Propaganda on cloth: Artist unknown: The Bayeux Tapestry, after 1066 p. 8
"A garden inclosed is my spouse" Upper Rhenish Master: The Little Garden of Paradise, c. 1410 p. 14
A deceptive idyll: The Limburg Brothers: February miniature from the "Tres Riches Heures du Duc de Berry", c. 1416 p. 20
A saint with a practical turn of mind: Fra Angelico: St Nicholas of Bari, 1437 p. 26
May God help the Chancellor: Jan Eyck: The Virgin of Chancellor Nicolas Rolin, c. 1437 p. 32
What is Christ doing beside Lake Geneva?: Konrad Witz: The Miraculous Draught of Fishes, 1444 p. 38
A Christian artisan advertises his craft: Petrus Christus: St. Eligius, 1449 p. 44
A family sings its own praises: Benozzo Gozzoli: Procession of the Magi, 1459 p. 50
The splendours of a small dynasty: Andrea Mantegna: Ludovico Gonzaga and His Family, c. 1470 p. 56
An empire collapses; the painter retreats: Hugo van der Goes: The Portinari Altar, c. 1475 p. 62
Hocus-pocus, Inquisition and demons: Hieronymus Bosch: The Conjuror, after 1475 p. 68
The patrons watch over the city: Master of the Transfiguration of the Virgin: The Virgin and Child with St. Anne, c. 1480 p. 74
Shock treatment for the intractable: Sandro Botticelli: The Story of Nastagio degli Onesti, 1482/83 p. 80
A cart trundles towards damnation: Hieronymus Bosch: The Haywain, between 1485 and 1490 p. 86
Fairest daughter of heaven and waves: Sandro Botticelli: The Birth of Venus, c. 1486 p. 92
The merchants of Venice: Vittore Carpaccio: Miracle of the Relic of the Cross, 1494/95 p. 98
A message from the world of alchemy: Piero di Cosimo: The Death of Procris, c. 1500 p. 104
Strange quartet: Hans Baldung Grien: The Three Stages of Life, with Death, c. 1510 p. 110
Composure in the face of misfortune: Raphael: The Fire in the Borgo, 1514-1517 p. 116
The femme fatale charms the devout viewer: Niklaus Manuel: The Execution of John the Baptist, c. 1517 p. 122
The battle to end all battles: Albrecht Altdorfer: The Battle of Issues, 1529 p. 128
Careers in the king's service: Hans Holbein the Younger: The Ambassadors, 1533 p. 134
From the canopy of Heaven to a four-poster bed: Titian: Venus of Urbino, c. 1538 p. 140
The utopia of common huntsmanship: Lucas Cranach the Younger: The Stag Hunt, 1544 p. 146
The Lord sits at the table of lords: Paolo Caliari (Veronese): The Marriage at Cana, 1562/63 p. 152
The Antwerp building boom: Pieter Bruegel the Elder: The Tower of Babel, 1563 p. 158
Apostle wanted: Tintoretto: The Abduction of the Body of St Mark, 1562-1566 p. 164
For Tiber, read Seine: Antoine Caron: The Massacre by the Triumvirate, 1566 p. 170
The barn is full - time for a wedding!: Pieter Bruegel the Elder: Peasant Wedding Feast, c. 1567 p. 176
Faith in the magic festivals: Antoine Caron: Caesar Augustus and the Tiburtine Sybil, c. 1580 p. 182
Aspirations to immortality: Jacopo Tintoretto: The Origin of the Milky Way, c. 1580 p. 188
Two saints bury the munificent donor: El Greco: The Burial of Count Orgaz, 1586 p. 194
A woman thwarts Spain's pride: George Gower: Armada Portrait of Elizabeth I, c. 1590 p. 200
The princess in the hospital: Adam Elsheimer: St Elizabeth Tending the Sick, c. 1597 p. 206
Tyrannicide by tender hand: Caravaggio: Judith and Holofernes, c. 1599 p. 212
The theatre of cruelty: Caravaggio: Martyrdom of St Matthew, 1599/1600 p. 218
Double-dealing hands and eyes: Georges de La Tour: The Fortune Teller, after 1630 p. 224
Grateful for the gift of sensuous pleasure: Peter Paul Rubens: The Love Garden, c. 1632-1634 p. 230
The victor honours a defeated enemy: Diego Velazquez: The Surrender of Breda, 1635 p. 236
The writing on the wall: Rembrandt: Belshazzar's Feast, c. 1635 p. 242
