The walls of medieval churches were brightly painted with religious imagery and colourful patterns, and although often shadows of their former selves, these paintings are among the most enigmatic art to survive the Middle Ages. This beautifully illustrated book is an ideal introduction to this fascinating subject. It tells the stories behind the paintings and explains their purpose, the subjects they showed, how they were made and by whom, and what happened to these works of art during and after the enormous upheavals of the Reformation. It also compares and contrasts religious and domestic wall paintings and explores modern approaches to their conservation and care. A comprehensive gazetteer provides an invaluable guide to where the best British examples can be seen. Roger Rosewell is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries and a leading expert on medieval wall paintings. He is also the Features Editor of Vidimus, the online magazine about medieval stained glass and a professional lecturer and photographer. Educated at St Edmund Hall, Oxford University, he has also written Stained Glass and The Medieval Monastery for Shire.

A brief, affordable introduction to medieval wall paintings, with beautiful colour illustrations throughout.

Introduction / The Painted Church / The Purpose of Wall Paintings / The Subjects: The Bible and Saints / The Subjects: Death and Judgement / The Subjects: Pieties and Transgressions / Text and Other Subjects / Making Wall Paintings / Reformation and Afterwards / Domestic Wall Paintings / Survival and Conservation / Further Reading / Gazeteer / Index