ImageAnnotation5_Lenahan

Text Connection: "The crosses and crowns were the result of obedience and submission of the Goths to the Catholic Church after the Third Council of Toledo in 589" (Martin 46). Since the defeat that Byzantine dealt to the Goths, there were made to conform to Catholicism. This is present in the jewelry that they still continued to make for royalty. As seen in the image, crosses are displayed in each necklace. This clearly shows that even 30 years later, the Catholic faith was still dominant in the Goth art style. With the crosses in every piece of jewelry designed for royal, it symbolizes that connection between Church and State.

Text Connection: "The strong link between Church and state in that period has usually been interpreted as the basic pillar in the formation of the Visigothic kingdom and a primary point of origin of the Spanish nation" (Martin 41). Connecting back to the joint nature of Church and State, it was considered a foundation of the Visigothic Kingdom. Considering that these artifacts are from the Spanish ruling, it makes sense that all of the pieces have the cross, especially since Spain was heavy in the Catholic faith. Since this was considered a pillar of society to have close knit connections with the government and faith, this jewelry style exemplifies that connection even more, as they were once worn by the royals.

Text Connection: "The crown of the Reccesuinth is the most distinct piece. It was manufactured utilizing long-standing goldsmithing techniques in a mediterranean tradition, along with typical late Roman jewelry-making practices and Germanic metalwork" (Martin 42) When thinking about the connected nature between the Church and State, it is shocking to see that there is no crown depicted in this set of jewelry. Even though the Germanic metalwork was present in the Spanish kingdom, the crown still does not make an appearance. Even though the crown represents another connection to Christianity, it almost undermines the connection of Church and State with the absence of the crown.

Global Connection: In class the Cabochon technique was discussed. After some research that I did, I found that this art style originated in France. With this style carrying over into gothic art in Spain, it is clear that the different art trends were able to be carried over to different countries and continued to be practiced. However, since the jewelry above was usually made by Goths (Germanic people), it questions whether all the goths were Germanic since this practice is French. It also raised the point that the Goths could have has outside influences in their art style and have been taught by the French on how to create this form of art with the stones.

Global Connection: The "experimentation of the Goths in metalworking but was, above all, a Spanish production... These Goths has come from abroad and had been progressively absorbed by the indigenous population. The most noteworthy pieces shown were the Treasures of Guarrazar and Torredonjimeno" and both displays failed to incorporate the crown (Martin 56). When it comes to who has made these particular pieces there is a collaboration, or ownership, between the Goths and the Spanish production. There were many crossovers with the Goths and indigenous people, that the art styles were traded, conformed to, and adhered to. With this, it proves that art styles carry over and change depending on the demographic area that the work is being produced.

Three Questions: 1. What do the designs and motifs of the artifacts reveal about cultural influences? Are they specific to different regions/countries? 2. How might have the trade routes or local resources influenced the creation of these artifacts? Was the gold, metal, and stone readily available or was traveling required to obtain them? 3. How were these artifacts used in a daily aspect? Were they only worn? Were they used at religious services? How did people feel about these symbols being present in everyday life?