"The art of Flanders, the Netherlands, France, and Germany in the 15th and 16th centuries includes some of the most exquisite painting and sculpture in the history of the West. The Mirror of the Artist evokes the world of Northern Europe in all its richness, so that the art of Van Eyck, Bosch, Bruegel, Dürer, and other masters is seen within a larger vision of a changing society. Here, church and state, Protestant and Catholic, artist and patron--all these facets of the Renaissance world are drawn into a unified, incisive narrative that illuminates both the breathtaking art and its times. The art of Flanders, the Netherlands, France, and Germany in the 15th and 16th centuries includes some of the most exquisite painting and sculpture in the history of the West. The Mirror of the Artist evokes the world of Northern Europe in all its richness, so that the art of Van Eyck, Bosch, Bruegel, Dürer, and other masters is seen within a larger vision of a changing society. Here, church and state, Protestant and Catholic, artist and patron--all these facets of the Renaissance world are drawn into a unified, incisive narrative that illuminates both the breathtaking art and its times."--Alibris.com desc.