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This essential work of reference is an exciting introduction to classic masterpieces created over a score of centuries by the world's most innovative painters, sculptors, and artists. Not merely a catalogue of works and artists, this is a true history presented in chronological order. Written by the most authoritative art historians in the field, the comprehensive text reveals much about the culture that produced the works appearing throughout the book. Gallery Studies is a special feature that compares and contrasts specific works produced within one genre or changes in the genre itself (e.g., "The Sphinx in Ancient Egypt," "Chinese Landscape Painting," "Renaissance Armor," or "The Houses of Frank Lloyd Wright"). Close Studies examines individual works as illustrative of a particular period or style. Fully indexed and packed with more than 1,300 illustrations, 854 in color. Publisher description.