Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

The understanding and enjoyment of a work of art depends as much on the story it depicts as on the artist's execution of it. But what were once biblical or classical commonplaces are not so readily recognizable today. This book relates in a succinct and readable way the themes, sacred and secular, on which the repertoire of Western art is based. Combined here in a single volume are religious, classical, and historical themes, figures of moral allegory, and characters from romantic poetry that appeared throughout paintings and sculpture in Western art before and after the Renaissance. More than just a dictionary, this text places these subjects in their narrative, historical, or mythological context and uses extensive cross-referencing to enhance and clarify the meanings of these themes for the reader.

The definitive work by which others are compared, this volume has become an indispensable handbook for students and general appreciators alike. This wholly redesigned second edition includes a new insert of images chosen by the author, as well as a new preface and index to highlight the ideas, beliefs, and social and religious customs that form the background of much of this subject matter.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

CHOICE Review

A slightly modified page layout, an index, and a short preface distinguish this new posthumous release of the 1974 classic. For visitors to Western art collections, students, and scholars, this dictionary provides concise, readable entries on most Christian and pagan symbols or subjects from antiquity to the Renaissance. A reference for decoding the iconography of works of art, this book gathers under one cover the subjects depicted in the large corpus of artworks that constitute the Western tradition. Easy to read, it is a first stop for students and scholars. A few line drawings illustrate the text. A required tool for all reference collections serving a program in the history of art, this book is an essential complement to the survey texts, also useful for more advanced students and researchers. Although the price discourages use as a required text, this volume should be listed in the bibliography of any course requiring iconographic analysis or interpretive papers on works of art. Most art historians of Western art will want a copy on their personal reference shelf. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels. M. Nilsen Indiana University South Bend

Author notes provided by Syndetics

James Hall passed away in August 2007. A noted scholar and historian of art, he was the author of several works, including The Illustrated Dictionary of Symbols in Eastern and Western Art (Westview Press, 1996).