RENAISSANCE ART

ENCYCLOPEDIAS OF ART AND HISTORY

The Dictionary of Art (REF N 31 .D5 1996)
Despite its title, this multivolume reference work is really an encyclopedia. Monumental in scope, it is the largest and most comprehensive reference work on the visual arts that has ever been published. Don't start any research on art without checking this source. It is also available online as Oxford Art Online.
Encyclopedia of World Art (REF N 31 .E533)
Although older than the encyclopedia above, this is still a useful and scholarly work. It is richly illustrated with thousands of color and black-and-white plates, which are all found together at the back of each volume.
Encyclopedia of Italian Renaissance and Mannerist Art (REF N 6370 .E53 2000)
Drawn from The Dictionary of Art, the articles in this 2-volume encyclopedia have been revised and updated. They cover the major artistic developments in Italy from around 1400 to 1600.
Encyclopedia of the Renaissance (REF CB 361 .E52 1999)
This outstanding encyclopedia covers all aspects of the Renaissance in Europe, from the middle of the 14th century to the beginning of the 17th century. Its articles will help you understand the art better by explaining its historical and cultural context.
Benezit: Dictionary of Artists (REF N 40 .D5213 2006)
Saur Allgemeines Kunstler-Lexikon (REF N 40 .S28 1992)
Thieme, U. and F. Becker.Allgemeines Lexikon der Bildenden Kunstler (REF N 40 .T4) 
International Dictionary of Art and Artists (REF N 7425 .I67 1990)
Those first three are large multivolume sets; they are the most comprehensive and scholarly dictionaries of artists. Many obscure artists who are not included in other encyclopedias can be found here. The International Dictionary of Art and Artists covers far fewer artists; however, its second volume, which contains one-page articles on individual works of art, can help you get a good start researching specific art works.
Oxford Companion to Christian Art and Architecture (REF N 7830 .M87 1996)
This is a handy one-volume encyclopedia on all aspects of Christian art and architecture of all time periods. Its short articles can help you greatly in understanding the religious traditions and subject matter that were prominent in Renaissance art. It is also available online.
Oxford Guide to Classical Mythology in the Arts, 1300-1990s (REF NX 650 .M9 R45 1993)
Do you want to compare depictions of Pegasus across time and artist? Before this book, studying the treatment of classical themes through the years would have been very difficult. But, with this guide, it is a breeze. This is a unique and very valuable research tool.

GUIDES TO ICONOGRAPHY AND SYMBOLISM

Butler's Lives of the Saints (REF BX 4654 .B8 1995)
Saints and Their Emblems (REF N 8080 .D7 1971) 
Saints in Art (REF ND 1430 .G5513 2003)
Butler is the standard, authoritative, classic source of biographical information on the principal saints. The basic arrangement is by feast day. The others describe how individual saints have been represented in works of art and can be very helpful in understanding the scenes in which they are depicted.
Gospel Figures in Art (REF N 8030 .Z8413 2003)
Gods and Heroes in Art (REF N 7760 .I4713 2003)
Retelling the stories of figures from the New Testament and classical mythology, these books are illustrated with full-color reproductions of art works from the Renaissance and later, to illustrate how these stories have frequently been represented in the visual arts.
Dictionary of Subjects and Symbols in Art (REF N 7560 .H34 1979)
Dictionary of Symbols in Western Art (REF N 7740 .C29 1995)
Symbols and Legends in Western Art (REF N 7740 .W53)
These are exactly what they sound like, providing brief definitions for a wide range of subjects, themes, and concepts encountered in Western art. They supplement each other; so, don't pick only one!
Encyclopedia of Comparative Iconography (REF N 7565 .E53 1998)
Iconographie de l'art chretien by Louis Reau (REF N 7830 .R37)
Iconography of Christian Art by Gertrud Schiller (REF N 7830 .S3513 1971)
Iconographie de l'art profane au Moyen-Age et a la Renaissance by Raimond van Marle (REF N 5970 .M352)
The first of these books discusses both secular and religious iconography by broad themes or activities (e.g., envy or expulsion). The others are classics in the field. Even if your French is not that good, it is worth consulting Reau or van Marle. All deal with the variations and evolution of major iconographic themes. Bibliographical references and numerous illustrations are also provided.

BIBLIOGRAPHIES AND LITERATURE GUIDES

Art Books (REF Z 5938 .F73 1997)
This bibliography identifies over 5,000 monographs (scholarly books) on individual artists working in all media, from all historical periods and from any country.
Central Italian Painting, 1400-1465: An Annotated Bibliography (REF Z 5961 .I8 D86 1986)
Fifteenth Century Central Italian Sculpture: An Annotated Bibliography (REF Z 5954 .I8 W54 1986)
These are great examples of scholarly bibliographies. If you have never used such a tool before and your research topic fits in here, these will be a real experience for you. They can save you a lot of time.

SCHOLARLY INDEXES

Art Index, 1929-
If you do not already know this source - get with it! This is the basic index to journal articles since 1929 in the field of art. Once you are ready to start looking for articles on your subject, you should always look here first.
BHA (Bibliography of the History of Art), 1973-
This database covers the literature of art more broadly than Art Index, including books, exhibition catalogs, conference proceedings, and articles in journals published throughout the world. (You'll find out about lots of publications in foreign languages here, as well as in English.)

RESOURCES IN OTHER LIBRARIES

The better a researcher you are, the more likely you will want something we do not have in this library. If it is a book, look under LINK+ in OSCAR to see if any of the participating libraries in California have it. If they do, request it online, and the book should arrive here for you within 3 working days. If it is not in LINK+, or if you need a journal article, request it through OSCAR's interlibrary loan option, through which we can get copies of journal articles, and borrow books, from other libraries in the U.S. Although some articles may be sent electronically, books and photocopies can take two weeks to get here, so start your research early! As an alternative, we can help you find which library in the area owns a particular book or journal, and you can go there yourself to use it.

This page created by Leanna Goodwater, University Library, Santa Clara University.
Last updated August 6, 2008.