Medieval Art Resources: Encyclopedias

ENCYCLOPEDIAS OF ART AND HISTORY

GUIDES TO ICONOGRAPHY AND SYMBOLISM

Butler's Lives of the Saints
Saints and Their Emblems 
Saints in Art 

Butler is the standard, classic source of biographical information on the principal saints.  It is arranged by the saint's feast day. The other books describe how individual saints have been represented in works of art and are very helpful in understanding the scenes in which they are depicted. 

 

Old Testament Figures in Art

Gospel Figures in Art

Retelling the stories of figures from the Old and New Testaments, these books are illustrated with full-color reproductions of art works to illustrate how these stories have frequently been represented in the visual arts.

 

Dictionary of Subjects and Symbols in Art
Dictionary of Symbols in Western Art
Symbols and Legends in Western Art 

These are exactly what they sound like, providing brief definitions for a wide range of subjects, themes, and concepts encountered in Western art. They supplement each other; so, don't pick only one!

 

Encyclopedia of Comparative Iconography 
Iconographie de l'Art Chretien by Louis Reau
Iconography of Christian Art by Gertrud Schiller
Iconographie de l'Art Profane au Moyen-Age et a la Renaissance by Raimond van Marle 

The first of these books discusses both secular and religious iconography by broad themes or activities (e.g., envy or expulsion). The others are classics in the field. Even if your French is not that good, it is worth consulting Reau or van Marle. All deal with the variations and evolution of major iconographic themes. Bibliographical references and numerous illustrations are also provided.

BIBLIOGRAPHIES AND LITERATURE GUIDES

Art Books 

This bibliography identifies over 5,000 monographs (scholarly books) on individual artists working in all media, from all historical periods, and from any country.

 

Guide to the Literature of Art History
Guide to the Literature of Art History 2 

Together these represent a very comprehensive guide to the best resources for art research. Scanning the Tables of Contents will enable you to identify the sections you should examine, and the more detailed index in each volume will lead you to anything you might have overlooked.

 

Applied and Decorative Arts
Stained Glass Before 1540: An Annotated Bibliography 

If you are dealing with stained glass, ivory, metalwork, or textiles, look here!  These are great examples of scholarly bibliographies.  They can save you a lot of time finding out what has been written on your topic.

FINDING JOURNAL ARTICLES & MORE

RESOURCES IN OTHER LIBRARIES

The better a researcher you are, the more likely you will want something we do not have in this library.  If it is a book, look in LINK+ to see if any of the participating libraries in California or Nevada have it.  If they do, request it online, and the book should arrive here for you within 3 working days.  If it is not in LINK+, or if you need a journal article, request it through OSCAR's interlibrary loan option, through which we can get copies of journal articles, and borrow books, from other libraries in the U.S.  Although many articles are sent electronically, books and photocopies can take two weeks to get here; so, start your research early!  As an alternative, we can help you find which library in the area owns a particular book or journal, and you can go there yourself to use it.

CHICAGO MANUAL OF STYLE