Paintings in the Louvre /

The great collection of paintings held by the Louvre Museum in Paris is introduced and surveyed by British art professor Gowing. The generous selection of more than 800 paintings reproduced here in excellent colorplates highlights the holdings of the French national collection from the Middle Ages to the mid-nineteenth century and forms a stupendous record of European painting during these periods. This volume makes accessible the whole range of the museum's painted masterpieces in a manner that presents not only the major objects of the tourist itinerary, but also other works that are just as integral to the history of painting in France and throughout Europe. Gowing gives a brief history of the collection and covers the individual paintings in chronological order, describing the work and life of the major artists in each period and school. The only quibble with this book is the occasionally awkward placement of some of the plate identifications. Glossary; indexed by artist and painting title. JB. 759.94074'04361 Painting-France-Paris-Catalogs / Painting-France-Paris-History / Musee du Louvre [CIP] 87-10221

Gowing, renowned British art historian, has chosen over 800 paintings from the Louvre Museum to illustrate that great collection of European art spanning 500 years from 1350 to 1850. Included are some of the best-known images from the high art canon, along with many that are seldom published. A brief history of the Louvre begins the volume, and Gowing's brief and opinionated remarks on each major painter or school serve as a kind of personal commentary on the history of European painting. Unfortunately, Gowing allows his prejudices to show in the text, as when he speaks of one figure's ``native Italian cupidity'' and another's ``truly Netherlandish grossness.'' The reproductions will be of interest to a wide audience. Kathryn W. Finkelstein, M.L.S., Cincinnati (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.