
Review
"Lynn Jacobs has provided cultural, economic, and perpetual lenses that will draw many of us to peer again with eager eyes at these objects, often overlooked, that were designed to appeal to so many." Alfred Acres, The Medieval Review
"Jacobs's book presents a wealth of new interpretive material,rehabilitates a neglected cultural product, and raises many important questions concerning production and marketing of carved altarpieces in the Netherlands.... There is little doubt that this excellent study will remain a standard for some time to come." Studies in Iconoraphy
"...recommended for all academic libraries supporting art history and/or medieval studies programs." Thomas J. Jacoby, Art Documentation
"This book must now be understood as a basic primer for the study of the manufacture, sale, and function of fifteenth- and sixteenth-century carved wooden altarpieces in the territories dominated by the cities of Brussels and Antwerp, whose products were also available in a number of smaller art markets like those of Bruges and Tournai....it provides an important ground from which further particularized studies of fifteenth- and sixteenth-century Netherlandish sculpture can now be expected to grow." Carol Purtle, Catholic Historical Review
"...provides an important ground from which further particularized studies of fifteenth- and sixteenth-century Netherlandish sculpture can now be expected to grow." Carol Purtle, The Catholic Historical Review
"Lynn Jacobs offersa significant contribution to the understanding of fifteenth- and - sixteenth-century weatern European culture with this study of south Netherlandish carved altarpieces. Her conclusions rest on careful visual analysis, thorough research, and interdisciplinary approach that thoughtfully places the retables in their economic, social, historical, and religious contexts." Speculum-a Jrnl of Medieval Studies Oct 2001
Book Description
The carved wooden altarpieces produced in the South Netherlands from the late-fourteenth through the mid-sixteenth centuries are among the most lavish and splendid examples of late medieval art. Though currently one of the least known and appreciated types of Netherlandish art, such altarpieces were the most common form of decoration on the high altars of churches in the Lowlands during the late Gothic period. These detailed narratives and masterful combinations of painting, sculpture, and architectural decoration powerfully express religious tastes and aesthetics of the late medieval period.