'impressive... compares well with other recent offerings on the same subject' -The Bookseller'Fully and often surprisingly illustrated, carefully annotated and captioned, each combines a historical overview with a nicely opinionated individual approach.' -Independent on Sunday'These two books in a new series, the Oxford History of Art, are welcome attempts to assimilate genuine and informed scholarship of the best sort to some, at least, of the ostensible aims of what refers to itself as the 'new' art history. If these volumes are anything to go by, the series will provide authoritative and reliable essays on key aspects of the history of art, in a convenient format and, given the high quality, quantity and range of the illustrations, at an astonishingly reasonable price. This is an extraordinarily wide-ranging book within its brief compass, full of insights and information of a kind not readily met with, and Dr Welch always reminds us of how art appeared and functioned within its context, both historical and topographical. The book is also notably well and clearly written.' -Robin Simon, Apollo Magazine: May 1997'thought-provoking... Accessible and clearly written' -Yorkshire Post (Leeds)'a superb piece of publishing' -Rupert Christiansen, Spectator