The Gothic Idol: Ideology and Image-Making in Medieval Art

Camille, Michael

ISBN 10: 0521340403 / ISBN 13: 9780521340403

Published by Cambridge University Press, 1989

About this Item

First Edition, 1989. Clean with fine, unmarked contents. Slight fading to the margins and light foxing to the text block edges. The book shows significant slanting but the binding remains intact. This copy otherwise remains very good+. International shipping may require added postage charges.

Seller Inventory # 146647

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Gothic Idol: Ideology and Image-Making in Medieval Art
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication Date: 1989
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0521340403
• ISBN 13: 9780521340403
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Condition: Very Good
• Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good
• Seller catalogs:
  • Art, Photography and Architecture
  • History

About this title

Synopsis

By examining the theme of idol-worship in medieval art, this book reveals the ideological basis of paintings, statues and manuscript illuminations that depict the worship of false gods in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. By showing that images of idolatry stood for those outside the Church - pagans, Muslims, Jews, heretics, homosexuals - Camille sheds light on how medieval society viewed both alien 'others' and itself. He links the abhorrence of worshipping false gods in images to an 'image-explosion' in the thirteenth century when the Christian Church was filled with cult statues, miracle-working relics, and 'real' representations in the Gothic style. In attempting to bring the Gothic image to life, Camille shows how images can teach us about attitudes and beliefs in a particular society.