Object of Devotion: Medieval English Alabaster Sculpture from the Victoria and Albert Museum

by Paul Williamson (Editor), Fergus Cannan (Contributor), Eamon Duffy (Contributor)

During the late Middle Ages, English craftsmen, based mainly in the Midlands, carved finely decorated images from alabaster – a fine-grained form of gypsum – for display in churches, homes and private chapels. With essays by several leading scholars, this lavish publication accompanies a US touring exhibition of medieval English alabaster sculpture from the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, and offers an unrivalled glimpse into the spiritual lives, hopes, fears and religious aspirations of both aristocratic and non-aristocratic society during the Middle Ages. Since alabasters from England were sold across the Continent in considerable quantities, the catalogue sheds light on issues of spirituality, devotion and culture beyond the English Channel.

Object of Devotion exhibition schedule:

December 2, 2010 - January 16, 2011 Society of the Four Arts, Palm Beach, Florida

February 5 - May 15, 2011 Bowdoin College Museum of Art, Brunswick, Maine

September 3 - November 13, 2011 Tyler Museum of Art, Tyler, Texas

December 3, 2011 - February 12, 2012 Princeton University Art Museum, Princeton, New Jersey

March 3 - May 13, 2012 Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, Kalamazoo, Michigan

June 2 - November 11, 2012 Museum of Art, Brigham University, Provo, Utah

December 1, 2012 - February 10, 2013 Huntsville Museum of Art, Huntsville, Alabama

March 2 - May 26, 2013 North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, North Carolina

223 pages, Paperback

First published January 11, 2011

Reviews

[JD Waggy · Rating 3 out of 5]

To be fair, the book is beautiful. Full color glossed photos of each piece in the traveling collection make my dear little medievalist heart patter, even after I saw the real things. But the editing is SO BAD, which is why I knocked off a star. There are typos all over the place and one entry is even missing its inset figure. How did the editors skip that? It's sort of important, given that it's referenced at least three times through the other items. Fail, editors.
The book itself really is pretty, though, and a good catalogue even if you haven't seen the exhibit proper. Each description is pretty bare-bones and repetitive, but the reference list at the back is very helpful if you want to track down some tidbit or other, and the three articles at the beginning are wonderful in terms of being interesting without being overwhelmingly scholarly. (And, seriously, [author=Eamon Duffy]. Win.)
As a medievalist and church history person, this is good for me to have (especially because it acted as my textbook for a class recently). But if you're looking for a good coffee table book and aren't too picky about correct spelling, this works for you, too. Because it's just so pretty.

[Terence Gallagher · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beautifully made book that documents a travelling exhibition of English alabaster works on loan from the Victoria and Albert Museum. The works were executed in the 14th to 16th centuries and were displayed in churches and in private homes for private devotions. For the composition of the scenes and the expressiveness of the actors within them, they have a unique charm which is a delight to look at. The documentation is clear, succinct, and for the most part enlightening. I will say this though: more and more when I read art historians talking about medieval Christian religious practice and belief, they seem to be two steps removed from what they're talking about, as if they are merely commenting on other art historians.