"Geographically, the case studies in this volume deal with southern Netherlandish towns, in particular Antwerp, Brussels, Mechelen, Ghent and Bruges. One essay focuses on the Dutch Republic. Chronologically, the contributions treat the late Middle Ages and Early Modern Period (c. 1450 and c. 1650). From an artistic point of view, this era can be characterized as the long 'Golden Age' of Flemish painting. The epoch witnessed the apogee of the art of the Flemish Primitives and the rise of the successful genre of Antwerp Mannerism. It also witnessed the start of the influence of the Italian Renaissance on Flemish art, the rise of Antwerp over the course of the sixteenth century as the vanguard of new genres which were exported all over the world, and the international triumph of the Flemish Baroque after 1610."--BOOK JACKET.