Medieval Wall Paintings: 767 (Shire Library) - Softcover

'... make sure you have this little book in the door pocket of your car. The illustrations are good enough to give a real sense of the treasures that are still to be found, and from Dunkeld on the fringes of Birnam Wood to St Botolph in Hardham, West Sussex, Rosewell's invaluable gazetteer will point you in the direction of the best examples and remind you of just how much we have lost.' --The Spectator

The walls of medieval churches were brightly painted with religious imagery and colourful patterns, and although often shadows of their former selves, these paintings are among the most enigmatic art to survive the Middle Ages. This beautifully illustrated book is an ideal introduction to this fascinating subject. It tells the stories behind the paintings and explains their purpose, the subjects they showed, how they were made and by whom, and what happened to these works of art during and after the enormous upheavals of the Reformation. It also compares and contrasts religious and domestic wall paintings and explores modern approaches to their conservation and care. A comprehensive gazetteer provides an invaluable guide to where the best British examples can be seen. Roger Rosewell is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries and a leading expert on medieval wall paintings. He is also the Features Editor of Vidimus, the online magazine about medieval stained glass and a professional lecturer and photographer. Educated at St Edmund Hall, Oxford University, he has also written Stained Glass and The Medieval Monastery for Shire.