"Despite the destruction of images brought about by the Reformation, fieldwork and documentary evidence have revealed the vast numbers of images, both carved and painted, which acted as foci for collective and individual devotion in late medieval England, especially in the parish churches. Informed by the most recent researches on late medieval devotion and image-theory, this book marks a radical departure from previous studies of English medieval art, particularly sculpture. Instead of concentrating on style, the images in alabaster, stone and wood are located within the society that used them, hence they are examined in terms of function, audience, patronage and production. English trends are viewed within the context of Western European developments."--Jacket.