Dictionary of Art. 34 vols. New York: Groves Dictionaries, 1996.
Reference N31 .D5 1996

A standard in the field of art history, this encyclopedia is characterized by lengthy scholarly articles including bibliographies.  Many reproductions, although fewer in color than the Encyclopedia of World Art.

Earls, Irene. Baroque Art: A Topical Dictionary.  Westport, CT: Greenwood, 1996.
N6415.B3 E18 1996

A topical index to themes of baroque art.  Included as an example of the type of specialized resources available.

Encyclopedia of Comparative Iconography: Themes Depicted in Works of Art. 2 vols. Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn, 1998
Reference N7560 .E53 1988

Shows how fundamental cultural narratives and themes have been represented in the arts. Includes both stories and general themes such as abandonment, envy and ecstasy. Each essay ends with lists of wrks that employ the theme and secondary sources. There are 7 indexes to enable seeking out names, Biblical themes, literary references, mythological references, etc.

Encyclopedia of World Art.  New York: McGraw Hill, 1959-1987.
Reference  N31 .E56

This work contains scholarly articles on all aspects of art and artists, with about half of each volume devoted to plates of reproductions.  Each article is accompanied by a list of references which can be helpful in indentifying places to go for further research.  15 volumes with index plus supplements with indexes.

Hall, James.  Dictionary of Subjects and Symbols in Art.  New York: Harper and Row, 1974.
Reference N33 .H3 1974

Brief discussions of the meaning and sources of recurrent symbols in art, including symbols (e.g. "fish") and religious and classical figures.

This dictionary offers short, signed articles with brief biographies on artists, cities, styles, buildings, etc.

Oppenheimer, Michael. The monuments of Italy : a regional survey of art, architecture and archaeology from classical to modern times. New York: Tauris, 2002.
Reference DG431. O67 2002

Geographical survey of the art of Italy

Oxford Guide to Classical Mythology in the Arts, 1300-1990s.  New York: Oxford, 1993.
Reference NX650 .M9R45 1993

Mythological characters and themes are discussed followed by listings of art works which employ classical iconography.  The chronological lists include paintings, literature, and performing arts in all periods.
 

A Consise Encyclopedia of the Italian Renaissance. New York: Oxford University Press, 1981.
Reference DG445. C66

A specialized encyclopedia which serves as an in-depth reference to the period.

This encyclopedia is a wonderful place to find out about people, places, events and concepts.

This beautiful encyclopedia, published in association with the Renaissance Society of America contains scholarly treatments of many subjects across the entire range of the Renaissance.  An excellent resource.

History from 1493 to 1945 is discussed in this authoritative source.  The arrangement is chronological, with detailed tables of contents and indexes in each volume.

These chronological tables selectively list some of the things happening in a given year in the areas of politics, the arts, religion, philosophy, science, technology, and daily life.

Anchor Bible Dictionary. New York: Doubleday, 1992.
Reference BS 440.A54

This definitive and current work covers not only names, places, and events of the Bible, but also includes cultural history, social institutions, and archaeological sites.

Look here for a survey of ways Biblical texts, people, images, and events have been used in English literature, making it possible to find literary interpretations from different periods.

The essays in this work are arranged alphabetically and cover a limited number of concepts in great depth.  There is a historical emphasis, so many articles will put an idea in the context of the Renaissance or Reformation period.

This specialized encyclopedia covers religions from around the world and through history as well as people and ideas related to religion.

This multi-volume work gives the texts of both King James and Revised Standard translations of the Bible side by side, with exegesis (textual commentary) and exposition (explanatory notes) on each page of the text.

Follows the arrangement of the Bible, giving a short introduction to each book and an explanation of major passages. It is very good at making the language of the Bible clear, explaining context, and linking related passages together.

Masterpieces of Catholic Literature in Summary Form. New York: Salem Press, 1965.
Reference BX 885.M2 1965

Excerpts from major works in Catholic church literature are given here.  There is an author index, but no subject index.

