"Amazingly informative and readable... An important addition to art history literature." - The Sanford Herald, United States

Is the bride pregnant? What are clogs doing on a marriage picture? Why is just one candle burning in the chandelier? And what does the mirror in the background reveal? Rose-Marie and Rainer Hagen provide answers to these and other questions about 100 world-famous works of art. Guiding our eye to revealing details, they also shed fascinating light on fashions and lifestyles, loves and intrigues, politics and people, and transform our encounter with art into exciting adventure.
Vol. 1: From Antiquity to the Renaissance
Vol. 2: From Rembrandt to Rivera

The author:
Rose-Marie Hagen was born in Switzerland and studied history, Romance languages and literature in Lausanne. After further studies in Paris and Florence, she lectured at the American University in Washington D.C. Rainer Hagen was born in Hamburg and graduated in literature and theatre studies in Munich. He later worked for radio and TV, most recently as chief editor of a German public broadcasting service. Together they have produced 15 episodes of the TV series History In Pictures, and collaborated on several TASCHEN titles, including What Great Paintings Say I & II, and Francisco de Goya.