The book traces the unbroken development of the Sacred Arts and their interrelationships throughout Europe from the Renovatio of the arts - the 'Rebirth of Antiquity' - encouraged under the Emperor Charlemagne in the late eighth century, until a renewed and fresh appreciation of the natural world - the Gothic - began to replace the powerful stylisations and the last vestiges of the classical tradition of the Romanesque in the early thirteenth century.

For an understanding of the art of the Early Middle Ages it is essential to consider reliquaries and shrines, book bindings and ivory carvings, goldsmith's work and bronze casting, as much as major sculpture and painting. This volume covers these Ars Sacra from 800 to 1200.

Christianity is the most widespread religion in the world, and Ars Sacra successfully plays tribute to its art and architecture. As an opulent feast of the senses, this glorious tome impresses with expert texts, detailed views, and magnificent photographs. The reader gets an up close and personal tour of the works—often closer than in reality! Readers are able to savor the pages, browsing through the sumptuous volume at their leisure. Additional information highlights the specific changes in the sacral art, architecture, and culture. Ars Sacra is the standard work all in one: fascinating tome, comprehensive compendium, and substantial textbook.

This glorious tome is a unique tribute to 2000 years of Christian art, architecture and spirituality.

Understanding Art is a two-volume, fully illustrated work that strives to explain and discuss four important periods in the history of western art--the Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque. It aims to create a sense of understanding, recognition, and appreciation of art by analysing, within the four periods, three distinct artistic genres: painting; sculpture; and architecture. Besides the excellence of the illustrations, one of the great virtues of this book is its clear and concise explanations. It is truly an excellent first stop for anyone embarking on a serious study of art--or anyone wishing to refresh his or her memory of the facts about the art history of the western world.

ARS SACRA, or Sacred Art, is a presentation of the "Faces of Redemption" original oil painting series by Italian artist, Carla Carli Mazzucato which was commissioned and installed in the Church of Corpus Domini, Bolzano, Italy in 1991. The book depicts Mazzucato's contemporary interpretation of the fourteen Stations of the Cross, and is accompanied by the artist's own reflections on the meaning of Jesus Christ's journey and sacrifice in relation to our own lives. The book also presents the artist's "Via Crucis" series of fourteen original woodcut prints that likewise explore the central mystery of faith in our search for understanding and acceptance of our own divine purpose.Three editions of the book, English, Italian and Spanish are available.