Anglo-Saxon Art: A New History

The seven centuries of the Anglo-Saxon period in England, roughly AD 400–1100, were a time of extraordinary and profound transformation in almost every aspect of its culture, culminating in a dramatic shift from a barbarian society to a recognizably medieval civilization. This book traces the changing nature of that art, the different roles it played in Anglo-Saxon culture, and the various ways it both reflected and influenced the changing context in which it was created. From its first manifestations in the metalwork and ceramics of the early settlers, Anglo-Saxon art displays certain inbuilt and highly distinctive stylistic and iconographic features. Despite the many new influences which were regularly absorbed and adapted by Anglo-Saxon artists and craftsmen, these characteristics continued to resonate through the centuries in the great manuscripts, ivories, metalwork and sculpture of this inventive and creative culture. This book highlights the character, leitmotifs and underlying continuities of Anglo-Saxon art, whilst also placing it firmly in its wider cultural and political context.