Overview

A dictionary giving the twentieth-century reader access to the pictorial tradition that was once the common visual vocabulary of western Europeans. Among areas covered are artists, art and architectural terms, the symbolism of numbers, flora, fauna and parts of the body, Christian saints, biblical and mythological figures and liturgical objects and vestments. There are over 160 reproductions by artists from almost two millennia of Christain art, from the earliest beginnings in the house-churches of Asia Minor and the catacombs of Rome to the 16th-century mosaics and icons, the Italian fresco painters of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance period. Modern artists mentioned are Salvidor Dali and Georges Rousault.

Full Product Details

9780718829322

Table of Contents

Reviews

""...the author - whose erudition as a historian of religions shines through her every word... does provide a convenient reference book for the non-specialist in the difficult maze that is historical iconography."" Sylvia Auld, University of Edinburgh ""This imaginative work is more than a dictionary: it is a true introduction to European art of the past, including - despite the title - entries on classical mythology. It should prove of great service to all those who lecture, write, or simply want to know more about the relationship between belief, liturgy and art."" Erika Langmuir, The National Gallery, London

...the author - whose erudition as a historian of religions shines through her every word... does provide a convenient reference book for the non-specialist in the difficult maze that is historical iconography. Sylvia Auld, University of Edinburgh This imaginative work is more than a dictionary: it is a true introduction to European art of the past, including - despite the title - entries on classical mythology. It should prove of great service to all those who lecture, write, or simply want to know more about the relationship between belief, liturgy and art. Erika Langmuir, The National Gallery, London

Author Information

Dr. Diana Apostolos-Cappadona is a leading expert on Christian and religious art. She teaches at the Georgetown University Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, in Washington DC.

Tab Content 6

Countries Available