"Materials, Methods, and Masterpieces of Medieval Art" provides a comprehensive and detailed analysis of the work done by artists in western Europe during the Middle Ages. Art historian Janetta Rebold Benton uses examples such as the "Book of Kells," "Bury Saint Edmunds Cross," and the "Bayeux Tapestry," and the work of artists such as Jan van Eyck and Giotto to explore the various media available to medieval artists and the ways in which those media were used to create a stunning array of masterworks.

Although the visual arts of the Middle Ages were extremely colorful, today much of...