The art of the Renaissance

"The Renaissance began in Italy, but it was not a purely Italian phenomenon. It grew out of European civilizatioin, with roots in antiquity, in Christian dogma,, and in Byzantium. The authors follow this growth to the Florence of 1420 and the artistic ferment seething there, to the fascinating regional schools of Siena, Umbria, Mantua and Rome -- the magnet for every creative ambition through the influence of the great patron-Popes. Architecture, sculpture, painting, book ilustration, and all the arts of design underwent the same transformation." [Back cover].