Visual Arts and the Auld Alliance - by Bryony Coombs

About the Book

Explores the links between patronage, identity and Franco-Scottish relations in the late medieval and early modern periods

Book Synopsis

This monograph provides the first substantial analysis of the visual arts commissioned by Scots in France prior to Mary Queen of Scots. It examines how Scottish identity was represented and promoted through patronage of the visual arts. Tying together previously unpublished archival documents with under-researched visual and material culture, this monograph examines how Scots used patronage to establish their place in French society thus furthering the reputation of the royal house of Scotland, and progressing their own social, political, and diplomatic aims. Incorporating analysis of grand architectural projects, such as the foundation of the Sainte-Chapelle at Vic-le-Comte, and studies of extraordinary manuscripts such as the Monypenny Breviary and the military manuals of Bérault Stuart, this work highlights recurring themes within architectural history, art history, and material culture studies. By addressing broader questions of Scotland's historic relations with Europe, it makes a necessary contribution to modern day concerns.

Review Quotes

Visual Arts and the Auld Alliance offers an original and sophisticated exploration of the artistic and literary patronage of Scottish émigré in late medieval and early modern France. The volume places particular emphasis on visual imagery as a means to convey and depict ideas about individual, lineage and collective 'national' identities, the histories that underpinned them, and the nature of the relationship between the French and Scottish realms. The rich array of visual images discussed, including many previously unknown to Scottish historians, is used to analyse and interrogate the way in which these families and individuals articulated their sense of Scottish identity within a French milieu. The study rests on an impressive scholarly engagement with manuscripts held in a variety of French archives. Coombs marshals her evidence deftly and perceptively to add new insights and nuance to our understanding of the cultural connections that ran alongside and deepened the political and military ties between the two kingdoms. Through a series of well-chosen case studies, the book investigates the interplay between art, politics and historical understanding, using visual material to cast new light on the framing of individual and collective identity. This is an important study that will be required reading for anyone interested in the cultural and political history of late medieval and early modern Scotland. More generally, Coombs's work offers a striking contribution to wider debates about the potential use of art to convey, express or encourage a range of political and cultural ideas and to articulate notions of both difference and belonging.--Professor Steve Boardman, University of Edinburgh