Pattern and Purpose in Insular Art - Proceedings of the Fourth International Conference on Insular Art held at the National Museum and Gallery, Cardiff 3-6 September 1998 (Hardcover)

The twenty-five papers, taken from a Cardiff conference in 1998, are concerned with Insular art in its broadest sense, encompassing studies of metalwork, manuscripts, sculpture and textiles, both recent discoveries and new investigations of well-known objects. They include material associated with Anglo-Saxon England as well as early Medieval Scotland, Wales and Ireland, and discoveries of Insular metalwork in Scandinavia. They are divided into five themes which reflect the many recent advances in the study of Insular art: politics and patrons; national and regional identities; art and archaeology; the implications of scientific analysis and style; analysis, methodology and meaning.