The Role of Art in the Late Anglo-Saxon Church: (Oxford Historical Monographs)

This study explores the role of early medieval religious art in its historical context, focusing on England from the reign of Alfred the Great to the aftermath of the Norman conquest. Tenth and eleventh century society expressed itself extensively through visual means, and the surviving material provides a rich body of evidence for the religious culture of the time. Combining visual and documentary evidence, The Role of Art in the Late Anglo-Saxon Church sheds new light on a wide range of magnificent art works and their functions, and offers fresh perspectives on the ecclesiastical history and beliefs of late Anglo Saxon England, with important implications for the study of early medieval civilization in general.

Review :
`detailed and fascinating study ... This book will be an invaluable accompanying volume to the discussions of style, provenance and dating which usually dominate the discussion of art of this period.' Nora Courtney, University of Surrey, Art History `The observations are interesting, and the assessment judicious...There are excellent footnotes at the bottom of the page, many offering literary support for the author's analysis, and referring the reader to a full bibliography.' Early Medieval Europe `the purpose of this detailed and scholarly monograph is to throw more light on the period from the late ninth to the late eleventh century ... The task of examining the role of a work of art is extremely difficult, particularly when sources are scarce and often unrepresentative. Dr Gameson meets the challenge admirably. This is a significant contribution to our understanding of late Anglo-Saxon art and the society that produced it. The highly charged spiritual nature of much of this art is elucidated with constant reference to the wider religious culture of the time, and shows how important visual sources are in interpreting the past.' Tim Hunter, The Art Book, Vol. 3, No. 1 `The discussion is well informed and often insightful, nicely balancing the significance of inherited compositions and of original inventions ... very richly detailed and useful book.' L. Nees, University of Delaware, Choice, January 1996 Vol. 33 No. 5 `Dr Gameson elucidates some of the pictorial compositions in very interesting ways ... Gameson has provided us with a clear sense of the full repertoire of the Anglo-Saxon artists ... a rich repository of information about art in later Anglo-Saxon England in all its diversity. Anyone lazily accustomed to accepting the Norman invaders' assessment of Anglo-Saxon culture must think again.' Times Literary Supplement `The main value of his work is in his exhaustive, intelligent and always interesting analysis of manuscript illustration and some auxiliary art forms.' Frank Barlow, EHR Jun'97 `a strikingly original contribution ... The book functions as both a refresher course and an eye-opener ... a book which is produced as thoughtfully, as it is written ... The author draws upon a wide range of comparative material, Continental and Byzantine, and the footnotes are rich in references. The effect of a steady and probing intelligence asking repeated questions of the same objects is to bring them into a more complete light than has heretofore been the case. That a multitude of new questions will now crop up is the greatest testimony to the value of this consistently impressive monograph.' Richard W. Pfaff, Uiversity of North Carolina, Church History, Dec 1996