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Florence: The Paintings & Frescoes, 1250-1743
A magnificent, never-before-published collection of every painting and fresco on display in the Uffizi, the Galleria Palatina of the Pitti Palace, the Accademia, and the Duomo, and more -- nearly 2,000 works of art -- all presented in a beautiful slipcased package.
The city of Florence is home to dozens of museums and palaces that contain many of the world’s most renowned works of art. Florence: The Paintings & Frescoes is a rich and magnificent collection of thousands of paintings and frescoes that are visited by millions of travelers every year including the art of Giotto, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Ghirlandaio, Correggio, Botticelli, Caravaggio, Titian, Rembrandt, van Dyck, El Greco, and hundreds more.
Explore the history of art in Florence through seven essays by Ross King, bestselling author of Brunelleschi's Dome and Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling, which connect how the paintings, politics, and every-day lives of Florentines influenced one another . Art historian Anja Grebe, author of The Louvre and The Vatican , also highlights 250 of the most iconic and significant paintings and frescoes in the historic city with details on the attributes of the works, biographical details of the artists, and more.
This spectacular collection of nearly 2,000 paintings and frescoes also includes two removable posters of Florence -- one from the Renaissance and one from the present day.
The city of Florence is home to dozens of museums and palaces that contain many of the world’s most renowned works of art. Florence: The Paintings & Frescoes is a rich and magnificent collection of thousands of paintings and frescoes that are visited by millions of travelers every year including the art of Giotto, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Ghirlandaio, Correggio, Botticelli, Caravaggio, Titian, Rembrandt, van Dyck, El Greco, and hundreds more.
Explore the history of art in Florence through seven essays by Ross King, bestselling author of Brunelleschi's Dome and Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling, which connect how the paintings, politics, and every-day lives of Florentines influenced one another . Art historian Anja Grebe, author of The Louvre and The Vatican , also highlights 250 of the most iconic and significant paintings and frescoes in the historic city with details on the attributes of the works, biographical details of the artists, and more.
This spectacular collection of nearly 2,000 paintings and frescoes also includes two removable posters of Florence -- one from the Renaissance and one from the present day.
696 pages, Hardcover
First published October 20, 2015
12 people are currently reading
679 people want to read
About the author
Ross King
64 books726 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Ross King (born July 16, 1962) is a Canadian novelist and non-fiction writer. He began his career by writing two works of historical fiction in the 1990s, later turning to non-fiction, and has since written several critically acclaimed and best-selling historical works.
King was born in Estevan, Saskatchewan, Canada and was raised in the nearby village of North Portal. He received his undergraduate university education at the University of Regina, where in 1984 he completed a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree in English Literature. Continuing his studies at the University of Regina, he received a Master of Arts degree in 1986 upon completing a thesis on the poet T.S. Eliot. Later he achieved a Ph.D. from York University in Toronto (1992), where he specialized eighteenth-century English literature.
King moved to England to take up a position as a post-doctoral research fellow at University College, London. It was at this time that he began writing his first novel.
For Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling, King was nominated in 2003 for a National Book Critics Circle Award. Brunelleschi’s Dome was on the bestseller lists of the New York Times, the Boston Globe and the San Francisco Chronicle, and was the recipient of several awards including the 2000 Book Sense Nonfiction Book of the Year.
He lectures frequently in both Europe and North America, and has given guided tours of the cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence and of the Sistine Chapel in Rome.
King currently lives in Woodstock, England with his wife Melanie
Ross King (born July 16, 1962) is a Canadian novelist and non-fiction writer. He began his career by writing two works of historical fiction in the 1990s, later turning to non-fiction, and has since written several critically acclaimed and best-selling historical works.
King was born in Estevan, Saskatchewan, Canada and was raised in the nearby village of North Portal. He received his undergraduate university education at the University of Regina, where in 1984 he completed a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree in English Literature. Continuing his studies at the University of Regina, he received a Master of Arts degree in 1986 upon completing a thesis on the poet T.S. Eliot. Later he achieved a Ph.D. from York University in Toronto (1992), where he specialized eighteenth-century English literature.
King moved to England to take up a position as a post-doctoral research fellow at University College, London. It was at this time that he began writing his first novel.
For Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling, King was nominated in 2003 for a National Book Critics Circle Award. Brunelleschi’s Dome was on the bestseller lists of the New York Times, the Boston Globe and the San Francisco Chronicle, and was the recipient of several awards including the 2000 Book Sense Nonfiction Book of the Year.
He lectures frequently in both Europe and North America, and has given guided tours of the cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence and of the Sistine Chapel in Rome.
King currently lives in Woodstock, England with his wife Melanie
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
September 4, 2020
Event though this is a major chapter in the European art history, I don't find much comfort in religious themed painting, especially in the one developed up until the beginning of and during the Renaissance, and roughly half of this book is full with it. However, the initiative of this book is great, bringing the paintings and frescoes of Florence. The most important works have a page of their own and are featured in about the same size as the page itself, but the majority of the other works are featured in small format, sometimes more than ten per page, and that makes them really hard to behold. This approach is only natural, you can't bring together all the paintings and frescoes that Florence has to offer in large format and also keep the book in a practical format as well. The editing is good, there are two/three page chapters dedicated to the most important buildings in Florence, their history presented in a short summary, but could have been better. If you have ten paintings featured on a page, they're not indexed, you have to count in order to find out which texts belongs to which painting.
