Medieval marvels

Roger Rosewell (Boydell Press, £39.95)

When Henry VIII declared himself "Supreme Head of the English Church" in 1534, churches were destroyed and with them hundreds of wall paintings which, unlike stained glass or carvings, were integral to the structure of the buildings.

Yet, amazingly, there is "still much to be seen and seeing is the only way to marvel at what was once commonplace", says Roger Rosewell. He has done us an invaluable service with his critical appreciation of this precious heritage.

Sadly, many paintings are fragments of their former glory, while others, like Sleeping Beauty, must be brought to life and restored by the skill of the art conservationist who will rediscover and restore some of what has been lost.

Using new technology such as digital photography, images are revealed - like the wonderfully painted chancel of St Mary's in Chalgrove.

Throughout the centuries, the relationship of art to life evolved. Economics and society allowed for differences in farming, trade and travel. As the sense of the world changed, so did architecture and artistic design, as well as the subjects depicted. The few wall paintings in existence during the Anglo-Saxon period are now faded, like those at Deerhurst in Gloucestshire.

"Gesture and style" prevailed with the advent of the Romanesque period. The finest surviving Anglo-Norman paintings, made in 1100, are to be found at the Lewes Group' of five churches in Sussex.

The transition to the Gothic period, around 1200, brought images that conveyed "compassion and suffering", like the Virgin and Child in the Bishop's Palace Chapel in Chichester. The Perpendicular, during the 15th-century, heralded larger windows, letting in the glory of light. Styles changed throughout the medieval period but devotion, faith and piety continued to bind "communities in life and after death".

Rosewell explores the "meaning and understanding" of the paintings' themes - the Last Judgement, the Old Testament, the life of Christ, the Virgin Mary and the saints. With their messages of life on earth and in heaven, of good and evil, the issues remain relevant today.

Wall paintings were mostly commissioned by patrons, who were regarded has having made the work, not the artists.

Rosewell's chapter Making Wall Painting is a fascinating survey of changing techniques - pigments, brushes, planning, design, positioning of the paintings and preparation of the surface - allowing us to delight in this less well known vernacular art form. He poses questions about the paintings - what they show, who made them and how, why and where they can be found.

The book is illustrated with photographs showing the splendour of the settings, with polychrome statues, glowing candles, colourful tapestries and silver chalices that illuminated the rituals and ceremonies which brought inspiration and wonder to the Christian year.