Great Masters (Library of great masters) by Vasari, Giorgio (1986) Hardcover

This is a giant coffee table book version of the famous biographical classic by Giorgio Vasari on the great master artists of the Renaissance called "The Lives of the Most Eminent Painters, Sculptors and Architects", originally published in 1550. Since the standard Italian edition of Vasari's work runs to 9 volumes, this volume abridges the text and presents the biographes of the greatest luminaries -- Giotto, Botticelii, Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo, and Titian. This text is accompanied by lavish reproductions of the works of these artists that are discussed in Vasari's text. The text is also annotated to clarify historical and literary allusions.