"This richly illustrated catalogue accompanies the exhibition that celebrates the bicentenary of the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge with a display of its finest illuminated manuscripts. Of all the medieval and Renaissance arts - from sculptures, ivories, frescoes and stained glass to easel and wall paintings - it is manuscript illuminations, protected inside volumes, that best preserve the glowing colours and precious metals that would have dazzled their original spectators. The focus of this exciting and innovative exhibition is on COLOUR: it integrates scientific and art historical analyses of painting materials and techniques with studies on the manuscripts' historic contexts of production, including the relationships between artists and patrons. Identifications of the pigments' chemical composition and methods of application are considered alongside their aesthetic impact as well as the multiple dimensions and meanings of colour appreciated by medieval and Renaissance viewers. Over 150 manuscripts are displayed in the exhibition dating from the 8th to the 19th century and all are catalogued and fully illustrated here. The manuscripts are grouped in 14 thematic sections each of which is introduced by an essay that includes further relevant illustrations and presents the scientific and art historical analyses in a broader cultural context. The majority of the exhibits are from the Museum's collection and the main focus is on Western European illumination, but examples of Byzantine, Armenian, Persian and Sanskrit manuscripts are also included. In addition there are special loans from other Cambridge, British and European collections. The catalogue entries and introductory essays are written by a team of leading manuscript scholars, scientists and conservators who offer an integrated, cross-disciplinary approach and new insights into the art of illumination."--

This lavishly illustrated book brings together a selection of ancient Egyptian works of art of outstanding quality and interest, ranging from large sculptures to small decorative objects. The introduction and full descriptions explain their significance, style, material, and mode of manufacture within the framework of the life and religious beliefs of the royal and private owners for whom they were made. Readers will find much of interest among the numerous objects, all of which are shown in color and many published here for the first time.

Having rested unknown for centuries in the Library of the Earls of Macclesfield at Shirburn Castle, Oxfordshire, the Macclesfield Psalter is the most important medieval manuscript discovered in living memory and has captured the nation's imagination.

The Fitzwilliam Museum has arguably one of the finest collections of antiquities in the United Kingdom. Assembled mainly through bequests and gifts, it is a stunning exhibition of connoisseurship. This splendidly illustrated book presents sixty-four images of the finest examples of Greek, Etruscan, Cypriot, and Roman art dating from the Bronze Age to the late Roman Period, and ranging from the monumental to the decorative. The concise text provides an introduction to the art, technology, and history for the layman, as well as new insights for the expert. Many of the objects are published here for the first time. Greek and Roman Art was given a commendation in the Best Museum Publication category awarded by the Museums Association, Gulbenkian Awards for Museums and Galleries 1998.

After rising to prominence for his role investigating the case of Jack the Ripper, former Detective Inspector Daniel Wilson is now retired. Known for his intelligence, investigative skills, and most of all his discretion, he's often consulted when a case must be solved quickly and quietly. So when a body is found in the Egyptian Collection of the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, Wilson is called in. As he tries to uncover the identity of the dead man and the circumstances surrounding his demise, Wilson must contend with an unhelpful police Inspector, and more alarmingly, Abigail McKenzie, the archaeologist who discovered the body and is determined to protect the Egyptian collection. Can they find a way to work together to solve the mystery?

The Fitzwilliam Museum is not just the principal museum of the University of Cambridge but also one of the leading UK museums outside London. This book traces its story from the Museum’s origins in the 1816 bequest of Richard, 7th Viscount Fitzwilliam of Merrion, up to the present day. At the same time it sets the Fitzwilliam’s individual story against the larger context of the growth and development of museums and galleries in the UK and further afield.The text and illustrations draw primarily on the rich and hitherto largely unpublished archives of the Fitzwilliam Museum, including the Syndicate Minutes,the reports of University debates published in the Cambridge University Reporter from 1870 on wards, compilations of earlier nineteenth-century documents,architectural plans and drawings, newspaper reports, letters, diaries, exhibition catalogues, photographs and other miscellaneous documents. With this material a substantial proportion of the narrative can be told through contemporary voices, not least those of the Museum’s thirteen Directors to date, each one a strong and influential character.