Flemish Primitives

The Flemish Primitives: The Masterpieces by Dirk de Vos, 194 pages

This book reproduces and examines twenty paintings by the great "Flemish" painters of the 15th century, including works by Robert Campin, Jan van Eyck, Rogier van der Weyden, Petrus Christus, Dieric Bouts, Hugo van der Goes, Hans Memling, and Gerard David.  The commentary by Dirk de Vos is excellent, though brief, touching on both the technical developments and the cultural background that contributed to these masterpieces.

The illustrations in the book are plentiful and beautiful, but some of the introductory reproductions of the full paintings are unfortunately small - a minor flaw with other subjects but a serious problem with artists known for intricate detail.  Ultimately, however, this is more than compensated for by the radiant beauty of the works themselves.