Likeness and Presence

Before the Renaissance and Reformation, holy images were treated not as "art" but as objects of veneration which possessed the tangible presence of the Holy. In this book, Hans Belting traces the long history of the sacral image and its changing role in European culture. It looks at the beliefs, superstitions, hopes, and fears that come into play as people handle and respond to...

Before the Renaissance and Reformation, holy images were treated not as "art" but as objects of veneration which possessed the tangible presence of the Holy. In this book, Hans Belting traces the long history of the sacral image and its changing role in European culture. It looks at the beliefs, superstitions, hopes, and fears that come into play as people handle and respond to sacred images, and presents a compelling interpretation of the place of the image in Western history.

Hans Belting is the Mary Jane Crowe Professor of Art History at Northwestern University. He is the author of a number of books, including The End of the History of Art?, Likeness and Presence: A History of the Image before the Era of Art, and The Invisible Masterpiece, all published by the University of Chicago Press.