ABSTRACT
One of the principal features of the Frankish endeavours in the fine arts in the East, and one which is at the heart of all serious discussion on the subject, is the converging of different cultural influences. These are predominantly French, Italian, Byzantine and Syro-Palestinian. The particular combination of these influences and the manner in which they find expression gives a special character to Crusader art and raises the issue of whether or not it should be considered a colonial art (Hunt 1991).
