This book traces the origins, economic development, and later history of church treasures, and explores the forms and function of these objects of memory and wonder.00Precious metalwork, relics, chess pieces, ostrich eggs, unicorn horns, and bones of giants were among the treasury objects accumulated in churches during the Middle Ages. The material manifestations of a Christian worldview, they would only later become naturalia and objets d?art, from the sixteenth and the nineteenth century onwards, respectively.00Philippe Cordez traces the rhetorical origination, economic development, and later history of church treasures, and explores the forms and functions of the memorial objects that constituted them. Such objects were a source of wonder for their contemporaries and remain so today, albeit for quite different reasons. Indeed, our fascination relates primarily to their epistemic and aesthetic qualities. Dealing also with these paradigm shifts, this study opens up new paths toward an archeology of current scholarly and museum practices.0Philippe Cordez is Deputy Director of the German Center for Art History in Paris.

From delicate jewelry to the most elaborate goblet, this book brings together gems of the applied arts from the Middle Ages right through to the Renaissance. The 216 hand-colored copperplate engravings offer the contemporary reader both a record and a sourcebook of all that can be achieved by the human hand and creative imagination.

Keynote A magnificent study of the beautifully crafted Medieval reliquaries that enshrined holy relics, and their wider historical, cultural, political and religious context Sales points Published in conjunction with Walters Art Museum and the Cleveland Museum of Art to accompany a major touring exhibition, at the British Museum 23 June 9 October 2011 No equivalent book on this fascinating subject An important reference work drawing on the latest scholarship, which will be of value far beyond the exhibition Description Drawing on three major museum holdings as well as featuring iconic pieces from other international public and private collections, this richly illustrated book looks at the phenomenon of holy relics in the Middle Ages. Thematic essays and object entries by leading scholars trace the history and development of the cult of relics, from its beginnings in late Roman funerary practices to its rise in both the Byzantine East and the West. Contributors Derek Krueger, Eric Palazzo, Arnoldt Angenendt, Martina Bagnoli, Holger A. Klein, Barbara Boehm, Guido Cornini, Cynthia Hahn, James Robinson, Alexander Nagel, C. Griffith Mann

After the global hit Ars Sacra, Rolf Toman and his team embark on a journey once more. The famous French cathedrals of Chartres, Reims and Laon are not the only highlights of this volume. Outstanding treasures of medieval imagery such as religious panel paintings, Madonna statues, illumination and goldsmith art; courtly culture also gets attention. With his passion and meticulousness, photographer Achim Bednorz succeeded to get details in front of his camera that cannot even be perceived on the original locally. The photographs that are exclusive for this volume are particularly well-presented in their large format. The author Bruno Klein wrote his take on Gothic history to fit, and swiftly takes the reader into a past medieval world almost forgotten. SELLING POINTS: Completely new breath-taking photographs by Achim Bednorz The composition will pull the reader into the book emotionally Completely new texts by the editor of bestseller Ars Sacra (Rolf Toman) Contains the most current scientific knowledge on the topic Lavish layout and high quality look like Ars Sacra 800 photographs

"Hildesheim, Germany, was a leading center of art between 1000 and 1250, when outstanding precious works, such as the larger-than-life size Ringelheim Crucifix, illuminated manuscripts lavishly bound in jeweled covers, and a monumental bronze baptismal font, were commissioned for its churches and cathedral. In 1985, UNESCO designated St. Mary's Cathedral and St. Michael's Church in Hildesheim a world cultural heritage site, recognizing them as monuments of medieval art with exceptionally rich treasures. Despite its significance, Hildesheim's incomparable collection of medieval church furnishings is little known outside of Germany. This book provides the first comprehensive examination in English of the city's treasures, its leading role in the art of the Middle Ages, and its churches' history of commissioning and collecting outstanding objects. Highlighting fifty precious and rare works, this book beautifully illustrates some of the great masterpieces of medieval church art."--Publisher's description.

In this visually rich volume, Mariah Proctor-Tiffany reconstructs the art collection and material culture of the fourteenth-century French queen Clémence de Hongrie, illuminating the way the royal widow gave objects as part of a deliberate strategy to create a lasting legacy for herself and her family in medieval Paris. After the sudden death of her husband, King Louis X, and the loss of her promised income, young Clémence fought for her high social status by harnessing the visual power of possessions, displaying them, and offering her luxurious objects as gifts. Clémence adeptly performed the role of queen, making a powerful argument for her place at court and her income as she adorned her body, the altars of her chapels, and her dining tables with sculptures, paintings, extravagant textiles, manuscripts, and jewelry—the exclusive accoutrements of royalty. Proctor-Tiffany analyzes the queen’s collection, maps the geographic trajectories of her gifts of art, and interprets Clémence’s generosity using anthropological theories of exchange and gift giving. Engaging with the art inventory of a medieval French woman, this lavishly illustrated microhistory sheds light on the material and social culture of the late Middle Ages. Scholars and students of medieval art, women’s studies, digital mapping, and the anthropology of ritual and gift giving especially will welcome Proctor-Tiffany’s meticulous research.

The extraordinary array of images included in this volume reveals the full and rich history of the Middle Ages. Exploring material objects from the European, Byzantine and Islamic worlds, the book casts a new light on the cultures that formed them, each culture illuminated by its treasures. The objects are divided among four topics: The Holy and the Faithful; The Sinful and the Spectral; Daily Life and Its Fictions, and Death and Its Aftermath. Each section is organized chronologically, and every object is accompanied by a penetrating essay that focuses on its visual and cultural significance within the wider context in which the object was made and used. Spot maps add yet another way to visualize and consider the significance of the objects and the history that they reveal. Lavishly illustrated, this is an appealing and original guide to the cultural history of the Middle Ages.

This book features 107 of the finest examples of illuminated pages from medieval and Renaissance Books of Hours. Roger Wieck's comprehensive text introduces the Book of Hours -- a "bestseller" for three hundred years -- to the general reader, discussing its iconography, the artists who illuminated this genre, and its role as a religious text in the lives of its owners. As a collection of both stirring words and inspiring images, the Book of Hours thus comprised a series of "painted prayers".

This richly illustrated and scholarly study traces the development of art through the Middle Ages, from the early Christian catacombs of Italy and the treasures of Sutton Hoo to the masterpieces of Romanesque cathedrals and illuminated manuscripts.