The Humble Profile of the Regal Chariot in Medieval Miniatures
Marjorie Nice Boyer
During the prehistoric and ancient periods in Western Europe, chariots furnished an essential part of glamor surrounding gods goddesses, kings, heroes. Only late Merovingian times did prestige ostentatious vehicles begin to fade, towards middle tenth century carriages no longer appear our sources. Their use was revived only thirteenth century, then for great ladies, not knights. In intervening centuries artists continued be commissioned illustrate texts, such as, example, Bible Prudentius's Psychomachia. Many these contain references chariots. Artists might place a ruler known them--farm carts or wagons or, if they had access MSS monuments, copy these. any case, since illustrators lacked sense historical verisimilitude, saw nothing inappropriate placing king vehicle which came hand: triumphal chariot, racing car, harvest wagon, baggage cart. Pharaoh Red Sea appears wide variety chariots, those Luxuria run gamut from sophisticated type used by high society Late Antiquity jewel-encrusted bedraggled homemade two-wheeler resembling provincial Gallo-Romans. The object present paper is show what sources derived their extent have medieval features, describe phenomenon humble profile regal chariot Carolingian period century.
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