The Art of the Picts: Sculpture and Metalwork in Early Medieval Scotland

Rating:
Summary: A landmark study of the Picts.
Review: HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION. A fine presentation of Pictish studies from an art-history perspective. It includes a superb collection of 300 b/w photographs of Pictish jewelry and sculpture. Extensively footnoted and thoughtfully argued, it's a great resource. Some crucial monuments are depicted without the glass enclosures that now obstruct them. It's a great asset to have these clear images.

If you're new to Pictish studies, many of the references and concepts may not be meaningful -- but the photos alone are worth the cost of the book.

Quibbles: (1) The photographs aren't individually credited, (2) None of the photos are in color, and (3) The stated locations of some monuments don't identify their current placements. (I'm writing this within a few months of publication, so it's not that they've moved since then.)

But don't pass up this book for these paltry reasons. I plan to lose myself in it for quite some time.