The initiative, as said, is great and is worthy of a 5 out of 5 rating, but all things considered makes this a 4 out of 5.
PS: I also find this to be quite unacceptable: at some point the author, when presenting Cleopatra, said that she had love affairs with the Roman Emperors Julius Caesar and Mark Anthony, considering that the Roman Empire was just around the corner, but not quite there.
The initiative, as said, is great and is worthy of a 5 out of 5 rating, but all things considered makes this a 4 out of 5.
PS: I also find this to be quite unacceptable: at some point the author, when presenting Cleopatra, said that she had love affairs with the Roman Emperors Julius Caesar and Mark Anthony, considering that the Roman Empire was just around the corner, but not quite there.
October 5, 2017
Fuck yeah!
This is a great book. It took me a bit, but it’s because I took a break. For a while Florence was a place to set my laptop. BUT, see, I don’t want that to take away from its worth. I think it’s duel laptop pedestal only speaks, again to its greatness. B,e,c,a,u,s,e
I love Ross King. I LOVED his Michelangelo book, I loved the Brunelleschi one, I loved the Manet one (I ripped it into a story. In fact, I’ve structured a literary career melting down the cannon of King Ross) and even his art detective book I enjoyed (1, there’s like seven of them). I was a quarter into his De Vinci read when I thought, “Isn’t there more to life than studying the Renaissance?” Of the life that I’ve seen since then, not really.
Here’s soupcon for’ya:
After the first wave of the early Renaissance painters, figures like Giotto, Duccio, e-to-the-tc., the next generation ironically ditched the acanthua leaves of classicism and replaced them with the oak and ivy of yore. Eh? GOTHIC baby, a return to the old style. “Its appearance marked a triumph for ‘moderns’ in their battle against the ‘ancients’”.
“An ambition to forge a different style than Giotto, one that looked to Byzantine precedents for aesthetic guidance…They may also have wished to convey a greater expressive intensity than could be explored in the more stoical vocabulary of classicizing art, with its emphasis on equilibrium and serenity.”
Or as I would put it:
INTERNATIONAL GOTHIC ARTIST: I don’t get the Renaissance’s love of bones. Bones may hold me up, but they hold me back. I don’t get me started on solar continuity…
Isn’t that fascinating?
Here’s the thing about this coffee table book in disguise. You got really look at each picture. You can’t just flip through it like an asshole. Even the small pictures, you really have to stare down. Always, always you see things you didn’t notice. In fact drawing the pictures is the best way to look at them. Whenever I drew one of these bad boys, I’d see tons of things I would never had seen. Our generation, you know, we, we should be drawing everything. Just so we can see something for once; in this camera-shutter society of ours that cares more about montages then people. That’s why I’m going to be drawing the dictionary.
YES, that’s right folks, you heard it here in Ross King’s Florence review. Gabriel Congdon will draw the dictionary!!!! We’ll soon be turning to crowd-sourced funding to help finance the project, or as Gabe puts it, “realize humanity”. But until then updates will be announced through reviews of other Ross King books. So stay tuned and stay drawn!
Back to the review: And and, that, that’s the bada-boom-bada-bing of the whole visual arts thing: the learning how to look and to ask questions. It’s a great way to get your Greek mythology and Catholic iconography down (your Saints? You’re going to have your Saints down pat!) I would try to figure out what the picture was before looking at its title, and, might I add, got pretty good at it. IN FACT, anybody interested in reading the Recognitions, I’d recommend this book as being the most helpful prereq. Gaddis is all about this shit.
-He asks why don’t I do a Fran Angelico? It’s because Fra Angelico painted on his knees. He mixed his paint with his own tears.
I’ve been paraphrasing that book a lot lately. It’s so good. The Recognitions was so good!
This is a great book. It took me a bit, but it’s because I took a break. For a while Florence was a place to set my laptop. BUT, see, I don’t want that to take away from its worth. I think it’s duel laptop pedestal only speaks, again to its greatness. B,e,c,a,u,s,e
I love Ross King. I LOVED his Michelangelo book, I loved the Brunelleschi one, I loved the Manet one (I ripped it into a story. In fact, I’ve structured a literary career melting down the cannon of King Ross) and even his art detective book I enjoyed (1, there’s like seven of them). I was a quarter into his De Vinci read when I thought, “Isn’t there more to life than studying the Renaissance?” Of the life that I’ve seen since then, not really.
Here’s soupcon for’ya:
After the first wave of the early Renaissance painters, figures like Giotto, Duccio, e-to-the-tc., the next generation ironically ditched the acanthua leaves of classicism and replaced them with the oak and ivy of yore. Eh? GOTHIC baby, a return to the old style. “Its appearance marked a triumph for ‘moderns’ in their battle against the ‘ancients’”.
