FIFTEENTH century Florence was the centre of new ideas and fresh approaches in all scholarly pursuits and especially, as we know it to have been, for painting and all fine art works.

This book is not about the history or subject matter of painting, but informs us instead of the business side; how artist, rose to fame, how work was commissioned, priced and painted, and of the influence of these economic factors on the working methods of artists and their assistants.

Analysing the artists Alessandro Botticelli, Domenico Ghirlandaio, Filippino Lippi and Pietro Perugino the author unearths differing business approaches and working methods and the comparisons are fascinating.

This book enables us to see the rivalry, the influences and the working practices of artists who, in other books, appear as only names.

Although a scholarly work, this book will appeal to lovers of all art and history. I could feel Florence humming with life as I read this.