An illustrated scholarly analysis of the art and the cultural interpretations of the Flemish Primitives.

The nine papers collected in this publication- which comprises the third and latest edition to the symposium volumes by the Metropolitan Museum of Art - were first presented in conjunction with the Museum's exhibition of Early Netherlandish painting culled from its own holdings in 1998. The essays, by an international roster of leading specialists, together uncover the circumstances underlying the creation of works of art and shed new light on their meaning, in the context of the growing interdisciplinary activity and burgeoning scholarship in the field. The importance of archival research into the socio-economic factors that existed in the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries is emphasized- especially, the impact of art markets on the production of paintings as well as sculpture. Much new material has surfaced as a result of advances in the technical investigation of works of art, underscoring the premise that the clues to the meaning of a work are often found not only in its method of manufacture but also in the specific audience for which it was intended and in the function that it originally served for that audience. -- Publisher description.

This volume follows on from Pacht's work on the Van Eycks and their circle, to encompass the great artists of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Figures such as Van Der Weyden, Bouts, Christus, Van Der Goes and Memling, as well as lesser known artists, are examined in turn. With detailed discussion of particular paintings, style and symbolism.

Forty works by early Netherlandish masters from van Eyck to Bosch—reproduced in exquisite detail—are the subject of this breathtaking book that leads readers deep into the paintings to reveal each artist’s astonishing technique and brilliant application of color. The longer we gaze at the paintings of the old masters, the more we appreciate the subtlety and artistry of the painters who created them. This beautiful book offers readers an opportunity to learn and study the art of Jan van Eyck, Rogier van der Weyden, Hieronymus Bosch, Pieter Bruegel the Elder, and many other masters of this period and region. It also explores their influence on later artists from the Baroque period. Each of the works is briefly presented along with its historical and contextual background and importance. Then in a series of full-page illustrations, specific details are enlarged to guide the reader carefully and thoughtfully through the piece’s nuances and often overlooked features. The result is the next best thing to a private viewing at a museum—a truly sensuous and emotional experience that will engage both the novice and the expert. Till-Holger Borchert’s texts are informative and engaging as he shares his singular passion for these great works in a magnificent book that will inspire viewers to form their own opinions and exercise their own powers of observation within the context of this important period in art history.

In Devotional Portraiture and Spiritual Experience Ingrid Falque analyses the meditative functions of early Netherlandish paintings including devotional portraits, that is portraits of people kneeling in prayer. Such paintings have been mainly studied in the context of commemorative and social practices, but as Ingrid Falque shows, they also served as devotional instruments. By drawing parallels between the visual strategies of these paintings and texts of the major spiritual writers of the medieval Low Countries, she demonstrates that paintings with devotional portraits functioned as a visualisation of the spiritual process of the sitters. The book is accompanied by the first exhaustive catalogue of paintings with devotional portraits produced in the Low Countries between c. 1400 and 1550. This catalogue is available at no costs in e-format (HERE) and can also be purchased as a printed hardcover book (HERE).

Publisher Description

Religious space. The city as devotional theatre Economic space. The pulse of the city Monumental space. The city as a stage Looking away from the city. Urban depictions of a rural ideal Towards an identifiable city. Town portraits of the sixteenth century General conclusion.