Early Netherlandish Painting At The Crossroads: A Critical Look at Current Methodologies

New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2001. Softbound. VG (light wear to block edges). Color illustrated wraps, VII, 132 pp., 16 color and 41 bw plates. Drawing on the growing interdisciplinary activity and burgeoning scholarship in the field, the essays in this book shed new light on the circumstances underlying the creation of early Netherlandish paintings. The contributors, all leading scholars of Netherlandish art, emphasize the importance of socioeconomic factors, especially the impact of art markets in the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries on the production of altarpieces. They also focus on information gleaned from the technical investigation of works of art, demonstrating that their meaning often lies in their method of manufacture as well as in the function they originally served for their intended audience. Other topics addressed in this volume include the relationship of text and image, archival work, and economic/art market developments. Each topic is considered in two parts: the first summarizes the history of the approach so far, along with suggested guidelines for current research, and the second charts new territory for future investigations.Author Biography: Maryan W. Ainsworth is Senior Research Fellow in the Sherman Fairchild Paintings Conservation Center at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Other contributors include Reindert Falkenburg, Molly Faries, Nol Geirnaert, Maximiliaan P. J. Martens, John Michael Montias, Peter Parshall, and Filip Vermeylen.