Influenced by a revival of interest in Greco-Roman ideals and sponsored by a newly prosperous merchant class, fifteenth-century artists produced works of astonishingly innovative content and technique. The International Gothic style of painting, still popular at the beginning of the century, was giving way to the influence of Early Netherlandish Flemish masters such as Jan van Eyck, who emphasized narrative and the complex use of light for symbolic meaning. Patrons favoured paintings in oil and on wooden panels for works ranging from large, hinged altarpieces to small, increasingly lifelike portraits. This beautifully illustrated guide analyzes the most important people, places, and concepts of this early Renaissance period, whose explosion of creativity was to spread throughout Europe in the sixteenth century. Divided into three sections, the first examines key terms, including: styles, concepts, and techniques; the second looks at four regions - Northern and Central Europe, France and Flanders, The Western Mediterranean, and Italy - and key cities within each area; and the third section highlights approximately fifty individual artists. Important facts are called out in the margins of each entry, and key elements are pointed out on each illustration.

斯特凡诺•祖菲（Stefano Zuffi）是一位艺术史专家，1961年生于意大利米兰，在米兰大学获得文学学位，毕业论文即以中世纪和现代艺术为研究方向。他曾从事编辑与学术顾问等职，同时参与文化杂志、电台节目与纪录片的制作。先后出版著作六十余本，尤其在意大利文艺复兴时期艺术领域有大量畅销作品。