Renaissance Faces: Van Eyck to Titian (National Gallery Publications) (National Gallery London Publications)

The cover is damaged.

This is a beautiful book. If, like me, you appreciate how Van Eyck and Holbein painted portraits that emanated personality and character this will introduce you to many other expert Renaissance painters who also were able to paint in this way. The illustrations are of marvellous quality and encompass a small amount of drawings, sculptures and portrait medals that expand the range of shown faces beyond paintings.I was not only blown away by the pictures but really impressed by the text. It managed to explain the significance of the clothes, jewellery and props of the era and the reason the work was made with admirable clarity and brevity. (The insights on the P.R. purposes of many of the works was fascinating, as was the assessment of flattering deviations from reality. It must have been a really ticklish problem when faced with portraying a short King or an ugly Emperor.)This catalogue of the eponymous 2008 exhibition has been one of the most enjoyable and instructive books I have ever bought. Even if you only have a general interest in art, history and painting this is a book that vividly brings the 15th and 16th century to life and I highly recommend it.

I love the book but (a) it wasn't handed to me, it was left on my doorstep and (b) it was in a cardboard envelope which did not protect the book from the damp weather.

Spin was a bit loose!

A must for a van Eyck student.

Brilliant.

The catalogue for the current exhibition at the National Gallery in London, this book is a wonderful study of the art of portraiture in the Renaissance. Studying famous works by Van Eyck (the Arnolfini Betrothal), Holbein (the Ambassadors) or Raphael that belong to the museum, alongside lesser known works by the likes of Metsys (a wonderful pair of portraits from 1513, one -long a part of the National Gallery's collection- of an old woman, and its companion piece, an old man -probably her husband- which is in a private collection), Pontormo or Beccafumi, the book succeeds in placing the portraits in their historical context, explaining their role in Renaissance society and stressing the fact that many were painted based on oral description of the model or even by studying the corpse of the model, making the posthumous portrait a genre in its own right (as in the portrait of an old man with his famously ugly nose by Ghirlandaio).Top-quality illustrations make this book a valuable addition to any fine arts library.

A wonderful book. Stunning images.