The Ghent altarpiece in detail

Anyone seeing the altarpiece of the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb in Ghent's Cathedral of St Bavo for the first time, cannot help but be profoundly impressed by the splendour of what is incontestably one of the world's greatest masterpieces. But the informed viewer wants more than simply to be gripped by its profusion of colour and formal perfection. He or she will also be keen to learn more about the history of this work and to gain a better understanding of its contents. This is what this book offers, through a razor-sharp analysis of details from the Van Eyck brothers' masterpiece which often cannot be observed with the naked eye. Details are accompanied by accessible commentary by Maximiliaan P.J. Martens and organised in six themes - the Divine, humankind, nature, architecture, daily life and tactility.