The volumes in this bibliophile series provide unique portraits of European art history. Readers gain fascinating insights into the artists' biographies and their styles of working. Durer and his famous portraits and altarpieces, the vivid farm scenes of Pieter Bruegel, the great painters of the Italian Renaissance, the symphonies in colour of Titian, the mysterious chiaroscuro paintings of Caravaggio, the rococo worlds of Antoine Watteau and the great historical paintings created by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres. Competent texts illustrate the decisive stages in the artists' lives and the development of their styles, explaining their impact against the background of their social context as well as their significance for following generations of artists. Plentiful large-sized illustrations showcase each artist's oeuvre. Each volume contains a comprehensive appendix providing information on the artists' biographies in tabular form as well as an extensive bibliography. Each of the authors of the individual volumes is renowned in his or her field.

"When he (Raphael) died, the heavens wanted to give one of the signs they gave when Jesus Christ expired... Here, people are talking about nothing but the death of this exceptional man, who has completed his first life at the young age of 37. His second life - that of his fame, which is subject neither to time nor death - will endure for all eternity..."
Pandolfo Pico della Mirandola

-ILLUSTRATIONS : Approx. 150 mainly colour