The Frankish dynasty that dominated modern France and western Germany from Clovis' conquest of Gaul in 486 until 750.
The Frankish dynasty that dominated modern France and western Germany from Clovis' conquest of Gaul in 486 until 750. Merovingian art, known mainly from metalwork found in royal burials and illuminated manuscripts, is characterized by abstract shapes, animal motifs and elaborate patterns.
Refers to the culture, period, and style ushered in by the conquest of Gaul by Clovis of the Merovingian dynasty in 486 CE. In architecture the style is characterized by the employment, in modest and simplified form, of the earlier Late Antique and Early Christian styles, often emphasizing decorative effects and geometric patterns. The style in manuscript illumination is related to Lombard art and perhaps to Coptic textiles, and is characterized by small, ornamental figures, animals, birds, fish and abstract shapes, reminiscent of Germanic metalwork.
