Iconography of Charlemagne

The rich iconography of Charlemagne is a reflection of Charlemagne's special position in Europe's collective memory, as the greatest of the Frankish kings, first Holy Roman Emperor, unifier of Western Europe, protector of the Catholic Church, promoter of education and of the Carolingian Renaissance, fictional precursor of the crusades, one of the Nine Worthies, a (contested) Saint, and a national icon in Andorra, Belgium, France and Germany.

Appearance

The ''Vita Karoli Magni'' written after Charlemagne's death by his servant Einhard has served ever since as a reference establishing his stature and charisma:

Beard

Contemporaneous depictions of Charlemagne and related rulers suggest he sported a mustache, but not a beard. The motif of Charlemagne's beard appears in 11th-century ''chansons de geste'' and especially ''the Song of Roland'', which has a verse describing Charlemagne: ''"Blanche ad la barbe et tut flurit le chef"'', which translates as "his beard is white, and all his hair is greying." The expression ''"l'empereur à la barbe fleurie"'' came to refer specifically to Charlemagne in French, and was further popularized by Victor Hugo in a 1846 poem of ''la Légende des siècles'':

The epithet "fleuri" in this context appears to have meant "greyish-white", alluding to Charlemagne's old age - even though he was actually under 40 at the time of the historical battle of Roncevaux Pass. An alternative view is that the poem refers to Charlemagne's beard being kept unshaven during the arduous military campaign.

In any case, the beard has remained a near-constant attribute of Charlemagne since the High Middle Ages, and a long white beard associated with his old age. A rare exception is his depiction in the fresco of the Coronation of Charlemagne in the Raphael Rooms of the Apostolic Palace, since this was made a likeness of Francis I of France for political reasons, and Francis was beardless at the time. Some 20th- or 21st-century depictions of Charlemagne also show him beardless for historical accuracy.

Attire

Charlemagne has been generally depicted in military or ceremonial garb, with the style varying across time - typically, contemporary or at least recent in the Middle Ages and early modern period; ancient Roman in the 18th century; and aiming at historicist accuracy in the 19th century. He is often shown carrying, in his left hand, a ''globus cruciger'', and in his right hand, either a sword (sometimes modeled on his attributed ''Joyeuse'') or a scepter; from the 17th century the latter has tended, at least in France, to be the scepter of Charles V then known as "scepter of Charlemagne". In images where Charlemagne is crowned, the crown is in some instances the Imperial Crown of the Holy Roman Empire, as in Albrecht Dürer's seminal portrait now in Nuremberg, or the coronation crown of the kings of France also known as Crown of Charlemagne, as in the '' Mass of Saint Giles'' now in London. In many other depictions, however, the crown does not refer to a specific existing object.

Heraldry

In the Holy Roman Empire, the Imperial eagle (''Reichsadler'') emblem was attributed retroactively to Charlemagne, at the latest at the time of his reburial under Emperor Frederick II in 1215. Meanwhile, following the marriage of Isabella of Hainault with Philip II of France in 1180, the French Capetian dynasty promoted its own claims to the memory and legacy of Charlemagne, including by linking him to the fleur-de-lis.

The heraldic combination of the two shields, by either dimidiation (i.e. with only a half-''Reichsadler'' on the "German" side) or more rarely impalement (full ''Reichsadler''), is first attested in a poem of ''Ogier's Youth'' (''Les Enfances Ogier'') by Adenes Le Roi in the last third of the 13th century. This adaptation became accepted in France and in the Empire as well, thanks to the fleur-de-lis's symbolic and mythical association not only with the Capetians but also with their Frankish predecessors.

In line with the prevailing conventions of precedence among European monarchies, French depictions generally placed the Imperial eagle on the more honorable left-hand half of the shield (worn on the right-hand side when displayed on Charlemagne's coat), as was naturally done in the Empire.

Public monuments

Charlemagne was represented from medieval times in public settings including churches and civic landmarks. These include, among numerous others, the stucco statue of Charlemagne inside Saint John Abbey, Müstair (Switzerland), of uncertain date between the 9th and 12th centuries; a statue above the entrance of Osnabrück Town Hall; and a prominent 15th-century statue on one of the towers of the Grossmünster in Zürich (the original is now in the crypt, and a copy by Otto Münch was replaced on the tower in 1933).

From the early modern era, several free-standing statues of Charlemagne were created for prominent public locations for various political purposes, including:
* The statue of Charlemagne in Aachen (Peter and Frans von Trier, 1620); the original is now in the museum, and a 1969 copy replaced on the ''Marktplatz'' in front of Aachen Town Hall
* The equestrian statue of Charlemagne under the portico of St. Peter's Basilica (Agostino Cornacchini, 1725)
* The statue of Charlemagne on the Alte Brücke in Frankfurt (, 1843); the original is now at the Historical Museum, and a copy was re-erected on the bridge in 2016
* The statue of Charlemagne in Liège (Louis Jehotte, 1867)
* The bronze group of ''Charlemagne et ses Leudes'' in front of Notre-Dame de Paris (Louis and Charles Rochet, 1878)
* The equestrian statue of Charlemagne on ''Keizer Karelplein'' in Nijmegen (, 1960)

