The Art Institute of Chicago
Museum Studies
Volume 30, no. 2 (Fall 2004)
Edited by Gregory Nosan
This striking publication features over fifty important medieval objects from the Art Institute of Chicago, including works from the early Christian era to the later Middle Ages, produced in Western Europe, Byzantium, and the Islamic world. These pieces originally adorned cathedrals, monasteries, and chapels as well as courtly settings and homes, and many stand as compelling expressions of religious faith. An introductory essay surveys the Art Institute’s history of choice medieval acquisitions, including items from the famous Guelph Treasure, which captivated American audiences when exhibited during the 1930s. It also explores the tastes and personalities of the prominent Chicagoans who helped the museum assemble its holdings during the early twentieth century. A catalog section combines lavish color reproductions and short entries on a wide variety of works including glassware, carved ivories, illuminated manuscripts, metalwork, panel paintings, and sculpture. Among the many highlights are a twelfth-century silver reliquary casket from Spain; an early-thirteenth-century head of an apostle from Notre-Dame Cathedral, Paris; a late-thirteenth-century textile from Islamic Spain; a fourteenth-century processional cross by Lorenzo Monaco; and a rare fifteenth-century drawing by Pisanello. An important record of a superb collection, Devotion & Splendor will intrigue general readers and more specialized academic audiences alike.
Awarded: Honorable Mention, AAM Publications Design Competition
Articles in this publication:
Christine M. Nielson, “‘To Step Into Another World’: Building a Medieval Collection at the Art Institute of Chicago”
96 pages, 8 3/8 x 10 1/4 in.
ISBN-13: 9780865592148
ISBN-10: 0865592144
