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
Book Reviews
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
Images and Indulgences in Early Netherlandish Painting
Indulgences have had a bad press. Reviled as the epitome of Catholic greed and the lurid practice that sparked the Reformation, to this day they are cast in a negative light. This view overlooks the [...] 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
Tales of the City: Drawing in the Netherlands from Bosch to Bruegel
The legendary drawings collection of the Albertina in Vienna, which includes peerless holdings of early Netherlandish drawings, was on glorious display at the Cleveland Museum of Art from October 2022 [...] 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