North-European Panel Paintings. (Studies in Medieval and Early Renaissance Art History)

Religious paintings still found today in English churches, cathedrals, and colleges have rarely been studied in depth. Hidden away in country churches and colleges, they have received little attention, and yet they add greatly to the understanding of Continental art of the late fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. This book brings together over 70 Northern European paintings and altar pieces. The artwork demonstrates the high quality of the output of Netherland workshops, particularly of the Antwerp Mannerists, as well as the remarkable individual works from Germany, many of which drew upon Dürer's prints for inspiration. The author traces the origins of the works, which were frequently produced with a foreign trade in mind, and shows how they found their way to their present locations, often as memorials, or to enrich the ecclesiastical buildings. By considering how these benefactions were made possible by the dispersal of religious works on the continent in the wake of the Napoleonic wars, picked up by travellers, or sold through the London art market, this book offers interesting insight into the history of collecting.