Author: Jonathan Brown
Old master paintings are among the most valuable and prestigious of the visual arts, and the best examples command the highest prices of any luxury commodity.
In “Kings and Connoisseurs,” Jonathan Brown tells the story of how painting rose to this exalted status.
The transformation of painting from an inexpensive to a costly art form reached a crucial stage in the royal courts of Europe in the 17th century, where rulers and aristocrats assembled huge collections, often in short periods of time.
