This study explores the role of art in medieval society, focusing on Anglo-Saxon England from the reign of Alfred the Great to the Norman Conquest. Combining visual and documentary evidence, it sheds new light on many magnificent art works, and offers fresh perspectives on the history of tenth- and eleventh-century England. a strikingly original contribution ... The book functions as both a refresher course and an eye-opener ... a book which is produced as thoughtfully, as it is written ... The author draws upon a wide range of comparative material, Continental and Byzantine, and the footnotes are rich in references. The effect of a steady and probing intelligence asking repeated questions of the same objects is to bring them into a more complete light than has heretofore been the case. That a multitude of new questions will now crop up is the greatest testimony to the value of this consistently impressive monograph.