An overview of the multifaceted relationships between art and religion from the late middle ages to the eighteenth century has been lacking to date. This volume traces these relationships in the fine arts, literature, and music. The art of this period was predominantly religious or, more precisely, influenced by Christianity. This is true not just of the middle ages, whose scholastic theology was reflected in Dantes Divine Comedy, but also of the Renaissance, Reformation/Counterreformation and Baroque. This Christian influence can be found in works of art, but also in musical compositions like the Mass, which were commissioned either by or for churches and ecclesiastical institutions.

Jan Rohls, Ludwig Maximillian University Munich, Germany.