The Art of the Picts: Sculpture and Metalwork in Early Medieval Scotland

by George Henderson, Isabel Henderson

Drawing on their extensive research and expertise, renowned historians George and Isabel Henderson illuminate one of the great enigmas of medieval art: the unique metalwork and sculpture of the Picts. Tribal Celtic-speaking warriors and farmers in what is now Scotland, the Picts were one of the major peoples of early medieval Britain, but their culture and their beautiful art have puzzled historians for centuries.

George and Isabel Henderson’s acute analysis reveals an art form that both interacted with the currents of “Insular” art and was produced by a sophisticated society capable of sustaining large-scale art programs. The illustrations include specially commissioned drawings that help one understand the mysterious symbols found in the art.

Genres: Art, History, Nonfiction, Scotland, Art History, Ancient History

240 pages, Hardcover

First published January 26, 2004

About the author

George Henderson is Emeritus Professor of Medieval Art at the University of Cambridge. A specialist on the Insular tradition, his publications include Vision and Image in Early Christian England and From Durrow to Kells (1987).

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Duntay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Isabel Henderson is the co-author of this book, but she seems to have been left off in the Goodreads description.

A well written thesis of why Pictish art is Insular rather than "insular". It draws together many threads to put the Picts into the bigger picture of early medieval Europe.

[David Morrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best title on the topic by a distance. Very academic - but that's the purpose. Clearly the Picts weren't as uncivilised as others liked to make out.