Dress and Decoration of the Middle Ages

by Henry Shaw

Here is an essential work for the study of life in the Middle Ages. More than simply describing dress and decoration, the author shows these elements as an integral part of the times. Color illustrations showing fashions, arms and armor, and religious objects enhance our understanding of medieval life.

Genres: Art

192 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 1998

Reviews

[Julia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fine illustrations and interesting medieval history, but not much detail to inform a costumer or designer.

[Ribbqah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful renderings. Interesting facts with excellent explanations. Not for the replicator of these clothing prints but wonderful to read about.

[Kathryn Baron · Rating 2 out of 5]

Drawings.

[Abi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Here’s the thing, folks, this is a beautiful book. The artwork, realia, and illuminations Shaw chose to feature in his book were chosen well. They’re lovely to look at, and I definitely went back to some of them to spend more time in the details of filigree and patterns and colors. My real hang-up with this book comes with the accompanying text, as well as the organization of all of the content. When a book describes itself as an “essential work for the study of the life & history of the Middle Ages,” you sort of expect that there will be a fair amount of exploration of the artworks featured in the book. However, most of the exploration of the evolution of the dress and decoration, as well as the variety seen between different regions of Europe and between different classes of people, is left to the introduction. When looking at the images themselves, we are sometimes left with only “featured on the left is such-and-such thing by such-and-such artist,” which is not all that helpful except to tell you, “well guess I gotta go look up this interesting looking thing so that I can find out more about it.” ... Read the full review here