The second period of Anglo-Saxon artistic greatness 900 - 1066 called the Golden Age, or sometimes the Winchester School is very different from the first period - before the Danish invasions. Pen and ink outlines, tall figures and fluttering drapery are part of the style seen in masterpieces of manuscript painting, embroidery and ivories. There is the Harley Psalter with lively scenes of Anglo-Saxon life and the Trinity Gospels, the most sumptuous of late Anglo-Saxon Gospel books. Three embroideries given by King Athelstan for the coffin of St Cuthbert and the Bayeux Tapestry, are the best-known examples of the 'English work' famous throughout Europe. This period was pre-eminent for ivory carvings of great delicacy, small sculptures of the Winchester style. Contemporary literature such as the Battle of Maldon will provide us with some context for the period.
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