Masterpieces in Detail

Masterpieces under the microscope

From the Ancient Greeks to the Modernists: paintings' hidden secrets revealed

"Amazingly informative and readable... An important addition to art history literature." - The Sanford Herald, United States

Is the bride pregnant? What are clogs doing on a marriage picture? Why is just one candle burning in the chandelier? And what does the mirror in the background reveal? Rose-Marie and Rainer Hagen provide answers to these and other questions about 100 world-famous works of art. Guiding our eye to revealing details, they also shed fascinating light on fashions and lifestyles, loves and intrigues, politics and people, and transform our encounter with art into exciting adventure.
Vol. 1: From Antiquity to the Renaissance
Vol. 2: From Rembrandt to Rivera