Women in the Middle Ages. Sibylle Harksen 1975.

The ilustrations in this book have been selected with a view to illuminating the modes of thought that influenced the various styles of art and life in the Middle Ages. First there are works of art from the time of the Carolingian rulers and of the German so-called Ottonian emperors of the tenth century, a period still influenced by the naturalistic style of antiquity: realistic representations alternate with forms that appear stiff, almost frozen. This style is found mainly in book illustrations but to some extent in contemporary bronze sculptures as well. The eleventh century produced the pronounced ornamental and expressive Romanesque style that rejected the representation of individuals. It is the art of the victorious Church and feudal nobility, at a time when they were closely united. In the art of that period, the woman is shown as the Virgin Mary, in a severe style which seems unrealistic today.