DECODING OLD MASTERS: Patrons, Princes and Enigmatic Paintings of the 15th Century.

First edition, first printing. Original black cloth with silver lettering to the spine, in dustwrapper. A fine copy, the binding square and firm, the contents bright and clean throughout. In the the very near fine, unclipped dustwrapper, showing a few light surface marks to the front panel, and minimal rubbing to the upper spine tip.

"The interpretation of paintings - especially of Old Masters - has occupied art historians for generations. Rarely however have they attempted to place the subject of their research in its wider political and international context. So what can we learn, for example, about the state of 15th-century Europe by studying some of the great paintings of the time? In this innovative work, Abolala Soudavar examines seven paintings by some of the great masters of the 15th century and demonstrates how we can better understand the state of international relations and the political rivalries of the time by decoding the figures, their postures and gestures, the background scenes, the compositions and much else in these paintings." (from the jacket)