Medieval Art: A Topical Dictionary

Designed as a quick-reference source to the topics, symbols, themes, and stories most frequently found in early Christian, western medieval, and Byzantine art, this work describes topics that include names and narratives drawn from the Bible and apocrypha, the lives of saints, and numerous other textual sources. Authors whose works were frequently illustrated or who were influential on the visual arts are treated, as are selected art historical terms and events of significance for the arts. Cross-references alert readers to alternate titles and related topics, and the majority of entries cite a pictorial example. These are keyed to standard texts for easy viewing access. The dictionary begins with Aaron and ends with Zoomorphic Decoration.

This dictionary focuses on the medieval period and the distinctive ways in which the subjects and symbols referenced in the work evolved and developed during the Middle Ages, resulting in a unique overview of the evolution, development, popularity, and transformations that took place in medieval artistic iconography. The introduction provides chronological, thematic, and bibliographic surveys to supplement the 500 individual entries; the bibliography directs the readers to more detailed studies. The work also includes names and topics not always found in art reference sources, for example, authors whose works were frequently illustrated, or who were influential on the visual arts, and historical events of significance for the arts.

Author: Leslie Ross
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Published: 11/14/1996
Pages: 320
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.44lbs
Size: 9.46h x 6.31w x 1.11d
ISBN: 9780313293290

Review Citation(s):
Library Journal 09/15/1996 pg. 54
Booklist 12/15/1996

About the Author

LESLIE ROSS is Professor and Chair of the Art History department at Dominican College of San Rafael. She has received numerous grants, including a Fulbright to the United Kingdom and a Graves Award for Excellence in Teaching in the Humanities. She is the author of Text, Image, Message: Saints in Medieval Manuscript Illustrations (Greenwood Press, 1994).