Alexander Lindsay (1812–80) was the head of an aristocratic family who owned vast coalfields in Lancashire, generating enormous wealth. Educated at Eton and Trinity College, Cambridge, he spent the majority of his time travelling in Italy, collecting, and writing on a variety of subjects, including art, the Indo-Aryan race and the Etruscans. This important work, published in three volumes in 1847, surveys Christian painting and sculpture. Addressing Romance literature of the Middle Ages, iconography and legends of the saints, the book's historical narrative is infused with the author's strong moral approach to the subject. Though derided by John Ruskin, the work strongly influenced aristocratic collecting, and remains relevant to readers interested in the Victorian construction of morals and artistic taste.
Contents
Volume 1: Advertisement; Memoranda: 1. The ideal, and the character and dignity of Christian art; 2. The symbolism of Christianity; 3. The mythology of Christianity; General classification of schools and artists; Introductory: 1. Roman art; 2. Byzantine art. Volume 2: Architecture: 1. Lombard and Gothic architecture; 2. Sculpture of the Lombards, etc.; 3. Niccola Pisano and his school; 4. Giotto and his school. Volume 3: Architecture (continued and concluded); 5. School of Siena; 6. Semi-Byzantine school of Florence; 7. Primitive school of Bologna; 8. Sculpture and painting north of the Alps; Postscriptum; Index.
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