Art of the Franciscan Order in Italy

This volume of essays, by a group of scholars from the United States and Great Britain, presents a panoramic look at the study of Franciscan art in late medieval and early Renaissance Italy. In addition to being important case studies, the articles suggest a range of methodologies and interdisciplinary perspectives on important works of art. Senior scholars who have worked in the field for decades are joined by a new generation of researchers in the field. New studies of the Basilica in Assisi as well as innovative looks at early panel paintings and Franciscan stained glass are included. Those who study the Franciscan tradition as well as art historians, historians, literary critics, and theologians will find the studies relevant to their work.Contributors: Donal Cooper; Janet Robson; Daniel T. Michaels; Marilyn Lavin; Thomas De Wesselow; Beth Mulvaney; Ronald B. Herzman; Gregory W. Ahlquist; William R. Cook; Nancy M. Thompson.

'Rarely is an edited volume so consistent in the tenor and quality of the scholarship. The only criticism of the volume is that the essays leave the reader thirsty for more. Perhaps this suggests that the interest in Franciscan art is so keen, it might be worthy of a second volume.' Michelle Erhardt, The Medieval Review, 2005

William R. Cook, Ph.D. (1971) in History from Cornell University, is Distinguished Teaching Professor at the State University of New York, Geneseo. He has published a brief biography of St Francis (Litrugical Press, 1989) as well as two books on early Franciscan art, most recently Images of St Francis of Assisi (Leo S. Olschki, 1999).