This is the 121st volume in the 150 volume
Twentieth Century Encyclopedia of Catholicism,
edited by Henri Daniel-Rops. Obviously, this was an ambitious series
with a number of talented people behind it (Daniel-Rops was the author
of the terrific 10 volume
History of the Church of Christ), but unfortunately most of its installments are about as interesting as the stereotypical encyclopedia entry.
This is sadly true of
Early Christian Art. While
certainly informative, it is by no means exhaustive, given that "early"
here extends into the Carolingian period. No doubt for reasons of
economy, there are few illustrations, which is definitely a disadvantage
for a book on art. There are also a few simple errors (at one point
the author alludes to a frieze depicting "the two senior emperors
Diocletian and Maxentius" alongside "the two junior emperors Galerius
and Constantine" - a combination that never occurred - the author (or
the translator?) has doubtless mistaken Maxentius and Constantine for
their fathers, Maximian and Constantius Chlorus).
This might be a decent value as a reference work for a
home library. Those who have access to the St Louis Public Library
collection should not have to settle for this, however, when they can
read the far superior
Arts of Mankind series, especially
The Beginnings of Christian Art,
The Golden Age of Justinian, and
Europe of the Invasions, which collectively cover the same ground as this book.
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