The Enigma of Piero - 2nd Edition by Carlo Ginzburg (Paperback)

About the Book

The vivid portrait of Piero della Francesca in a new edition.

Book Synopsis

Sifting the available evidence, Carlo Ginzburg builds up a vivid portrait of Piero della Francesca's patrons and convincingly explains the contemporary intrigues resonant in his painting. This new edition, extensively illustrated, includes additional material by Ginzburg dealing with the work of Roberto Longhi, the dating of the Arezzo Cycle, and the rediscovery of della Francesca in the twentieth century.

Review Quotes

"The persuasiveness of his brilliant chain of argument is such that, in the end, the conclusions seem as firm as if based on first-hand documents."--The Times

"An excellent translation of a brilliant and stimulating thesis, well-produced and richly illustrated."--Hugh Trevor-Roper, The Listener

"A cerebral detective story that uncovers the still pertinent bond between power and art."--The Village Voice

"Includes much valuable research on the involvement of Piero's patrons in the great political, religious and cultural events of the time."--London Review of Books

About the Author

Carlo Ginzburg was born in Turin and now teaches at UCLA. He is the author of The Cheese and the Worms: The Cosmos of the Sixteenth-Century Miller, Ecstasies: Deciphering the Witches' Sabbath and The Night Battles: Witchcraft and Agrarian Cults in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries.

Martin Ryle is Senior Lecturer in Continuing Education at the University of Sussex. His previous books include The Politics of Nuclear Disarmament, Ecology and Socialism, and Journeys in Ireland.

Kate Soper teaches philosophy and cultural theory at the University of North London. Her previous works include On Human Needs, What is Nature? Culture, Politics and the Non-Human and, with Verso, Troubled Pleasures.