Why is the art of this period, so characterised by expansion and ambition, called 'Romanesque'? The classification has its roots not in the Middle Ages, but in the nineteenth century. Driven by the spirit of the moment to classify and categorise, antiquarians noted the indebtedness of the period to the Roman past. In many ways,  it is clear that the artists of this period were indeed looking to the visual splendour of Ancient Rome, and objects in this exhibition confirm this relationship: capitals burst with Corinthian acanthus leaves, and stone heads are executed with a rounded modelling that nods to Roman examples.

But what this catchall term fails to capture - and this exhibition hopes to demonstrate - are the myriad other influences so clear in the Romanesque: the reliance on Byzantine exemplars in the design of enamels from the Meuse Valley and Limoges, the adoption of Scandinavian interlace on the stone sculpture of Northern Europe, or the absorption of Andalusi motifs into the art of Christian Iberia. It is these examples that capture the complexity of the Romanesque as a whole: a style not shaped by one tradition, but the result of the intermingling of many. With the expansion of monasticism came the movement of people, artists, and designs - and it is the product of these conditions that we reference when we call something 'Romanesque'.