Focusing exclusively on examples from the 16th century, the great age of Italian drawing, this stunning volume, published to accompany an early-1994 exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, includes 124 prized works from The Metropolitan, the Pierpont Morgan Library, the Cooper-Hewitt Museum, and some 20 private collections in New York. The catalogue is organized by school and, within each section, chronologically by artist. Each drawing is illustrated and presented with a discussion that places it in the context of the artist's career and explores the purpose for which it was made. Paper edition (unseen), $35. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Focusing exclusively on examples from the 16th century, the great age of Italian drawing, this stunning volume, published to accompany an early-1994 exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, includes 124 prized works from The Metropolitan, the Pierpont Morgan Library, the Cooper-Hewitt Museum, and some 20 private collections in New York. The catalogue is organized by school and, within each section, chronologically by artist. Each drawing is illustrated and presented with a discussion that places it in the context of the artist's career and explores the purpose for which it was made. Paper edition (unseen), $35. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Known as the "century of anatomy," the 16th century in Italy saw an explosion of studies and treatises on the discipline. Medical science advanced at an unprecedented rate, and physicians published on anatomy as never before. Simultaneously, many of the period's most prominent artists--including Leonardo and Michelangelo in Florence, Raphael in Rome, and Rubens working in Italy--turned to the study of anatomy to inform their own drawings and sculptures, some by working directly with anatomists and helping to illustrate their discoveries. The result was a rich corpus of art objects detailing the workings of the human body with an accuracy never before attained. "Art and Anatomy in Renaissance Italy "examines this crossroads between art and science, showing how the attempt to depict bone structure, musculature, and our inner workings--both in drawings and in three dimensions--constituted an important step forward in how the body was represented in art. While already remarkable at the time of their original publication, the anatomical drawings by 16th-century masters have even foreshadowed developments in anatomic studies in modern times.

This volume catalogues paintings from Venice made between 1540 and 1600, and includes some of the greatest pictures in the National Gallery, London.

Published in conjunction with an exhibition on view at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, May 12-Aug 15, 2010.

The re-creation of classically inspired armor is invariably associated with Filippo Negroli, the most innovative and celebrated of the renowned armorers of Milan.