An introduction to Italian painting in the 15th century, and the social history behind it. The book covers the structure of the picture trade and its economic basis through contracts, letters and accounts. The author also illustrates how art history can be used to give insights into social history, by showing how the visual skills and activities of daily life can be related to the painters' style. Renaissance painting is related for instance to experience of activities such as preaching, dancing and gauging barrels. Finally, 16 concepts used by a contemporary critic, Cristoforo Landino, in his description of Masaccio, Filippo Lippi, Andrea del Castagno and Fra Angelico are described and illustrated, as a basis for looking at 15th century painting. In addition, this new edition has an appendix of the original Latin and Italian texts referred to throughout the book, providing access to the relevant, authentic sources.

For nineteenth-century Swiss historian Jacob Burckhardt, the Italian Renaissance was nothing less than the beginning of the modern world - a world in which flourishing individualism and the competition for fame radically transformed science, the arts, and politics. In this landmark work he depicts the Italian city-states of Florence, Venice and Rome as providing the seeds of a new form of society, and traces the rise of the creative individual, from Dante to Michelangelo. A fascinating description of an era of cultural transition, this nineteenth-century masterpiece was to become the most influential interpretation of the Italian Renaissance, and anticipated ideas such as Nietzsche's concept of the 'Ubermensch' in its portrayal of an age of genius.

“五四”运动前夜蒋百里和粱启超等结伴欧游， 以巴黎为大本营，以一年之期踏遍比利时、荷兰、瑞士、意大利、德国等主要欧洲国家，归国后粱氏撰成名著《欧游心影录》，蒋百里则撰成此本《欧洲文艺复兴史》。欧游之后的粱启超看到的是“科学破产”、“一彻底放弃”、“科学万能”的迷梦。主张中国人当在中国文化上“站稳脚跟”，欧游之后的蒋百里看到的却是“万卉齐开，佳谷生矣”的盛景，认定中国必得走上“人之发见一与、世界之发见”，的那条“文艺复兴”之路，因为此路“实为人类精神界之春雷”，实为吾民族梦寐以求之“曙光”……

《文艺复兴:西方艺术的伟大时代》主要内容为：作为艺术赞助人的早期梅迪奇家族、水与空气中运动的形式、寻找解开莱奥纳尔多奥秘的钥匙等。在这卷由我的中国挚友汇编的文集中，各篇论文皆以在西方文明的发展中起过关键性作用的文化艺术运动即著名的“文艺复兴”为题。那场运动主要发源于意大利佛罗伦萨城，时为公元十四至十五世纪，亦即所谓的“中世纪”末期。当时，欧洲的大部分地区处于封建制度之下，政权掌握在帝王手中；他们分封土地，作为对贵族成员服役的奖赏。然而，意大利诸城在很大程度上抵制了这些统治者的干预，力求独立。这样，帝王的拥护者吉伯林派跟其对手教皇派的斗争便构成了佛罗伦萨早期历史的主要内容。不过，他们最终达成了和解，以使富商可以跨越阿尔卑斯山南北，横渡重洋，经营贸易。