Gombrich on the Renaissance, Volume 3: The Heritage of Apelles

London: Phaidon Press Limited, 1993. viii, 250 pages, [3] leaves of plates, illustrations (some colour); 25 cm. Originally issued as vol. 3 of his Studies in the art of the Renaissance. Firm binding, clean inside copy. Light edgewear to wraps, age toning. "The third volume of E H Gombrich's seminal essays on the Renaissance has the classical tradition as its central theme. Apelles, the most famous painter of ancient Greece, was said to have combined perfect beauty with supreme skill in imitating the appearances of nature. These twin ideals of perfect beauty and perfect imitation of nature, which were inherited from classical antiquity and remained unchallenged as the cornerstone of art until the twentieth century, form the starting-point for these learned and always stimulating essays. Whether discussing the rendering of light and lustre, the working methods of Leonardo da Vinci or the principles of criticism, the author's analyses and interpretations are underpinned by a deep conviction that, despite the apparent abandonment of the Renaissance ideals in the twentieth century, questions about traditions, values and standards are still of fundamental importance. This wider concern gives these essays a continuing vitality, not only for students but also for anyone interested in art and culture." - Publisher. CONTENTS: Lights and highlights. The heritage of Apelles; Light, form and texture in fifteenth-century painting north and south of the alps. Leonardo da Vinci's method of analysis and permutation; The form of movement in water and air; The grotesque heads. Jerome Bosch's 'Garden of earthly delights'; The earliest description of the triptych; 'As was due in the days of Noe'. Classical rules and rational standards; From the revival of letters to the reform of the arts: Niccolo Niccoli and Filippo Brunelleschi; The leaven of criticism of renaissance art: texts and episodes; The pride of Apelles: Vives, Du rer and Bruegel.. Paperback. Very Good. 8vo.