As an experienced and distinguished scholar who has spent a substantial part of his career studying Karel van Mander, Walter Melion[1] certainly knew what he was getting into when he took up the [...] Read More
17th-Century Dutch Republic
Frans Hals. The Male Portrait
This book is the catalogue of a small exhibition held at the Wallace Collection in London, centered on the dashing portrait of a young man signed and dated by Hals in 1624 and nicknamed by [...] Read More
The Portraitist: Frans Hals and His World
Steven Nadler’s latest book is a biography of Frans Hals. This format is increasingly rare. As such, it is worth contemplating the role of biographies, and indeed biography, in early modern studies. [...] Read More
Woodland Imagery in Northern Art, c.1500-1800: Poetry and Ecology
This important and charming book examines the depiction of woodlands and individual trees in the visual arts and poetry during the long Renaissance and beyond. It posits that in former times human [...] Read More
Johannes Vermeer: Faith, Light and Reflection
Over the past forty years, a veritable avalanche of Vermeer studies has been published, culminating with the catalogue of the Rijksmuseum’s recent blockbuster exhibition on the artist. By now, many [...] Read More
Conchophilia: Shells, Art, and Curiosity in Early Modern Europe
A very handsome book replete with full-color photographs, Conchophilia is a joy to read, as appealing and stimulating as the curiosities it considers. Comprising an introduction and six chapters, the [...] Read More