Carved splendor : late Gothic altarpieces in Southern Germany, Austria and South Tirol /

With 362 full-color photographs of 22 elegantly carved late Gothic (1460-1525) altarpieces from southern Germany, Austria, and South Tirol, this gorgeous slipcased English edition of Kahsnitz's 2005 Grossen Schnitzaltare promises to become the definitive study on the subject. Kahsnitz puts the altarpieces in their historical context, concentrating on their relationship to the evolving concepts of piety in the medieval era and the movement from polychromy to natural materials. Detailed information is provided for each altarpiece, including date, artist, material, size, condition, provenance, history, sources, restorations, altarpiece architecture, pictorial program, iconography, sculptures, and paintings. The volume also includes images of the altarpieces in all their possible configurations and phenomenal close-up images that provide detail unavailable elsewhere. Kahsnitz, director of the German Association of Art History in Berlin and author of several publications on medieval book arts, gold work, sculpture, and painting, uses very scholarly language, which may pose a challenge to those unfamiliar with the subject. A map and glossary are included in addition to an extensive bibliography arranged by church and an index arranged by both persons and works, including location. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students through professionals. K. E. Staab Pennsylvania State University

This sumptuous slipcased English edition of a work first published last year bursts with sharply focused full-color plates that capture the range of expressive forms in 22 elaborately carved winged altarpieces dating from 1460 to 1525. These artifacts come from churches in southern Germany and the Alpine regions, as well as the Czech Republic and Krak?w, Poland. Kahsnitz (director, German Assn. of Art History, Berlin) lends an informative introduction and learned texts that delve into the complex sculptural programs of the altarpieces. He is particularly keen on showing how the subject matter and unusual motifs reflect changing notions of piety. He also charts the abandonment of polychromy during the period in favor of a new appreciation by sculptors and patrons of fine carving in natural stone and wood. Separate sections on each altarpiece provide technical data on size, condition, restorations, history, sources, artists, altarpiece architecture, pictorial program and iconography, sculptures, and paintings. A map and glossary are included, an extensive bibliography is arranged by individual church, and the index features both persons and works by location. Combined with Bunz's astonishing closeup photography, this book will likely be the last word on altarpieces of the period and region for decades. Highly recommended for specialized academic libraries and most museum libraries.-Russell T. Clement, Northwestern Univ. Lib., Evanston, IL (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.