Object of Devotion: Medieval English Alabaster Sculpture from the Victoria and Albert Museum

During the late Middle Ages, English craftsmen, based mainly in the Midlands, carved finely decorated images from alabaster – a fine-grained form of gypsum – for display in churches, homes and private chapels. With essays by several leading scholars, this lavish publication accompanies a US touring exhibition of medieval English alabaster sculpture from the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, and offers an unrivalled glimpse into the spiritual lives, hopes, fears and religious aspirations of both aristocratic and non-aristocratic society during the Middle Ages. Since alabasters from England were sold across the Continent in considerable quantities, the catalogue sheds light on issues of spirituality, devotion and culture beyond the English Channel.

Object of Devotion exhibition schedule:

December 2, 2010 - January 16, 2011 Society of the Four Arts, Palm Beach, Florida

February 5 - May 15, 2011 Bowdoin College Museum of Art, Brunswick, Maine

September 3 - November 13, 2011 Tyler Museum of Art, Tyler, Texas

December 3, 2011 - February 12, 2012 Princeton University Art Museum, Princeton, New Jersey

March 3 - May 13, 2012 Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, Kalamazoo, Michigan

June 2 - November 11, 2012 Museum of Art, Brigham University, Provo, Utah

December 1, 2012 - February 10, 2013 Huntsville Museum of Art, Huntsville, Alabama

March 2 - May 26, 2013 North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, North Carolina

PAUL WILLIAMSON, is Guest Curator of the exhibition and head Curator of the Department of Sculpture at the Victoria and Albert Museum. FERGUS CANNAN, formerly of the Victoria and Albert Museum and now an independent scholar, is Associate Curator of the exhibition. EAMON DUFFY is a professor, at Magdalene College, Cambridge. STEPHEN PERKINSON is a professor at Bowdoin College. MARK JONES is Director of the Victoria and Albert Museum.