James Robinson

James Robinson is responsible for the non-ceramic medieval European collections dating from the late eleventh to the early sixteenth centuries AD. His particular areas of interest include jewellery, seal-dies, pilgrim badges and English alabasters. Among the objects in James’s care are the famous twelfth century ivory Lewis chessmen and he has research interests in the field of walrus-ivory carving, workshops and pre-mechanised medieval industries.

James has worked at the Birmingham City Museum and Art Gallery, Birmingham University and the Museum of London.

Contact

jrobinson@thebritishmuseum.ac.uk
+44 (0)20 7323 8467

Current projects

• Temporary exhibition with associated public conference: Good Impressions: image and authority in medieval seals

• Publication of conference papers for Good Impressions, forthcoming 2007

• Permanent gallery for medieval Europe scheduled to open in 2008

• British Museum Publication Masterpieces of the Middle Ages, forthcoming 2008

Recent publications

J. Robinson, Masterpieces of the Middle Ages, (British Museum Press, forthcoming 2008)

J. Robinson, ‘Pilgrimage and Protest: badges in the British Museum relating to Thomas of Lancaster and Isabella, queen of Edward II’ in S. Blick (ed.) Essays in Honour of Brian Spencer (Sutton Publishing, forthcoming 2007)

J. Robinson, ‘Crowning Glory: the identification of gems on the head reliquary of St Eustace from the Basle Cathedral Treasury’, in L. Joyner and I. Freestone, The Journal of Gemmology (forthcoming 2007)

J. Robinson, The Lewis Chessmen: Objects in Focus, (British Museum Press 2004)

J. Robinson, ‘Bronze mould and pipeclay figure of the Virgin Mary’ in R. Marks and P. Williamson (eds.) Gothic: Art for England 1400-1547 (Victoria and Albert Museum 2003), pp.342-3