This magnificent, oversize, limited edition is devoted to many of the most important devotional images of Western art: great altarpieces from the Gothic period through the Renaissance. Their immense scale and central position in the church propelled the leading artists of the time to the very summit of their creative potential. These are all pivotal works in the history of art.

An individual altarpiece by a great master is the focal point of a visit to a great cathedral or, on occasion, to a museum where an altarpiece has been moved for reasons of preservation. All the altarpieces are reproduced in large size, in their entirety, as well as in their individual panels; in addition, the author has chosen remark-able details that bring out their most striking and poignant high-lights.

Included is work by such immortal artists as the van Eyck brothers, Rogier van der Weyden, Jerome Bosch, Durer, Lucas Cranach, Piero della Francesca, Mantegna, and Luca Signorelli, among others. At a time when books of great quality and luxury have nearly disappeared, here is a return to the grandest publishing traditions.