"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."--

The collection of portrait miniatures in the Fitzwilliam Museum gives a compact and comprehensive survey of the development of this art form. It illustrates its progress through the work of almost every major master in the genre, with works of the highest quality. This book provides an introduction to the history of portrait miniatures, a glossary, and a bibliography; ninety-six items from the collection are described, and each item is illustrated in full color, to bring out the subtlety and intimacy of this delicate art form.

The volume will interest specialists as well as a wider public concerned with Egyptology."--BOOK JACKET.

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.

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?

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.