rhine. However, the new Salian emperors remained loyal to Saxony, again testified by artistic treasures created for Saxon
institutions on imperial commission. And not before long, a Saxon duke, Henry the Lion, will challenge imperial power by
marking his claim to the throne with yet another palace and church building, this time in his residence at Braunschweig.
36 To book call 01280 736 115 or visit artpursuits.com