Reference books provide background information on a topic, such as definitions of terms, key figures and events, and well written overviews. They can be a useful starting point for any research project, because they fill in missing knowledge about the topic or provide you with the language of the discipline.
The Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists by 
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art Terms by 
The Oxford Companion to Western Art by 
Art History: the Key Concepts by Search selected dictionaries and encyclopedias from Oxford University Press:
About Oxford Reference Online
Oxford Reference Online provides access to many key Oxford dictionaries and reference works across a broad subject spectrum. The database can be searched as a whole, limited to one or more subjects, or limited to one or more individual books.
The Oxford Companion to Classical Civilization by 
Minoans : Life in Bronze Age Crete by 
The Mycenaeans by 
Medieval Italy : an encyclopedia by 
Historical Dictionary of Mesopotamia by 
A companion to ancient Macedonia
The Egyptians : An Introduction by 
The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt by 
The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium by 
The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt by 
The Oxford Companion to Archaeology by 
