This sumptuously illustrated book provides an authoritative and absorbing assessment of northern achievements, ranging from Bohemian court art under Charles V in Prague in the 1350s through the royal patronage of Francis I at Fontainebleu in the 1550s. In rich detail but with utter clarity, this book tells the fascinating stories of the artists and the patrons who created this extraordinary flowering of art. Its rich visual representation includes detailed maps, a timetable of the major political, religious, and scientific achievements of the period, a genealogy of the house of Valois, and a freshly updated bibliography.

Highlights of the new edition include a stronger focus on major artists and a new consideration of centers of culture such as Bruges, Ghent, and Basel.