Baroque Art

Baroque Wreath

Encyclopedias of Art & History

The Dictionary of Art (Ref N 31 .D5 1996)
Despite its title, this multivolume reference work is really an encyclopedia. Monumental in scope, it is the largest and most comprehensive reference work on the visual arts that has ever been published. Don't start any research on art without checking this source. It is also available online as Oxford Art Online.
Encyclopedia of World Art (Ref N 31 .E533)
Although older than the encyclopedia above, this is still a useful and scholarly work. It is richly illustrated with thousands of color and black-and-white plates, which are all found together at the back of each volume.
Benezit, E. Dictionnaire Critique et Documentaire des Peintres, Sculpteurs, Dessinateurs et Graveurs (Ref N 40 .B46 1999)
Saur Allgemeines Kunstler-Lexikon (Ref N 40 .S28 1992)
Thieme, U. and F. Becker. Allgemeines Lexikon der Bildenden Kunstler (Ref N 40 .T4)
International Dictionary of Art and Artists (Ref N 7425 .I67 1990)
Yes! Those first three are in foreign languages. So, why would you bother? Because these are the most comprehensive and scholarly dictionaries of artists. Many obscure artists who are not included in other encyclopedias can be found here. The International Dictionary of Art and Artists is in English, but it covers far fewer artists; its second volume contains one-page articles on individual works of art.
Oxford Guide to Classical Mythology in the Arts, 1300-1990s (Ref NX 650 .M9 R45 1993)
Do you want to compare depictions of Pegasus across time and artist? Before this book, studying the treatment of classical themes through the years would have been very difficult. But, with this guide, it is a breeze. This is a unique and very valuable research tool.
Oxford Companion to Christian Art and Architecture (Ref N 7830 .M87 1996)
This is a handy one-volume encyclopedia on all aspects of Christian art and architecture of all time periods. Its short articles can help you greatly in understanding the religious traditions and subject matter that were prominent in Baroque art.

Guides to Iconography & Symbolism

Baroque Art: A Topical Dictionary (Ref N 6415 .B3 E18 1996)
This book provides basic information about the topics that were popular subjects in painting, sculpture, and the decorative arts in Italy and northern Europe during the 17th century. It is a good place to start when trying to understand the story that is represented in a work of Baroque art.
Dictionary of Subjects and Symbols in Art (Ref N 7560 .H34 1979)
Dictionary of Symbols in Western Art (Ref N 7740 .C29 1995)
Symbols and Legends in Western Art (Ref N 7740 .W53)
These are exactly what they sound like, providing brief definitions for a wide range of subjects, themes, and concepts encountered in Western art. They supplement each other; so, don't pick only one!
Encyclopedia of Comparative Iconography (Ref N 7565 .E53 1998)
Iconographie de l'Art Chretien by Louis Reau (Ref N 7830 .R37)
Iconography of Christian Art by Gertrud Schiller (Ref N 7830 .S3513 1971)
The first of these books discusses both secular and religious iconography by broad themes or activities (e.g., envy or expulsion). The other two books are classics in the field of Christian iconography. Reau is in French, but even if your French is not that good, it is still worth consulting it. All three books deal with the variations and evolution of major iconographic themes. Bibliographical references and numerous illustrations are also provided.
Butler's Lives of the Saints (Ref BX 4654 .B8 1995)
Saints and Their Emblems (Ref N 8080 .D7 1971)
Saints in Art (Ref ND 1430 .G5513 2003)
Butler is the standard, authoritative, classic source of biographical information on the principal saints. The basic arrangement is by feast day. The others describe how individual saints have been represented in works of art and can be very helpful in understanding the scenes in which they are depicted.
Gospel Figures in Art (Ref N 8030 .Z8413 2003)
Gods and Heroes in Art (Ref N 7760 .I4713 2003)
Retelling the stories of figures from the New Testament and classical mythology, these books are illustrated with full-color reproductions of art works from the Renaissance and later, to illustrate how these stories have frequently been represented in the visual arts.
Continuum Encyclopedia of Animal Symbolism in Art (Ref GR 705 .W47 2004)
If you are looking for information on animals and their symbolism in art, this book is for you. It is especially noteworthy for its comparative approach, discussing the representations and meanings of animals in diverse world cultures and in different time periods.

Bibliographies & Literature Guides

Art Books (Ref Z 5938 .F73 1997)
This bibliography identifies over 5,000 monographs (scholarly books) on individual artists working in all media, from all historical periods and from any country.
Guide to the Literature of Art History (Ref Z 5931 .A67)
Guide to the Literature of Art History 2 (Ref Z 5931 .M374 2005)
Together these represent a very comprehensive guide to the best resources for art research. Scanning the Tables of Contents will enable you to identify the sections you should examine, and the more detailed index in each volume will lead you to anything you might have overlooked.

Scholarly Indexes

Art Index, 1929-
If you do not already know this source - - get with it! This is the basic index to journal articles since 1929 in the field of art. Once you are ready to start looking for articles on your subject, you should always look here first.
BHA (Bibliography of the History of Art), 1973-
This database covers the literature of art more broadly than Art Index, including books, exhibition catalogs, conference proceedings, and articles in journals published throughout the world. (You'll find lots of publications in foreign languages here, as well as in English.)
Humanities Full Text, 1984-
Humanities & Social Sciences Index Retrospective, 1907-1984
These are scholarly indexes to the arts and humanities literature in general. They will be particularly useful for people doing research on topics likely to be covered in humanities journals other than those that are strictly art history. Use Humanities Fulltext to find articles published since 1984. Articles for most of the twentieth century before that can be found using Humanities & Social Sciences Index Retrospective.

Resources in Other Libraries

The better a researcher you are, the more likely you will want something we do not have in this library. If it is a book, look under LINK+ in OSCAR to see if any of the participating libraries in California have it. If they do, request it online, and the book should arrive here for you within 3 working days. If it is not in LINK+, or if you need a journal article, request it through OSCAR's interlibrary loan option, through which we can get copies of journal articles, and borrow books, from other libraries in the U.S. Although many articles can be sent electronically, books and photocopies can take two weeks to get here; so, start your research early! As an alternative, we can help you find which library in the area owns a particular book or journal, and you can go there yourself to use it.

This page created by Leanna Goodwater, Santa Clara University Library. Last updated August 7, 2008.