Concordances list all the words used in the Bible alphabetically, with a short phrase of context and the book, chapter, and verse where the phrase can be found in the Bible.

In-depth scholarly articles on all aspects of philosophy.

Catholic theology is discussed here in lengthy, scholarly articles.

Catholic biblical scholarship is given encyclopedic treatment in this work.

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Subject specific indexes are available (both in print and electronically), which will help you to find journal articles on your topic. The following are the resources most appropriate to Art History.  Consult a librarian for suggestions on indexes appropriate to other fields.

Arts & Humanities Citation Index
1997-present; updated weekly
A multidisciplinary index covering the journal literature of the arts and humanities. This index fully covers 1,144 of the world's leading arts and humanities journals, and also includes some individually selected, relevant items from over 6,800 major science and social science journals. Some of the disciplines covered include archaeology, linguistics, art, literature, music, philosophy, dance, history, religion and theater.

Note: To limit searches to this database, please verify that only it is checked on the initial search screen. Records back to 1980 may still be searched in AHSearch through OCLC.

Art Index
New York: Wilson 1930
An author and subject index to art periodicals, covering all periods and media of art, including film and photography. Particularly helpful for locating reproductions in periodicals as well as research studies and news of sales and exhibitions. This index is only available in print form.
Location: Ref N1 .A1 A78

JSTOR
1831-2004
Full-text backfiles to over 350 scholarly journals from more than 25 academic disciplines published between the 19th and 21st centuries, including a collection focused on Language & Literature. JSTOR provides complete journal backruns from the date of initial publication up to a "moving wall" of 3 to 5 years before the present year.

Project MUSE
1993-present
Project MUSE provides full text electronic access to over 100 scholarly journals in humanities, the social sciences, and mathematics. Topics covered include literary theory; classics; history and cultural studies; philosophy; film, theatre and the performing arts; political science and mathematics.

Art and Art History Journals in the Gustavus Library:

AFRICAN ARTS v.12, 1978-
AMERICAN ANTIQUITY v.56, 1991-
AMERICAN ART JOURNAL v.11,1979-
AMERICAN ARTIST v.4, 1940-
AMERICAN CERAMICS v. 12, 1997-
AMERICAN CRAFT v.39, 1979-
ANCIENT MESOAMERICA v.12, 2001-
APERTURE n.81, 1981-
ARCHITECTURE v.85 , 1996-
ARCHITECTURE MINNESOTA v.1 n.3, 1975-
ART BULLETIN v.62, 1980-
ART IN AMERICA v.53, 1965/66-
ART JOURNAL v.39, 1980-
ART ON PAPER v.3, 1998-
ARTFORUM v.15, 1976-
ARTNEWS v.43 n.13, Oct.15, 1944-
CERAMICS MONTHLY v. 27, no. 5, 1979-v. 42, no. 9, 1994 ; v. 45, 1997-
JOURNAL OF AESTHETICS AND ART CRITICISM v.17, 1958-
JOURNAL OF THE WARBURG AND COURTAULD INSTITUTES v. 1- (shelved in the general collection AS 122.L8515)
STUDIO POTTER v.19, 1990-
WINTERTHUR PORTFOLIO v.8 n.21, 1986-
WOMAN'S ART JOURNAL v.1, 1990-

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The internet allows large numbers of people to publish.  It is of utmost importance to remember that these sites are of greatly differing degrees of quality.  The user must approach all sites with an open and critical mind, checking whenever possible, the credentials of the Web page publisher.  Equally important is the intended audience of the page--scholar?  Grammar school student?  Etc.  Check out the following examples:

Baroque Art (from Art History Resources on the Web
http://witcombe.sbc.edu/ARTHbaroque.html#Baroque

Mother of All Art History Links
http://www.umich.edu/~hartspc/histart/mother/

Web Gallery of Art
http://www.wga.hu/

WWW Virtual Library: Museums
 http://www.icom.org/vlmp/
   
 
 

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09/2007 DM