Mosan art is a regional style of art from the valley of theMeuse in present-dayBelgium, theNetherlands, andGermany. Although in a broader sense the term applies to art from this region from all periods, it generally refers toRomanesque art, with MosanRomanesque architecture,stone carving,metalwork,enamelling andmanuscript illumination reaching a high level of development during the 11th, 12th and 13th centuries.
TheMeuse river valley lay in the heart of the earlierCarolingian Empire and therefore the style draws largely from the heritage of theCarolingian art tradition. Thus, Mosan art contains strong classical elements, which separates it from the international Romanesque style seen elsewhere during the period, for example in France,[1] Germany[2] Spain and Italy. However, it shares with mainstream Romanesque art elements such as the treatment of space. Although theiconography of 11th- and 12th-century Meuse valley art largely draws onBiblical inspiration, some of the elaborately carved capitals in the two main churches inMaastricht depict scenes from many aspects of daily life, as well as images from an intriguing world of fantasy.
The Mosan region was formed largely by the boundary of theBishopric of Liège, which had strong political links to the emperors of theHoly Roman Empire, as well as to the bishops ofCologne. The region's main artistic centres were the cities ofLiège,Huy,Dinant,Namur,Tongeren,Maastricht,Roermond andAachen, as well as a number of important monasteries:Sint-Truiden,Aldeneik,Herkenrode,Averbode,Munsterbilzen,Susteren,Sint Odiliënberg,Rolduc,Burtscheid,Kornelimünster,Stavelot,Nivelles,Aulne,Floreffe,Flône,Celles,Gembloux andLobbes. Mosan art at its peak had a strong influence on bordering regions, notably onRhineland art (Cologne,Bonn).
Metalworks from the Meuse Valley were also prominent in the eastern part ofCentral Europe, particularly inAustria as shown by theKlosterneuburg Altar, inPoland as theAnastasia Evangelistary demonstrates, and even inHungary as seen in fragments of theReliquary of Pétermonostora.
Mosan Romanesque art has been described by art historians as the first golden age of Netherlandish art (beforeearly Netherlandish painting andDutch Golden Age painting). Usually the term Mosan art does not includeMedieval literature althoughHeinrich von Veldeke may be considered the first poet writing inMiddle Dutch (as well asMiddle High German).
Mosan architecture can be seen as a distinctive branch inRomanesque architecture, a regional style that produced imposing churches in Aachen, Liège and Maastricht, as well as monasteries in rural areas. The fully developed Mosan style of the 12th century is a comprise between the older Meuse valley traditions and foreign influences, mainly coming from theRhineland andItaly. An outstanding factor in Mosan architecture is the closed west front (westwerk). Unfortunately, some of the largest churches, notablyLiège cathedral, and the Stavelot and Sint-Truiden abbeys, were destroyed.
Mosan stone carving reached a peak in the 12th century in Maastricht, Liège and Nivelles. Maastricht 'metsen' (stone carvers) worked oncapitals andreliefs as far afield asUtrecht,Bonn andEisenach.
Metalwork has been considered the high art of the 12th and early 13th-century Meuse region, culminating in the work ofNicholas of Verdun, which is of exceptionally high quality. TheShrine of the Three Kings at Cologne Cathedral, the Anno Shrine inSiegburg and the Shrine of Our Lady inTournai are among his best work. Other important metalworkers wereRenier de Huy andHugo d'Oignies.
Very little has come to us from what must have been an impressive body of Mosanmurals.Wolfram von Eschenbach, in hisParzival expressed his high regard for Maastricht (and Cologne) painters (Parzival, 158, 13-16).Book illumination, like the rest of the arts, was at its zenith in the second half of the 12th century. The principal centres were the abbey of Saint Laurent in Liège and the abbeys of Stavelot and Lobbes. Another highly developed art wasvitreous enameling.
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