Renaissance Portraits: European Portrait-Painting in the 14th, 15th and 16th Centuries

What kinds of portrait were produced during the Renaissance? Who produced them and for whom? How were they painted? Why were they wanted and how were they used? in this beautiful book, Lorne Campbell addresses these fundamental questions by exploring the aesthetic, technical, social and economic aspects of Renaissance portrait-painting and by offering a close examination of the works of artists such as Jan van Eyck, Leonardo, Durer, Raphael, Holbein, and Titian. Drawing the writings and private correspondence of the painters and their patrons, and describing and analysing the ways in which sitters were individualised, idealised and characterised, Campbell shows what can be deduced about the painters intentions and the patrons requirements. Detail by detail, he builds up an understanding of the role of portrait-painting and the methods used by artists to achieve their goal. Sharply focussed, meticulously researched and sensitively presented, this handsomely illustrated book is a major contribution to the study of Renaissance art and will provide enlightenment for scholar, student and general reader alike.