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Art History

Dictionaries and Encyclopedias

Looking up a definition of an art term, a movement or technique? Want a brief biography of an artist, a historical artistic period or an interpretation of a symbol? Oxford Art Online tops our list as the main reference source to start art history research, but there are several other more specific dictionaries and encyclopedias available in our collection.

Dictionary of Art - 1996 34 volume print version of Grove Art Online's scholarly art encyclopedia

Dictionary of Literary Symbols

Dictionary of the Avant-Gardes 

Dictionary of Art Historians - open source dictionary of historians of western art 

Encyclopedia of Comparative Iconography: themes depicted in works of art 

Encyclopedia of the Renaissance

Encyclopedias of Native American Religions

Encyclopedia of Sculpture

Illustrated Dictionary of Symbols in Eastern an Western Art

Oxford Companion to World Mythology

Signs and Symbols in Christian Art

The Golden Legend (Aurea Legenda) - Seven volumes on the lives of Christian saints, originally compiled in 1275. 

The Routledge Dictionary of Gods and Goddesses, Devils and Demons

Other Featured Reference Sources

Art History: the key concepts - A-Z of key concepts, with cross-referencing and suggestions for further reading

Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History - a visually appealing timeline which uses the Metropolitan Museum of Art's (MET) collection to illustrate global art history. Start with chronologies, to explore objects over time, or browse essays or individual objects. 

Gale World History - basic reference for cultures, historically significant figures and events from ancient times to the present. Includes a combination of primary and secondary sources and multimedia content. 

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