Publication of the Alpina Illustrated Encyclopedia on the Floretine sculptors of the fifteenth century.
In fine art, the term "quattrocento" (Italian for 'four hundred') is an abbreviation for "millequattrocento" (Italian for 'fourteen hundred'), meaning the fifteenth century. It therefore embraces cultural and artistic activities in painting, sculpture and architecture in Italy, during the period 1400-1500. Since the quattrocento coincided almost exactly with the Florentine Early Renaissance, the term is often used as a synonym for early Renaissance art in general - with its new found enthusiasm for classical antique forms from ancient Greece and ancient Rome.
The 15th century witnessed a huge range of new developments in both fresco and oils. Building on the achievements of Medieval Byzantine art as well as the courtly 14th century International Gothic style, Italian quattrocento painters switched in general from illuminated manuscripts and other forms of book illustration, to panel paintings and other large-scale works like fresco painting. Likewise decorative art such as stained glass and mosaic art also declined. Although tempera remained an important medium, oil painting - introduced from Northern Europe (by artists like Antonello da Messina) attracted a growing number of adherents.
http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/history-of-art/quattrocento.htm
Illustrations on cover
Imprimé en Italie."
Issued in portfolio"
