This book offers a unique introduction to European and Near Eastern art and culture from the Renaissance onwards, exploring the exchange of artistic ideas between Europe and the Islamic world. The essays highlight the mutual influence between these two cultures and emphasize their shared classical heritage.

This selection of twenty-one essays by Professor Kurz is a unique introduction to the art and culture of Europe and the Near East from the Renaissance onwards. His examination of the flow of artistic ideas and artefacts from Europe to the Islamic world is an important contribution to the study of the spread of Western European influence in this period; at the same time the reader is made aware of the extent of European borrowings from Islamic civilization, and the importance of a shared classical heritage. Characterized by an extensive acquaintance with both European and Islamic works of art, Professor Kurz's research in this field remains of fundamental importance. This volume also includes a number of important articles on several major figures in Renaissance and Baroque art, and a study of the patronage of the Emperor Rudolf II, previously available only in a Czech translation. The preface by Professor Sir Ernst Gombrich is both an introduction and a memoir. A bibliography of Otto Kurz's publications and an index are included. The volume is illustrated with 191 plates.