This inspiring collection of essays sets out to challenge the traditional view that the concept of typological thinking, as demonstrated in medieval literary sources and visual arts, was no longer relevant after the fifteenth century. The varied case studies, presented by eleven authors, testify to the ongoing relevance of sixteenth-century typological iconography, enriched by transformations and innovations that served both Catholic and Protestant doctrines and theological debates.

In his superb introductory chapter, Alexander Linke explains the term typology as “a method of interpretation already encountered in the New Testament, defining, stories, characters and symbols of the Old Covenant as τύποι (types), that is imperfect prophesies or mere promises that prefigured the ultimate fulfillment of God's plan by the accomplishments of Christ” (23). Linke questions whether the essence of typology should be limited to the consideration of biblical and patristic writings, leading to an inadequate perception of visual typology based on a limited repertoire of medieval biblical images. He argues that typological content by major sixteenth-century artists has been overshadowed by the interest of scholars in antiquity and demonstrates how the formal correspondences or analogies between images or visual narratives were organized, thereby supplementing the textual tradition initially established by the early church fathers. The essential differentiation between implicit (allegorically linked Old Testament themes) and explicit typology (direct image-to-image relations of Old to New Testament subjects) is well illustrated.

Two important chapters focus on Reformation typology. Jeanne Nuechterlein discusses the influence of biblical typology in Martin Luther's thought, widely diffused through his Law and Grace, which was printed in over three hundred versions and illustrated in novel visual constructions during the sixteenth century. Nuechterlein claims that the comparative visual structures of law and grace evoke two artistic precedents: typological images linking scenes from the Old and New Testaments, adopted to demonstrate commonalities, and Protestant polemical images contrasting the corrupt papacy with Christ. Birgit Ulrike Münch focuses on Protestant biblical illustrations that employed old and new typologies to convey religious doctrines. These studies of Protestant visual typology are complemented by essays on texts and images that aimed to defend the dogma and liturgy of the Catholic Church. Tamara Engert claims that “the prefigurations of the Old Testament must be understood within the context of Reformation and Counter-Reformation doctrinal dispute . . . they guarantee the legitimacy of the doctrine and liturgy of the ‘true faith’ against the hostilities of the dogmas” (209). Dagmar Eichberger investigates the didactic aspect of typological compendia, concentrating on altarpieces of the Last Supper, the Mass of Saint Gregory, and related depictions that reflected pictorial strategies of the Catholic Church.

Most of the essays examine biblical typology in the Netherlands. Despite the promise of its broadly defined title, the editors have all but ignored the theme of visual typology in Italian art. Two out of the twelve essays focus on unusual Italian programs. Shelly Perlove's interesting essay on frescoes in the Parma Cathedral analyzes a typological program influenced by the Council of Trent and related to the contemporary history of the city. Jonathan Kline studied the relation between mythological narratives and depictions from Dante's Purgatorio painted by Signorelli on socles in the Cappella Nova of the Orvieto Cathedral. He followed conclusions set forth in a comprehensive study by Sara Nair James (“Penance and Redemption: The Role of the Roman Liturgy in Luca Signorelli's Frescoes at Orvieto,” Artibus et historiae [2001]), which were illustrated with excellent photographs. Regretfully, Kline does not date the frescoes, and his narrow analysis is totally divorced from chronological, historical, or iconographic context. The reader is not informed that the socle paintings are significantly related to the complex monumental program of the chapel, and a photograph of the iron gate leading to the chapel succeeds in obscuring the relevant images on the frescoed wall. The reader is left to wonder whether the findings in these essays apply to other Italian contexts as well.

The book could have been improved as a more coherent whole with increased editorial intervention. But this does not detract from the excellence of individual essays that represent important and inspiring contributions, creating challenges for further scholarship.