Book Description

The period from 1400 to 1600 was a fascinating one in Netherlandish art and history, encompassing the late Middle Ages, the Renaissance, the Iconoclasm, the Dutch Revolt, and the northern cities' conversion to the Protestant faith, which put an end to the previously close ties between north and south. This handsome book presents an overview of the period by means of a selection of one hundred works of art in different media taken from the unparalleled collection of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. Eminent authorities place these works in their historical context and discuss their origins, significance, and distinguishing features. The result is an authoritative history of fifteenth and sixteenth-century Netherlandish art. The book is arranged chronologically in three sections, each opening with a brief introduction that sketches the historical and art-historical outlines of the period and each including reproductions and discussions of the works of art. In addition, longer essays in the beginning of the book address such issues as how the function and meaning of works of art change when they become part of a museum; how the picture of Netherlandish art presented by the Rijksmuseum has evolved over the two centuries of its existence; how the works of art came into being; and how and for whom they were made and traded. Although the book focuses on works from the Rijksmuseum, it includes illustrations of key works from other sources as well. This book is the first in a four-part series about Dutch art that will be invaluable for visitors to the Rijksmuseum and for art lovers everywhere.