Masterpieces: Medieval Art

Description

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.

James M. Robinson is Professor of Religion Emeritus at Claremont Graduate University, where he was founder and Director of the Institute for Antiquity and Christianity. As permanent secretary of UNESCO's International Committee for the Nag Hammadi Codices, he edited 'The Coptic Gnostic Library', reprinted in five volumes (2000); among his many other publications is 'Language, Hermeneutic, and History'.