For survey courses in Italian Renaissance art.

A broad survey of art and architecture in Italy between c. 1250 and 1600, this book approaches the works from the point of view of the artist as individual creator and as an expression of the city within which the artist was working.

When Frederick Hartt’s History of Italian Renaissance Art was first published more than forty years ago, it was a remarkable achievement. A large volume with dozens of color plates, it presented the story of Italian Renaissance art as it was appreciated and understood by one of the great scholars and teachers of the period. Professor Hartt revised and expanded the book twice before his death in 1991. In 1993, David G. Wilkins was invited to continue this process; the fourth edition was published in 1994. The fifth edition (2003) had color illustrations throughout the text and included new works chosen to enrich the story Professor Hartt had laid out more than thirty years earlier.

Wilkins has maintained the integrity of the story that Hartt first told so enthusiastically. The basic organization of his text has been retained, and the great majority of the works illustrated are those he originally chose. Throughout the years, new works have been added due to the advice of thoughtful reviewers, students, and colleagues.