In the fourteenth century, Europe was a place ravaged by the effects of war and famine and then devastated by the Black Death. These multiple crises lead to a widespread mystical religiosity, which emphasised both ecstatic joy and extreme suffering....

A companion to the prize-winning exhibition catalogue "Illuminating the Renaissance: The Triumph of Flemish Manuscript Painting in Europe", edited by Thomas Kren and Scot McKendrick (2003), this volume contains thirteen selected papers presented at t...

This sumptuous volume presents more than 80 full-colour reproductions of some of the most highly prized French manuscript illuminations in the world. This outstanding volume is the perfect introduction to an exquisite art form that flourished for cen...

An artist's materials – from the broad brushstrokes of a Van Gogh oil painting, the sparkling gold leaf of a Byzantine mosaic, to the fragile translucence of a porcelain vase – are not just the results of their work. They are the physical embodiment...

During the reign of the Roman Empire, many of the town houses and rural estates in North Africa were decorated with beautiful and elaborate mosaics. These often stunning works were especially widespread in what is now modern-day Tunisia. This stunnin...

As the Roman Empire expanded its borders into North Africa, thousands of mosaic floor pavements were designed and created to adorn the town houses and rural estates of the upper classes. As these Roman outpost flourished, so did mosaic art – particul...