“An ambition to forge a different style than Giotto, one that looked to Byzantine precedents for aesthetic guidance…They may also have wished to convey a greater expressive intensity than could be explored in the more stoical vocabulary of classicizing art, with its emphasis on equilibrium and serenity.”
Or as I would put it:
INTERNATIONAL GOTHIC ARTIST: I don’t get the Renaissance’s love of bones. Bones may hold me up, but they hold me back. I don’t get me started on solar continuity…
Isn’t that fascinating?
Here’s the thing about this coffee table book in disguise. You got really look at each picture. You can’t just flip through it like an asshole. Even the small pictures, you really have to stare down. Always, always you see things you didn’t notice. In fact drawing the pictures is the best way to look at them. Whenever I drew one of these bad boys, I’d see tons of things I would never had seen. Our generation, you know, we, we should be drawing everything. Just so we can see something for once; in this camera-shutter society of ours that cares more about montages then people. That’s why I’m going to be drawing the dictionary.
YES, that’s right folks, you heard it here in Ross King’s Florence review. Gabriel Congdon will draw the dictionary!!!! We’ll soon be turning to crowd-sourced funding to help finance the project, or as Gabe puts it, “realize humanity”. But until then updates will be announced through reviews of other Ross King books. So stay tuned and stay drawn!
Back to the review: And and, that, that’s the bada-boom-bada-bing of the whole visual arts thing: the learning how to look and to ask questions. It’s a great way to get your Greek mythology and Catholic iconography down (your Saints? You’re going to have your Saints down pat!) I would try to figure out what the picture was before looking at its title, and, might I add, got pretty good at it. IN FACT, anybody interested in reading the Recognitions, I’d recommend this book as being the most helpful prereq. Gaddis is all about this shit.
-He asks why don’t I do a Fran Angelico? It’s because Fra Angelico painted on his knees. He mixed his paint with his own tears.
I’ve been paraphrasing that book a lot lately. It’s so good. The Recognitions was so good!
September 19, 2017
Brilliantly narrated book covering all the major artists that at one time lived in Rome and all their paintings there. The book is chock full of photographs, all in color, and many that fill the entire page or two pages. There are also many thumb nail size prints of the lesser works, but that is to be expected when you are including every single painting and work of art in a city like Florence.
I found King's commentary on the art as well as the artists to be informative and interesting. The book is huge, a couple of pounds heavy at least but a beautiful coffee table book and also great for someone like me who visited Florence was was unable to see everything.
I found King's commentary on the art as well as the artists to be informative and interesting. The book is huge, a couple of pounds heavy at least but a beautiful coffee table book and also great for someone like me who visited Florence was was unable to see everything.
October 1, 2018
I took quite a bit of time with this. It's more of a study than reading, but I'm glad that I can include it here because it is extremely well done and super comprehensive. I love looking at art and reading descriptions about it. I don't know how much I am taking away, because it was so meaty, but I like that you can also just look at the pictures or look up a piece of art or an artist and find where that piece is in Florence. Such a great resource.
July 8, 2019
Incredibly thorough survey of a couple of thousand of paintings from all the museums in Florence. it also has several outstanding essays on particular artists or eras.
So many reproductions means that some are rather small. Conversely several of the major important works have well detailed enlargements.
So many reproductions means that some are rather small. Conversely several of the major important works have well detailed enlargements.
May 20, 2023
This is the crème de crème of art books. Featuring all of the frescoes and paintings in the city of Florence. Almost 2000! Naturally this book weighs at a guess about 6kg. I’m not into religious paintings/frescoes which a lot are in this time period, but the art history written in the book gives context of much that was going on at the time. I actually enjoyed learning the art history of Florence more than all the art. I am still in awe at the talent of so many artists in Florence over a few hundred years.
August 6, 2023
Phenomenal book - its very physical existence feels divine. This is one to have on display (it would make a great coffee table accessory...)
August 21, 2016
Photos upon photos of every painting imaginable.
A big and beautiful collection of paintings.
A big and beautiful collection of paintings.
March 17, 2017
I learn so much from Ross king it's hard to put down
June 3, 2019
Masterpiece!
Read
August 28, 2020Sublime, only minus no sculptures which are essantial to florentine spirit... Maybe a new book hopefully
April 9, 2024
This book is incredible. Amazing photos, great analysis, and descriptions.
October 9, 2025
If one loves Florence, curious about Florence or soon taking a trip to Florence, this is an essential book to peruse. Organized with each museum or cathedral, each church and what important art is there.
Amazing!
Amazing!
August 23, 2021
gorgeous book with wonderful organization
June 18, 2022
Purely magnificent. Now someone pay for me to visit Italy
February 12, 2024
Emphasis more on Christianity.
Found some 40 paintings collection which piqued my interest, curiosity, and made for some good time.
Found some 40 paintings collection which piqued my interest, curiosity, and made for some good time.
May 11, 2024
The book is excellent but the publication is terrible! This giant book comes in a box and should have been two volumes so that it could be more comfortably read.
April 7, 2016
educating
March 27, 2021
Another beautiful reference book written by Ross King. A treasure and wealth of information.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews