From Library Journal
Perhaps because it was not in the vanguard of European art during the Renaissance, French art of this period has not garnered much appreciation or consideration outside of France. This translation of Chastel's magnificent overview should help redress the oversight in the English-speaking world. Against a background of the exigencies of royal, aristocratic, and ecclesiastical patronage, an extravagant universe of painting, sculpture, architecture, stained glass, tapestries, illuminated books, graphic arts, interior decoration, and garden design emerges here. While elaborating the persistence of the Gothic tradition and articulating the appearance of a distinctively French stylistic vision, Chastel, an editor and a professor at the Sorbonne, never allows us to lose sight of France's intricate, ongoing, and ever more significant Italianate relationship. Critical individuals, regional traditions, thematic peculiarities, and historical vicissitudes likewise receive their due. This volume combines a wealth of splendid reproductions with a text graced by acute perceptions, vast cultural scope, and a commanding scholarship easily borne. A vital acquisition for all collections, general and scholarly.?Robert Cahn, Fashion Inst. of Technology, New York
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
