Cross and Culture in Anglo-Norman England

Theology, Imagery, Devotion

John Munns

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English

The Boydell Press
16 July 2021

History of art: Byzantine & Medieval art; Religious subjects depicted in art; Religion & beliefs

Series: Bristol Studies in Medieval Cultures

The twelfth century has long been recognised as a period of unusual vibrancy and importance, witnessing seminal changes in the inter-related spheres of theology, devotional practice, and iconography, especially with regard to the cross and the crucifixion of Christ. However, the visual arts of the period have been somewhat neglected, scholarly activity tending to concentrate on its textual and intellectual heritage.

This book explores this extraordinarily rich and vibrant visual and religious culture, offering new and exciting insights into its significance, and studying the dynamic relationships between ideas and images in England between 1066 and the first decades of the thirteenth century. In addition to providing the first extensive survey of surviving Passion imagery from the period, it explores those images' contexts: intellectual, cultural, religious, and art-historical. It thus not only enhances our understanding of the place of the cross in Anglo-Norman culture; it also demonstrates how new image theories and patterns of agency shaped the life of the later medieval church.

By: John Munns
Imprint: The Boydell Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 240mm, Width: 270mm, Spine: 28mm
Weight: 1g
ISBN: 9781783276509
ISBN 10: 1783276509
Series: Bristol Studies in Medieval Cultures
Pages: 352
Publication Date: 16 July 2021
Audience: College/higher education , A / AS level , Further / Higher Education
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

John Munns is a Fellow of Magdalene College, Cambridge.

Reviews for Cross and Culture in Anglo-Norman England: Theology, Imagery, Devotion

[Munns] demonstrates clearly the interdependence of theology, artistic production, devotion, philosophy, individual agency, and religious institutions that characterize the development of human thought. In doing so, he also demonstrates his own magisterial grasp of them. * SPECULUM * Beautifully produced .. Munns has compiled a remarkably comprehensive overview of the centrality of the Cross in English society. [His] lavishly illustrated study opens a window onto the rich and vibrant visual culture of post-Conquest England, shedding new light on contemporary expressions of devotion and of individual spiritual practices. * ART AND CHRISTIANITY * Both a good read and an original contribution to its complex subject. * CHURCH TIMES * [A] truly impressive interdisciplinary study of a period of art history that has long merited more scholarly attention. . . . Cross and Culture in Anglo-Norman England is a monumental work of scholarship that will long be a primary point of reference for medievalists in a variety of fields. * CATHOLIC HISTORICAL REVIEW *