"A virtuosic analysis of the methods of one of the quattrocento’s painterly superstars--Giovanni Bellini--but the general reader will perhaps gain the most pleasure from Bätschmann’s insights into the fierce rivalries between artists, the chaos and clutter of the era’s studios and workshops, and the hard-fought battles to secure patronage. . . . The great virtue of Bätschmann’s book is that it combines this intimate portrayal of the artistic milieu with a scholarly examination of Bellini’s career. . . . Oskar Bätschmann is to be applauded for producing a scholarly yet passionate book."

Jonathan Wright | The Tablet

"Imaginative, rich in insights and exceptionally stimulating. . . . Admirable monograph which should invigorate Bellini studies. . . . An elegant volume which makes the products of many university presses look like desktop efforts."

Art Newspaper

“This splendid monograph is a thoughtful and carefully reasoned presentation of Bellini’s career as an artist, with ancillary discussions of contemporary Venetian painting. Bätschmann has amassed an extraordinary amount of information—historical, stylistic, bibliographical—in a generally chronological presentation of Bellini’s career that covers not only the artist’s life and production, but also reconstructions of some of his lost works and references to others that were critical in establishing the artist’s reputation . . . This book will interest not only students of Bellini, but also those who wish to understand the motivating factors in the history of Venetian Renaissance painting. Recommended.”

Choice