The Art of Stone in Anglian York

The lecture will focus on the art of stone sculpture produced in and around York in the seventh through ninth centuries. It will consider the varied forms selected for public display and the sources of inspiration lying behind them – of interest as the art of working in stone was not traditional to the Anglo-Saxons who came to settle in the area. The impact of the appearance of the sculptures will also be examined, as they were designed to be inset with paste glass and metal, and were brightly coloured – something that has been lost through the vagaries of time and various campaigns of destruction.

The impact of their iconographic schemes will also be considered; these indicate the wide-spread contacts that existed between the region and the European mainland – extending through Gaul and Italy as far as Constantinople and the Holy Land. The sculpture will thus be considered as a major art form of the Church in Anglian York, which, along with the stone churches that were constructed, stood as permanent reminders of the ways in which the Church of the English People were intimately tied to the wider Christian world that stretched from the Middle East to Ireland.

This lecture forms part of York Festival of Ideas 2015‌. 
Entry is by free ticket.