Reading Medieval Images: The Art Historian and the Object

It is propitious to find art historians who are happy to define and defend their work, but this collection of eighteen essays does just that. With each contributor selecting a particular object or image, they elaborate on how art historians approach works of art, and discuss the methodology of visual analysis and informed interpretation. Jargon-free and approachable, the contributors select and describe a variety of subjects including a mosaic, Crucifixion image, a textile, portraits, an architectural drawing, choir reliefs, a sarcophagus, architectural and free-standing sculpture, both from the West, the Byzantine East and the Islamic world.

"The editors of Reading Medieval Images have assembled an admirable collection of essays that show what art historians do when they confront a work. The contributors draw on contemporary theory yet their writing is jargon-free, and the editorial apparatus (two engaging introductory essays, nine very brief but valuable introductions to groups of essays, and a well-chosen bibliography) is exemplary."
---Sylvan Barnet, author of A Short Guide to Writing about Art

"A compelling conspectus of exemplary case-studies that demonstrates the variety and vitality of current scholarship on medieval art. Much more than the sun of its parts, this fine collection will further the lively exchange and debate found in its pages. . . . A model for other publications of its kind."
---Jeffery Hamburger, Harvard University