ART 231: Italian Renaissance Art and Architecture

Introduction to art historical research

Reference Resources (Encyclopedias, Dictionaries, Guides, Handbooks)

The Renaissance (historical)
Please Note: The general call number range for History of Civilization, By period is CB305-430.
The general call number range for Biography within History is CT93-206.

Encyclopedia of the Renaissance

Ref CB361 .E52 1999, vols. 1-6
Extensive entry on Art. See also "art" sub-entries by region (e.g., Siena, Art). Volumes include maps and chronologies, and bibliographic entries identified as primary or secondary source.

Handbook to life in Renaissance Eruope

Ref CB361 .S498 2005
Extensive entries on major themes such as government, society, religion, art, urban planning. Sections end with short bibliographies.

Great lives from history. The Renaisssance & early modern era, 1454-1600

Ref CT115 .G74 2005
Signed essays with annotated bibliographies and cross-referencing.

Historical dictionary of the Renaissance

Ref CB361 .N35 2004
Exceptional for its inclusion of profiles of female Renaissance authors, patrons, and painters, and for its 25-page bibliography.

The panorama of the Renaissance

Ref CB361 .P23 1996
"Renaissance in the perspective of history," with excellent visual presentation of major themes such as Allegory and Myth.

Iconography - A term used in art history, referring to the study of the subject-matter rather than the form of a work of art. (Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press. http://www.oxfordreference.com/)

Arts & humanities through the eras, vol. 4 Renaissance Europe 1300-1600

Ref NX440 .A787 2005
Entries on individuals as well as topics include documentary sidebars and primary-source bibliographies.

Benezit dictionary of artists

Ref N40 .D5213 2006, vols. 1-14
Entries include biography, bibliography, and auction records.

Encyclopedia of comparative iconography: themes depicted in works of art

Ref. Room N7560 .E53 1998, vols. 1-2

Grove Art Online

Excellent "first-step" resource; use to find basic information, bibliography, and reliable image links.

Dictionary of symbols in Western art

Ref. Room N7740 .C29 1995

Guide to the literature of art history 2

Ref. Room N380 .Z4 M374 2005
Annotated bibliography. Relevant sections include entries on Iconography, Bibliographies of Individual Artists, Sources and Documents, and Patronage and Collecting.

Renaissance art: a topical dictionary

Ref. Room N6370 .E27 1987
Includes northern Europe (as well as Italy); subject entries are cross-referenced to relevant works of art; excellent guide to saints and their attributes, subject matter in paintings, etc.

Symbols and allegories in art

Ref. Room N7740 .B2913 2005

Identifying Scholarly Resources

• Scholary vs. Popular Literature
• Internet Detective

Finding Books and Journal Articles

Library Catalog

In the words or phrase search box type in keywords. Choose a book that looks promising, click on Details, then Full Record, to find out more about the book. After you've located a couple of relevant books, consider using the Subject terms attached to the record to locate similar books.

BHA (Bibliography of the History of Art)

Covering European and American art from late antiquity to the present, the Bibliography of the History of Art indexes and abstracts art-related books, conference proceedings and dissertations, exhibition and dealer's catalogs, and articles from more than 2,500 periodicals. Covers 1973 to the present.

ITER

Iter, latin for "journey" or "path," is a database of book and journal citations dealing the the Middle Ages and Renaissance periods, 400-1700 A.D.

JSTOR

A collection of abstracts and articles from over 250 scholarly journals (including full-text access to important art journals) dating from the nineteenth-century to the last 4 or 5 years.

Getting your hands on books and articles that aren't in F&M's library

• E-Z Borrow
Borrow a book (books only!) from another library in Pennsylvania.
• Interlibrary Loan
The library will search the world to get you a book or journal article that we don't have.

Image Research

ARTstor

Searchable image database. Research uses include viewing and analyzing images through features such as zooming and panning. See ARTstor's "Getting Started Guide for Students."

More Helpful Hints

• Harner, James L. On compiling an annotated bibliography. New York: Modern Language Association of America, 2000. Ref. desk Z1001 .H33 2000.
• Contact Louise Kulp for further assistance or fill out a research appointment request form to meet with a librarian.