Early medieval art (review)

186 Short notices reflected on the tension implicit in the verse between the sexual function and the ruling function and emphasized the unique cosmic position of humanity, placed between the heavenly and the terrestrial. In its careful and detailed assembling of such a range of material, this is a rich and dense book. A crucial element in its success is the combination of Jewish and Christian sources to give a breadth of interpretation. This is coupled with a sensitive reading of these sources, which does not force them into a preconceived mould. The result is an excellent account of medieval thought on themes which were of great importance at the time and which continue to resonate today. Toby Burrows University Library University of Western Australia Kitzinger, Ernst Early medieval art, rev. ed., Bloomington and Indianapolis, Indiana University Press, 1990; cloth and paper; pp. 127; 39figs,16 plates; R.R.P. US$35.00 (cloth), $12.95 (paper). This book wasfirstpublished by the British Museum in 1940 as Early medieval art in the British Museum. In its new format it sits quite well with more recent volumes like Lucdla Bums' 77ie British Museum book of Greek and Roman art (1991), though comparison shows the changes in interests over the period. Early medieval art is concerned almost exclusively with style in four periods, late antique and early Christian, Carolingian, tenth and eleventh centuries, and Romanesque. There is little attention paid to iconography, contrary perhaps to expectations, and little to specific context. Bums' book, on the other hand, provides an historical framework and a few photographs of sites for a visual context. She considers the function of the objects within society and how they later came to be in the British Museum. Early medieval art adopts a different approach. It, also, is more than a handbook to the British Museum's collection. Outstanding works in the collection, particularly illuminated manuscripts and ivories are used to illustrate the development of a transcendental, even abstract style in medieval art, along with the adaptation of traditions from classical art. Kitzinger's concern was to defend early medieval art from the charge of being degenerate art, as it was once seen when set against the standards of naturalistic classical art. Largely to Kitzinger's credit, this battle has now been won and the book remains the most stimulating short introduction to the subject. Many of the issues raised, for example, models, regional styles, and renaissance, have since been explored in more detail in his Byzantine art in the making. Main lines of stylistic Short notices 187 development in Mediterranean art 3rd-7th century (1977). As well as some minor updating by David Buckton this third edition has 16 of the plates in colour. Ann Moffatt Department of Art History A N U , Canberra Loades, David M., Mary Tudor: a Life, rpt Oxford, Basil Blackwell, 1992; paper, pp. xiv, 410; maps, 39 plates; R.R.P. $AUS32.95 [distributed in Australia by Allen & Unwin]. Biography is an awkward art. Its ultimate interest lies in the exploration of human character, motive, and inspiration. But where the evidence for the individual scrutinised is almost purely formal and relates to actions partially at least dictated by protocol and symbolism, disentangling the personal from the iconographic is difficult, if not impossible. David Loades has carefully reexamined the direct evidence for Mary's life and produced a useful survey with some helpful appendixes. H e has steered his account of her early years successfully, briefly establishing an intelligible context for the events in which she was involved but over which she had no control. Because it ultimately accepts the evidence of the ambassadors and other interested parties, the study is, however, basically conventional in its interpretation both of her character and of the events of her adult life in which she may have had some initiative. He accepts as genuine her apparent deference to her Spanish relatives, particularly Charles V. H e believes that her actions were directed by conscience rather than policy and implicidy criticises this. Had he investigated possible means of penetrating the iconographical surface, he might have found more satisfactory explanations for the apparent inconsistency of Mary's capacity to take...