Gallery

File:Charlemagne denier Mayence 812 814.jpg, Denier of Charlemagne, early 810s
File:Charlemagne Louvre OA8260 n1.jpg, so-called Equestrian statuette of Charlemagne, 9th century, Louvre
File:Karl der Grosse - Pippin von Italien.jpg, Charlemagne and his father Pepin, 10th century
File:Benediktinerkloster St. Johann Skulptur.JPG, Stucco sculpture of Charlemagne, Saint John Abbey, Müstair, 10th–12th century
File:StrasbourgCath BasCoteN 09.JPG, Charlemagne on one of the ''Kaiserfenster'' in Strasbourg Cathedral, late 12th century
File:Chartres - Vie de Charlemagne.JPG, Scenes from the life of Charlemagne, ' at Chartres Cathedral, c. 1225
File:Chartres-007 A4.jpg, Charlemagne and Constantine, on the '
File:9 gute Helden im Hansasaal des Rathauses Köln - 1. von links-6251.jpg, Charlemagne as one of the Nine Worthies, Cologne City Hall, 13th century
File:Saint Charlemagne par Jaume Cascalls 1345.jpg, Saint Charlemagne by Jaume Cascalls, 1345, Girona Cathedral
File:Protome Caroli Magni (bkg black).jpg, Bust of Charlemagne, 1349, Aachen Cathedral Treasury
File:Sceptre de Charles V.jpg, Charlemagne on the Scepter of Charles V, 1370s, Louvre
File:Charlemagne et Louis le Pieux.jpg, Charlemagne crowning Louis the Pious, ''Grandes Chroniques de France'', 14th–15th centuries
File:Charlemagne tapestry.JPG, Charlemagne tapestry, 15th century, Musée des Beaux-Arts de Dijon
File:Maestro di dreux budé, crocifissione del parlamento di parigi, 1450 ca. 05.JPG, Saint Charlemagne in the ', mid-15th century, Louvre
File:Charlemagne grisaille 1450-1460.jpg, Charlemagne in the book of hours of Philip the Good, by , 1450s
File:Sacre de Charlemagne.jpg, Coronation of Charlemagne in the ''Grandes Chroniques de France'', by Jean Fouquet, 1450s
File:Construction d Aix-la-Chapelle.jpg, Charlemagne surveying the works of the Palatine Chapel, Aachen, by Jean Fouquet, 1450s
File:Master of Moulins - Meeting at the Golden Gate - WGA14470.jpg, Charlemagne (right) by Jean Hey, 1488, National Gallery
File:Vitrail Cathédrale de Moulins 160609 34.jpg, Charlemagne on the ''Window of the Dukes'' at Moulins Cathedral, late 15th century
File:Karl der grosse.jpg, Charlemagne statue, Grossmünster at Zürich, late 15th century (1933 copy by Otto Münch)
File:7421 - Zürich - Grossmünster Charlemagne.JPG, Charlemagne statue, Grossmünster at Zürich (original)
File:Charlemagne and Pope Adrian I.jpg, Charlemagne rescuing Pope Adrian I, by Antoine Vérard, 1493
File:Keizer Karel de Grote Carolus magnus (titel op object) Liber Chronicarum (serietitel), RP-P-2016-49-47-2.jpg, Charlemagne on a print from the Nuremberg workshop of Michael Wolgemut and Wilhelm Pleydenwurff, 1493
File:Nuremberg chronicles - Genealogy of Charlemagne (CLXXXVIIr).jpg, Charlemagne (lower left corner) and his descendants, Nuremberg Chronicle, late 15th century
File:Heures de Charles VIII 013V Roi Charles VIII en Louis XII.jpg, Charlemagne protecting the king of France, by the , c. 1500, '
File:Maestro di st. giles, messa di sant'egidio, 1500 ca. 01.jpg, Charlemagne (left) attending mass, by the Master of Saint Giles, c. 1500, National Gallery
File:Polyptyque d'Anchin - L'abbé Coguin, donateur - detail.jpg, Charlemagne on the by Jehan Bellegambe, c. 1510, Musée de la Chartreuse de Douai
File:Raphael Charlemagne.jpg, The Coronation of Charlemagne, by Raphael's workshop, 1510s, Raphael Rooms
File:Karel de Grote, Godfried IV van Bouillon en Koning Arthur als drie christelijke helden Drei Gvt Cristen (titel op object) Helden en Heldinnen (serietitel), RP-P-OB-4360.jpg, The Three Christian Worthies: Charlemagne, King Arthur and Godfrey of Bouillon, by Hans Burgkmair, 1516–19
File:Einhard 1521.jpg, Charlemagne and Charles V, illustration of the ''Vita Karoli Magni'' by Anton Woensam, 1521
File:Kathedraal van Sint-Michiel en Sint-Goedele 29-01-2019 17-50-23.jpg, Charlemagne protecting Charles V, window by Jan Haeck after Bernard van Orley, 1538, Brussels Cathedral
File:Charlemagne (1552).jpg, Charlemagne portrait in Sebastian Münster's ''Cosmographia'', c. 1550
File:Karel de Grote met wapenschild in rolwerk omlijsting Negen Besten (serietitel), RP-P-OB-8607.jpg, Charlemagne as one of the Nine Worthies by Virgil Solis, mid-16th century
File:Taddeo zuccari, Carlo Magno conferma la donazione di Ravenna alla Chiesa, 1564-65, 02.jpg, Charlemagne confirms the Donation of Pepin, Sala Regia (Vatican), by Taddeo Zuccari, 1564–65
File:Charlemagne. Carolus Magnus.jpg, Charlemagne by Giovanni Battista de'Cavalieri, 1583
File:Carolus Magnus (BM 1923,0129.8).jpg, Charlemagne as one of the Nine Worthies by Nicolaes de Bruyn

HOME


Content is Copyleft
Website design, code, and AI is Copyrighted (c) 2014-2017 by Stephen Payne


Consider donating to Wikimedia



As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases