Sketches of the History of Christian Art

This three-volume work, published in 1847, surveys Christian art and his work on the Victorian construction of morals and artistic taste remains instructive.

Alexander William Crawford Lindsay (Author)

9781108051972, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 28 June 2012

442 pages
21.6 x 2.5 x 14 cm, 0.56 kg

Alexander Lindsay (1812–80) was the head of an aristocratic family who owned vast coalfields in Lancashire, generating enormous wealth. Educated at Eton and Trinity College, Cambridge, he spent the majority of his time travelling in Italy, collecting, and writing on a variety of subjects, including art, the Indo-Aryan race and the Etruscans. This important work, published in three volumes in 1847, surveys Christian painting and sculpture. Addressing Romance literature of the Middle Ages, iconography and legends of the saints, the book's historical narrative is infused with the author's strong moral approach to the subject. Volume 3 covers the schools of Siena, Florence and Bologna, then moves north to look at Cologne, Dürer, and Cranach, the Van Eycks and the Netherlandish School. Though derided by John Ruskin, the work strongly influenced aristocratic collecting, and remains relevant to readers interested in the Victorian construction of morals and artistic taste.

Architecture (continued and concluded): 5. School of Siena
6. Semi-Byzantine school of Florence
7. Primitive school of Bologna
8. Sculpture and painting north of the Alps
Postscriptum
Index.

Subject Areas: The arts: general issues [AB]