The Italian Renaissance Altarpiece : Between Icon and Narrative
Regular price £59.95'Ekserdjian brilliantly outlines the broad picture, but the devil is in his details: how variously artists, famous and obscure, enlivened and energised this iconic structure, balancing narrative and invention, clarity and mystery' - FT Books of the Year
The comprehensive study of the Italian Renaissance altarpiece from the 13th to the early 17th century
The altarpiece is one of the most distinctive and remarkable art forms of the Renaissance period. It is difficult to imagine an artist of the time-whether painter or sculptor, major or minor-who did not produce at least one. Though many have been displaced or dismembered, a substantial proportion of these works still survive.
Despite the volume of material available, no serious attempt has ever been made to examine the whole subject in depth until now. The Italian Renaissance Altarpiece is the first comprehensive study of the genre to examine its content and subject matter in real detail, from the origins of the altarpiece in the 13th century to the time of Caravaggio in the early 1600s. It discusses major developments in the history of these objects throughout Italy, covers the three key categories of Renaissance altarpiece-"immagini" (icons), "historie" (narratives), and "misteri" (mysteries)-and is illustrated with 250 beautiful reproductions of the artworks.
Details
- Author: David Ekserdjian
- Hardcover: 496 pages | 250 illustrations
- ISBN: 978-0300253641
- Language: English
- Publication date: July 2021
- Dimensions:27.9 x 24.1 cm
Reviews
'Ekserdijan has an impressive encyclopaedic knowledge of the byways of altarpiece development during the period....He writes engagingly and wears his learning lightly, and, with its 250 illustrations, this handsome book is designed in the best Yale tradition' ―Peter Humfrey, Art Newspaper
'Ekserdjian brilliantly outlines the broad picture, but the devil is in his details: how variously artists, famous and obscure, enlivened and energised this iconic structure, balancing narrative and invention, clarity and mystery' - FT Books of the Year
'a sumptuous and scholarly study' - Sunday Times Books of the Year
