Negotiating Secular and Sacred in Medieval Art ─ Christian, Islamic, and Buddhist

This collection of 7 essays presents test cases for the usefulness of the terms secular and sacred when applied to examples of medieval art and architecture. First presented at College Art Association Conference sessions held in February 2006 in Boston, the essays address topics that include the rock caves of Cappadocia, Christian monasteries and Umayyad architecture in Syria, celestial imagery in a Carolingian manuscript, and the illuminations of the Taymouth Hours. The final chapter, by Samuel Crowell Morse (Amherst College), addresses the mix of genre and religion in pilgrimage mandalas of 16th-17th century Japan. The book is well illustrated with b&w and some color plates. Annotation c2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Alicia Walker is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Art History and Archaeology at Washington University in St. Louis. Amanda Luyster is a Lecturer in the Department of Visual Arts at the College of the Holy Cross.