Italian altarpieces, 1250-15501994
function and design
by Eve Borsook
Since the 1960s, the Italian altarpiece has attracted unprecedented scholarly attention, bringing artistic, liturgical, social and technical considerations to bear on the subject. The eight contributors to this book provide an impressive synopsis of the different approaches developed in order to enlarge and deepen our knowledge of paintings in terms of their historical functions. Patronage, morphology, religious meaning, pictorial composition, reception, and original setting are all discussed.
In several cases, new light is shed on paintings that until a few years ago were dealt with only as elements within a history of style. In nearly all the contributions there is an overwhelming concern with reconstruction, and much new material is presented concerning the historical significance of a...