This guide can help students in ARH VS 4540 / 7540 (Gothic Art and Architecture) as well as others interested in researching Medieval art or architecture in Europe.
The research process is a cycle. The first time you go through these steps, you'll probably be looking for a couple of general sources. Each time you repeat the process, you learn more, which helps you to refine your project question (topic) and try different search strategies or tools (McKenzie).
Be patient! Research often takes a winding path. It's more productive and pleasurable if you allow sufficient time for wandering and reorienting.
It is helpful to refer to background reference sources that are reliable, such as encyclopedias, to help familiarize yourself with important Medieval art forms, styles, periods, centers, individuals, etc., and to situate the art into its historical, social, and/or political context.
Start with Oxford Art Online It includes a subject guides on Medieval Art and Architecture. You can also browse by era, e.g.,1200 to 1300 and then use the menu on the left to modify your search (e.g., by Field, Medium Region/Country, etc.).
Here are some entries to get you started:
Other entries can help to gain a better understanding of the intersection of gender and art in this period. Examples include:
You can also use some of the general encyclopedias available through MU Libraries, including Oxford Reference Online. Using Gale Reference and eBooks to look for background information can be helpful. Examples of resources available in either are:
Tips: Don’t forget to look at the resources listed in the Bibliography at the end of each entry. This is an efficient way to find relevant secondary sources and discover key scholars to pay attention to. You'll start to recognize prolific authors, specialists in niche areas that may interest you, and significant journals or publishers.
Terminology - Make note of useful details and terms during this initial research stage so that you can use them as search terms when you start to search for more in-depth information (e.g., scholarly articles, conference presentations).
There are also print background resources in Ellis Library.
Depending on the needs of your research, you may need to find primary source materials related to the historical artwork or apsect of Medieval art you have chosen. These primary sources might take the form of a similar artwork to one you have chosen, or it could include an artwork in a different format, or even an early book or other document.
The Shape of Sex : Nonbinary Gender from Genesis to the Renaissance by In arts & humanities research, secondary sources are works that interpret, describe, or evaluate primary sources.
Looking over scholarly secondary sources will help you come up with and refine a research idea and situate it within ongoing scholarly conversations. You also will use them to help answer the more focused questions you are investigating about the art objects/artworks' context.
Why browse? This method is great for serendipitous searching and familiarizing yourself with library collections.
For this research project, you should consult scholarly sources, so be sure to evaluate the books you choose to consult to make sure they are not introductory texts or popular reading.
Browse by call numbers
N Visual Arts
NA Architecture
NB Sculpture
NC Drawing
ND Painting
NE Print Media
NK Decorative Arts
NX Arts in General
Medieval Art books will be scattered throughout the N call number range. Many of them may be located around N5970. N-range books are on the 4th floor East in Ellis Library stacks.
Books on Medieval history (global scope) will be on the third floor East, between D111 - D203.
Books on Medieval history for specific regions can also be browsed in person on the third floor. Some examples:
Czechia/Bohemia, Early and medieval to 1526 - DB2080-2133
England, Early and medieval to 1485 - DA129-260
France, Early and medieval to 1515 - DC60-109
Germany, Early and medieval to 1519 - DD125-174.6
Netherlands, Early and medieval to 1555 - DJ151-152
Russia, Early to 1613 - DK70-112.42
Scotland, Early and medieval to 1603 - DA777-790
Switzerland, Early and medieval to 1516 - DQ78-110
To find a book on a topic you are researching, search by subject, rather than just by keyword. This strategy can help you find relevant books more efficiently. Subject headings are tags that libraries assigns to all the books about a particular topic to make those books easier to find (Fary).
By period or style:
Art, Medieval
Art, Gothic
Civilization, Medieval--12th century
Artists, Medieval
Art, Medieval -- Themes, motives
By medium or format:
Architecture, Medieval
Drawing, Medieval
Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval
Manuscripts, Medieval
Miniature painting, Medieval
Painting, Gothic
Sculpture, Gothic
Tapestry, Medieval
Geography or peoples:
Art, Gothic -- France
France--Civilization--1000-1328
Art, Gothic -- Czech Republic -- Bohemia
Art, Medieval -- Great Britain
Great Britain--Antiquities
Plantagenet, House of
Jewish art and symbolism
Muslims -- Spain -- History
Painting, Medieval -- Italy
Sculpture, Medieval -- Wales
You may come across other useful subject headings during your research. Keep track of them so you can search with them in future. To search with them, paste them into the search box and select SU Subject Terms from the Select a Field tab.
To refine your search, try combining a subject heading with keywords. Here are some example searches (click/tap the screenshots to see the search results in Discover@MU):
Suggested databases for finding articles, book chapters, conference presentations, and other scholarly materials covering Medieval art and culture in Europe.
Using specialized databases makes it easier to target your search, in comparison to using Discover@MU. They focus on specialized content, which you need to complete your research project focusing on a specialized topic. Specialized databases are also useful for familiarizing yourself with ongoing scholarship (in peer reviewed articles, conference papers, thesis, etc.) on Medieval art and architecture and related topics, which can help you focus your ideas and come up with a research question that is manageable and potentially interesting to others besides yourself.
If you haven't yet, spend some time exploring:
Start from Advanced Search → enter one or more search terms in the boxes.
This database indexes articles from journals, edited volumes, conference proceedings, collected essays, Festschriften and exhibition catalogs published since 1967, in over 30 languages. It doesn’t provide full text access or direct linking to library catalogues. Despite this, it is highly valuable for researching Medieval art and architecture. It just takes a bit more effort to locate and access materials you want.
To get started, watch a short instructional YouTube video on how to search: A quick start with International Medieval Bibliography
Learn more about searching in IMB: International Medieval Bibliography Guide, pdf handout (Gould Library, Carleton College)
Search in Discover@MU for the title of the article or book cited in IMB. If, for an article, nothing comes up, try searching for the journal to see if Ellis Library carries it. If Ellis has the journal, use the Looking For? - A specific article page to locate the article.
Brandt, John. “New and Updated Resources: International Bibliography of Art (IBA).” CSU Stanislaus Library, February 2, 2024. https://library.csustan.edu/databaseguides/iba.
Ellis, Sara. “Research Guides: Art History & Visual Art – Specialized Topics: Medieval Art.” UBC Library, September 28, 2023. https://guides.library.ubc.ca/art_specialized/medieval.
Fary, Christine. “Music: Find Books.” Milner Library, January 8, 2024. https://guides.library.illinoisstate.edu/music/findingbooks.
McKenzie, Janis. “Start Your Research Here.” SFU Library, September 6, 2023. https://www.lib.sfu.ca/help/research-assistance/tutorials/start-research
