287 color illustrations
Truth and Beauty: The Pre-Raphaelites and the Old Masters

In 1848, seven British artists formed a secret alliance and declared themselves the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. Including William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais, and Dante Gabriel Rossetti, these young men rebelled against the style of art emulated by many of their nineteenth-century contemporaries, praising instead the works of earlier artists who preceded the Renaissance master Raphael and his followers-the "Raphaelites." Known today for their jewellike palettes, finely detailed renderings, and highly symbolic subjects, the Pre-Raphaelites admired poetry and literature; early Italian and early Netherlandish art; tempera painting techniques; tapestries, stained glass, and other decorative arts; and, eventually, even works from sixteenth-century Venetian artists who could be construed as "Post-Raphaelites."
Published on the occasion of a major exhibition at the Legion of Honor in San Francisco, Truth and Beauty: The Pre-Raphaelites and the Old Masters is the first scholarly volume to focus extensively on the Pre-Raphaelites and their historical sources. Seven main essays and ten focus essays contextualize the compelling affinities and captivating juxtapositions between the earlier and later artists. A catalogue of more than one hundred twenty beautiful plates offers readers the unique opportunity to draw comparisons between the rich imagery of the Pre-Raphaelites and the artists who inspired them.