All the books at the Barber Fine Art Library are the property of the Henry Barber Trust and are reference only. This ensures that all items are available to library users unless actively being used by another reader on the premises. There is a substantial collection of loanable books on Art History Curating and Visual Studies in the Main Library.
Only a small proportion of our books are displayed in the Reading Room. Most of the books are kept in the Research Reserve – shown as RRART on FindIt@Bham.
The University of Birmingham online catalogue, FindIt@Bham, can be used to search the library’s book collection. Please see Searching the library for more information about the online catalogues available.
The Barber Fine Art Library has significant research collections, including:
- Printed books and pamphlets
- Exhibition catalogues and catalogues of permanent collections
- Auction (Sales) catalogues
- Catalogues raisonnés
- Periodicals
We also provide:
- e-books
- Online and print Periodicals
- Theses and dissertations
- Key reference tools such as encyclopaedias, dictionaries, and specialist resources such as catalogue raisonnés, and auction (sale) catalogues
The Alice Schwab Collection
In 2002 The Barber Fine Art Library received 2,000 books from the estate of the late Alice Schwab, who came to Birmingham in 1937, as a refugee from the political situation in Germany. Most of the books were made available for loan, in keeping with the family’s wishes. The Alice Schwab books, along with other loanable books, were moved to the Main Library in 2016. They can be identified by special bookplates.
The Paper Museum of Cassiano dal Pozzo
The Barbe
r Fine Art Library is proud to hold a set of the complete catalogue of the surviving portions of the Paper Museum which is was published by Royal Collection in twenty volumes. This sumptuous catalogue permits the Paper Museum to be studied easily for the first time since it was collected. The Paper Museum was the subject of the 2019 Barber exhibition 'The Paper Museum: the Curious Eye of Cassiano dal Pozzo.' This exhibition was a collaboration between the Barber and Royal Collection Trust co-curated by MA Art History and Curating students.
The volumes are catalogued according to subject and have different shalf marks but they are all shelved together next to the periodicals on the wall under the windows.
Series A: Antiquities and Architecture
Series Editor: Amanda Claridge
- I Ancient mosaics and wallpaintings / by Helen Whitehouse (2001)
- II Early Christian and Medieval antiquities / by John Osborne and Amanda Claridge
- Volume 1: Mosaics and wallpaintings in Roman Churches (1996)
- Volume 2: Other mosaics, sarcophagi and small objects (1998)
- III Sarcophagi and other reliefs / by Amanda Claridge and Eloisa Dodero (2022)
- Volume 1: Sarcophagi (1-237) --
- Volume 2: Sarcophagi (238-304) -- Other funerary monuments (305-377) -- Altars, bases, and puteals (378-451) -- Marble candelabra and vases (452-478) -- Panel reliefs and friezes (479-569) -- Architectural terracottas (570-633) --
- Volume 3: Votive reliefs 634-650) -- Reliefs from monuments of Rome (651-790) -- Copies after other drawings (791-843) -- Acquired drawings (844-1030) --
- Volume 4: Modern reliefs and designs (1031-1055) -- Watermarks -- Concordances -- Appendix : documents relating to this catalogue -- Collections in Rome.
- IV Statues and busts / by Amanda Claridge and Eloisa Dodero
- V The ‘Antichità diverse’ album /by Elena Vaiani (2016)
- VI Classical manuscript illustrations / by Amanda Claridge and Ingo Herklotz (2012)
- VII Ancient inscriptions by William Stenhouse (2002)
- VIII Egyptian and Roman antiquities and Renaissance decorative arts / by Elena Vaiani, et al. (2018)
- IX Ancient Roman topography and architecture / by Ian Campbell with contributions by Lynda Fairbairn, David Hemsoll, Arnold Nesselrath and Johannes Röll (2004)
- Volume 1. Drawings by Francesco di Giorgio, Ligorio, Labasco, Dosio and four anonymous sixteenth-century draughtsmen
- Volume 2. Drawings by Montano and early seventeenth-century draughtsmen
- Volume 3. Dal Pozzo accessions in the later seventeenth century and miscellaneous earlier drawings
- X Renaissance and later architecture and ornament / by Paul Davies and David Hemsoll, with contributions by Ian Campbell, Simon Pepper and Johannes Röll (2013)
- Volume 1. Drawings from the Architectura Civile album and other architectural drawings
- Volume 2. Decorative schemes and military subjects.
Series B: Natural History
Series Editor: Martin Clayton
- I Citrus fruit / by David Freedberg and Enrico Baldini (1997)
- II Fungi by David Pegler and David Freedberg (2006)
- Volume 1. Institut de France MS 968
- Volume 2. Institut de France MS 969
- Volume 3. Institut de France MS 970; Drawings in the Royal Library, Windsor Castle, and the Library of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
- III Fossil woods and other geological specimens / by Andrew C. Scott and David Freedberg (2000)
- IV–V Birds, other animals and natural curiosities / by Henrietta McBurney, Ian Rolfe, Caterina Napoleone, and Paula Findlen, with Carlo Violani, Onno Wijnands, Arturo Morales-Muñiz, Eufrasia Roselló-Izquierdo, Arthur McGregor, and Kathie Way (2017)
- Volume 1. Birds
- Volume 2. Other animals and natural curiosities
- VI Flora: The 'Erbario Miniato' and other drawings /by Lucia Tongiorgi Tomasi and Fabio Garbari (2007)
- VII Flora: Federico Cesi’s' botanical manuscripts / by Brent Elliott with contributions by Luigi Guerrini and David Pegler (2015) NC815 .E45
- VIII Flora: The Aztec herbal / by Martin Clayton, Luigi Guerrini and Alejandro de Ávila. (2009)
Series Editor: Martin Clayton
- I Ceremonies, costumes, portraits and genre / by Mark McDonald (2017)
- Volume 1. The 'Depositi e funerali, processioni e feste' and 'Charles III cérémonies funèbres' albums in the British Library and the 'Dutch drolls' album in the Royal Library
- Volume 2. The 'Popish ceremonies I and 'Collection of dresses' albums in the British Library, and the portrait prints in the Royal Library
- Volume 3. Portrait prints in the Royal Library, dispersed prints and Orsini portrait drawings
- II Architecture topography and military maps / by Mark McDonald (2019)
- Volume 1. The 'Templa Diversa Romae, Templa Diversa, Popish Ceremonies II and Palazzi di Roma I' albums in the British Library
- Volume 2. The 'Palazzi di Roma II, Palazzi de Genova, Antiquitates Romanae and Speculum Romanae Magnificentiae' albums and the King's Topographical Collection in the British Library, and the King's Military Collection in the Royal Library
- Volume 3. The King's Military Collection and other military prints in the Royal Library and dispersed prints
Rare books
The antiquarian and rare books from the Barber Fine Art Library are currently located at the Cadbury Research Library at the University of Birmingham Edgbaston campus. They can be searched on FindIt@Bham. They will show up as being at Cadbury Research Library Art Collection.
Please contact the Cadbury Research Library in advance to request to view items from the rare books collection: