Netherlandish Sculpture

This title showcases the extensive collection of Netherlandish late Medieval sculpture at the Victoria and Albert Museum. The subjects range from statues of the Virgin and Child to narrative reliefs. Materials vary from alabaster and stone to woods such as oak, walnut and boxwood. All key sculptures are illustrated in colour and comparative photographs are included. Netherlandish Late Medieval sculpture has by comparison with contemporary painting remained little known. The V&A's collection contains notable examples from most of the major Netherlandish centres, including Antwerp, Brussels, Malines (Mechelen) and Utrecht, and the principal categories of sculptural production - the free-standing figure, the altarpiece and the small-scale devotional aid - are all represented. In this lavishly illustrated book more than 50 pieces have been selected to demonstrate the different uses to which sculpture was put in the seminal period from 1450 to 1550. Introductory essays place the sculptures in their historical, artistic and technical context, and new light is cast on the important collecting activities of the English from the early 19th century onwards.