The Renaissance Complete was re-published in 2009 by Thames & Hudson, having been originally published in 1996 with the title The Panorama of the Renaissance.
Margaret Aston, the editor, provides a comprehensive overview of the Renaissance from 1400 to 1640, and examines the spread of Renaissance ideas throughout Europe. The book explores key themes of the Renaissance such as the place of Christianity, and developments in science, medicine, printing and book binding. The book explores all aspects of the Renaissance including literature, painting, drawing, sculpture, architecture, manuscripts, and books such as the Gutenberg Bible.
The Renaissance Complete – Layout of the Publication
Margaret Aston's introduction, The Renaissance in the Perspective of History, outlines the many threads that run through the book, showing how they both interlink, and interact, with each other.
Aston explains the origins of the word 'Renaissance', describing it as, “a shorthand for the emancipation of Italian painting and sculpture from the stylized conventions of earlier Gothic and Byzantine forms” (The Renaissance Complete, p. 9). She tells readers how the Renaissance movement grew from a new awareness of the study of humanity and shows how humanist ideas spread throughout Europe.
A Renaissance Panorama
A Renaissance Panorama, organised by theme, forms the main part of the publication. It consists of picture pages illustrated with more than 1,000 images and divided into eight chapters, each of which is colour coded: colour blocks, located at the foot of every page, provide pointers to related information. These are visible on the outside of the book, even when closed.
Chapter titles give a general overview of the contents of The Renaissance Complete.
- Rediscovering Antiquity
- Rulers of the World
- God and Man
- The Image of the World
- Living and Dying
- Science, Invention and Discovery
- The Power of Art
- Rebuilding Antiquity
Illustrated Biographical Dictionary
The publication is supported by an illustrated Biographical Dictionary featuring the major figures who appear in the book.
Timelines of the Renaissance and the Spread of Humanism
Timelines, covering the period 1400 to 1640, chart the entire period, decade by decade. The information is organised in five themes: history, ideas, literature, art and architecture. An additional table shows the spread of humanist ideas across Europe over a 250-year period.
A Glossary of the Renaissance
A comprehensive Glossary, essential for a book of this nature, makes the publication accessible to all, providing clear explanations of specialized terms.
Guide to Museums with Renaissance Collections
A guide to galleries and museums with collections of Renaissance art is also included. The Gazetteer of Museums and Galleries with Collections of Renaissance Art is a rich source of information about the location of particular works of art. For example: the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, is home to Pieter Bruegel the Elder's The Tower of Babel.
Bibliography and Index
As one would expect, in a book of such quality, a comprehensive bibliography lists source books according to topic. Last, but not least, the Index is one of the best ways to get to grips with the contents of this book.
The Renaissance Complete – About the Author
Margaret Aston is widely acclaimed as a leading authority on 15th- and 16th-century European history. Aston has published widely on this subject, including Faith and Fire: Popular and Unpopular Religion, 1350-1600 (Hambledon Continuum (1984), and The Fifteenth Century – the Prospect of Europe, (W.W Norton & Co.1979).
This encyclopaedic 367-page paperback publication (ISBN: 978-0-500-28459-9, £16.95) is written in challenging language and some knowledge of art-historical terms will be helpful. Readers will find the Glossary invaluable.
The Renaissance Complete has been produced on extremely good quality paper and features excellent photography with more than 1000 colour and black and white illustrations. Further information is available from Thames & Hudson.
Frances Spiegel - Frances Spiegel, B.A. Hons. (Open)., Dip.Eur.Hum., read Art History/European Modern History at the Open University.
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