The British Museum has one of the world's finest collections of antiquities from medieval Europe, and this is the first fully illustrated guide to the highlights of the collection, now in paperback. In one beautiful volume are displayed 150 of the most important objects, including the most famous such as the Lewis chessmen, the Borradaile triptych, the St Eustace head reliquary, the Royal Gold Cup, the Royal Gittern and medieval court art from the palaces of Westminster and Clarendon as well as a selection of lesser‐known but equally impressive pieces. These remarkable treasures are placed in their historical context through an exploration of themes such as devotional art and pilgrimage, royal patronage and the arts of love, leisure and feasting, to provide a visually stunning insight into the artistic production of this critical period in Western history.

A comprehensive and informed analysis explores the startlingly diverse and sophisticated fine arts in the Middle Ages. Materials, Methods, and Masterpieces of Medieval Art provides a comprehensive and detailed analysis of the work done by artists in western Europe during the Middle Ages. Art historian Janetta Rebold Benton uses examples such as the Book of Kells, Bury Saint Edmunds Cross, and the Bayeux Tapestry, and the work of artists such as Jan van Eyck and Giotto to explore the various media available to medieval artists and the ways in which those media were used to create a stunning array of masterworks. Although the visual arts of the Middle Ages were extremely colorful, today much of that color has diminished or disappeared, the pigments and threads faded, the gold abraded, the silver tarnished. Materials, Methods, and Masterpieces of Medieval Art allows these works to sparkle once more.

The British Museum has one of the world's finest collections of antiquities from medieval Europe. This magnificent book investigat es 150 of the most important works of art, including the most famous such as the Lewis chessmen, the Borradaile triptych, the St Eustace head reliquary, the Royal Gold Cup, the Royal Gittern and medieval court art from the palaces of Westminster and Clarendon. This book puts these remarkable treasures into a historical context by exploring themes including dynastic art (royal and aristocratic patronage), sacred art (devotion, venerati on and pilgrimage) and the art of pleasure (love, leisure and feasting). The range and scope of the British Museum's marvellous collections combined with the British Library's manuscripts provides a stunning overview of the artistic production of this critical period in Western history.

This beautifully produced survey of over a thousand years of Western art and architecture introduces the reader to a vast period of history ranging from ancient Rome to the age of exploration. The monumental arts and the diverse minor arts of the Middle Ages are presented here within the social, religious, and political frameworks of lands as varied as France and Denmark, Spain and Turkey. Marilyn Stokstad also teaches her reader how to look at medieval art-which aspects of architecture, sculpture, or painting are important and for what reasons. Stylistic and iconographic issues and themes are thoroughly addressed with attention paid to aesthetic and social contexts.

The intensely expressive art of the Middle Ages was created to awe, educate and connect the viewer to heaven. Its power reverberates to this day, even among the secular. But experiencing the full meaning and purpose of medieval art requires an understanding of its narrative content. This volume introduces the subjects and stories most frequently depicted in medieval art, many of them drawn from the Bible and other religious literature. Included among the thirty-eight representative works are brilliant altarpieces, stained-glass windows, intricate tapestries, carved wood sculptures, delicate ivories, and captivating manuscript illuminations, all drawn from the holdings of the Metropolitan Museum, one of the world's most comprehensive collections of medieval art. Iconic masterworks such as the Merode Altarpiece, the Unicorn Tapestries, and the Belles Heures of the duc de Berry are featured along with less familiar work. Descriptions of the individual pieces highlight the context in which they were made, conveying their visual and technical nuances as well as their broader symbolic meaning. With its accessible informative discussions and superb full-color illustrations, How to Read Medieval Art explores the iconographic themes of the period, making them clearly recognizable and opening vistas onto history and literature, faith and devotion.

This richly illustrated and scholarly study traces the development of art through the Middle Ages, from the early Christian catacombs of Italy and the treasures of Sutton Hoo to the masterpieces of Romanesque cathedrals and illuminated manuscripts.

This volume traces the history of painting from medieval times to modern times with a focus on each era and its major artists. This volume traces the history of painting from medieval times to modern times with a focus on each era and its major artists.