Covering the arts of Ireland and England with some incursions onto mainland Europe, where the same stylistic influences are found, the terms "Insular" and "Anglo-Saxon" are two of the most problematic in medieval art history. Originally used to define the manuscripts of ninth- and tenth-century Ireland and the north of England, "Insular" is now more widely applied to include all of the media of these and earlier periods. It is a style that is closely related to the more narrowly defined Anglo-Saxon. Stretching from the sixth or seventh centuries possibly to the late eleventh century, these styles are two of the most innovative of the Middle Ages. The studies in this volume, which were undertaken by some of the most eminent scholars in the field, highlight the close interaction between the two worlds of Ireland and England in the early medieval period. Studies deal with topics as diverse as the Books of Kells and Durrow, the high cross, reliquaries, and shrines as well as issues of reception, liturgy, color, performance, and iconography.

The contributors are Herbert R. Broderick III, Michelle P. Brown, Carol Farr, Peter Harbison, Paul Meyvaert, Lawrence Nees, Nancy Netzer, Carol Neuman de Vegvar, Eamonn O Carragain, Neil O'Donoghue, Jennifer O'Reilly, Heather Pulliam, Jane Rosenthal, Michael Ryan, Ben C. Tilghman, and Benjamin Withers.