English Art, 1100-1216. By T. S. R. Boase. (Oxford. Clarendon
Press. 37s. 6d.) English Art, 1100-1216. By T. S. R. Boase. (Oxford. Clarendon Press. 37s. 6d.)
OF the three volumes in The Oxford History of English Art published so far this, the last one, is the most important for subject matter and scholarly treatment. The hundred and sixteen years from the beginning of the'reign of Henry 1 to Henry III cover undeniably one of the peak periods nf English art, the Romanesque of Lincoln and Durham Cathedrals, of the Winchester and Lambeth Bibles. Professor- Boase, the editor of the whole series, rises magnificently to the exacting task of incorporating the latest results of research in every branch. He achieves a synthesis in three different fields, dealing fully and at the highest level of scholarship, with every aspect of artistic activity: architecture as well as sculpture and painting. Justifiably—because many excel- lently illustrated monographs of single buildings already exist—he is biased in favour , of miniatures and reproduces a greater number of.illustrations from this source. One minor criticism: in a volume which, though mainly aimed at the scholar, should appeal also to a wider circle, the figures in the text and some of the plates should be more comprehensively captioned.
H. H.
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