The Fifteenth-Century Netherlandish Paintings (NATIONAL GALLERY (GREAT BRITAIN)//NATIONAL GALLERY CATALOGUES) - Tapa dura

The National Gallery's collection of fifteenth-century Netherlandish pictures is one of the largest and most important in the world. It includes works by Jan van Eyck, Robert Campin, Rogier van der Weyden, Petrus Christus, Dirk Bouts, Simon Marmion, Justus of Ghent, Hans Memling, Geertgen tot Sint Jans and Gerard David.
In this catalogue, the detailed entry for each work represents the culmination of Dr Campbell's extensive research on the authorship, histories and iconographies of the paintings, on the patrons who commissioned them, and above all on the painters' techniques and working practices - where he has worked in close collaboration with the National Gallery's Conservation and Scientific Departments.
The introductory essay describes how the painters lived and worked, how they organised their studios, how they gathered and employed reference material, how they used their pigments and media and how they marketed their pictures. There is also a history of the collection at the National Gallery.
Fifty-two works are catalogued; all are reproduced in colour and are accompanied by superb details, comparative illustrations and technical photographs.

Lorne Campbell, formerly Reader in the History of Art at the Courtauld Institute of Art, London, is now Research Curator at the National Gallery.