Tho' our wealthy days be done, here's to a life of luxury: Jacob Jordaens: The King Drinks, 1640-1645 p. 248
A nude for the king: Diego Velazquez: Venus at her Mirror, c. 1646 p. 254
The Governor's catalogue: David Teniers the Younger: Archduke Leopold Wilhelm's Galleries at Brussels, c. 1650 p. 260
An Old Testament family portrait: Rembrandt: Jacob Blessing the Sons of Joseph, 1656 p. 266
A Careerist bathes in the Sun King's radiance: Charles Le Brun: The Chancellor Seguier, after 1660 p. 272
Life: a drawing-room comedy: Antoine Watteau: Love at the French Theatre, 1716-1721 p. 278
Cultivated leisure, music and champagne: Antoine Watteau: The Music-Party, c. 1718 p. 284
The fine art of extravagance: Giambattista Tiepolo: The Banquet of Cleopatra, 1746-1750 p. 290
The proper combination of activity and leisure: Thomas Gainsborough: Mr and Mrs Andrews, 1749 p. 296
Every convent had its salon: Francesco Guardi: The Parlour of San Zaccaria, 1750 p. 302
Tennis with Apollo: Giambattista Tiepolo: The Death of Hyacinthus, 1752/53 p. 308
Politics as a dirty business: William Hogarth: An Election Entertainment, 1754/55 p. 314
What's in a square: Bernardo Bellotto: The Freyung, Vienna, from the Southeast, 1759/60 p. 320
A star-machine explains the universe: Joseph Wright of Derby: A Philosopher giving a Lecture on the Orrery, 1764-1766 p. 326
The marriage of Venice with the sea: Francesco Guardi: The Departure of the Doge on Ascension Day, c. 1770 p. 332
A German icon: Johann Heinrich Wilhelm Tischbein: Goethe in the Roman Campagna, 1786/87 p. 338
The holy revolutionary: Jacques-Louis David: The Death of Marat, 1793 p. 344
The black widow, beautiful and deadly: Francisco de Goya: The Duchess of Alba, 1797 p. 350
Grand entrance in the cathedral: Jacques-Louis David: The Coronation of Napoleon, 1807 p. 356
A martyr's death at dawn: Francisco de Goya: The Third of May 1808, in Madrid, the Execution on Principe Pio Hill, 1814 p. 362
A view to infinity: Caspar David Friedrich: Chalk Cliffs on Rugen, c. 1818 p. 368
Dramatic struggle for survival: Theodore Gericault: The Raft of the Medusa, 1819 p. 374
A Romantic's Asiatic tour de force: Eugene Delacroix: The Death of Sardanapalus, c. 1827 p. 380
Across the river and into the past: Ludwig Richter: The Schreckenstein Crossing, 1837 p. 386
The German painting best-loved by Germans: Carl Spitzweg: The Poor Poet, 1839 p. 392
The greatest amateur musician of the nation: Adolph Menzel: The Flute Concert of Frederick the Great at Sanssouci, 1850-1852 p. 398
A studio opens its doors to the world: Gustave Courbet: The Studio, 1855 p. 404
A fragrance of women and the Orient: Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres: The Turkish Bath, 1863 p. 410
The wrong uniform exposes the true culprit: Edouard Manet: The Execution of Maximilian, 1868 p. 416
A look behind the scenes: Edgar Degas: The Rehearsal on the Stage, 1873 p. 422
Keeping in the time with machines: Adolph Menzel: Steel Mill, 1875 p. 428
Laughing struggle for freedom: Ilya Repin: Zaporogian Cossacks Composing a Letter to the Turkish Sutan, 1880-1891 p. 434
Venue for gentry, bourgeoisie and boheme: Pierre Auguste Renoir: The Luncheon of the Boating Party, 1881 p. 440
Declaration of love for the capital of the world: Edouard Manet: A Bar at the Folies Bergere, 1881 p. 446
In the paradise of the petite bourgeoisie, all are strangers: Georges Seurat: Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, 1884-1886 p. 452
An inflammatory protest against dictatorship: Vassily Surikov: The Boyarina Morozova, 1887 p. 458
Jesus Christ, the lonely contemporary: James Ensor: Christ's Entry into Brussels, 1888 p. 464
Not long until it bursts apart: Otto Dix: Metropolis (Triptych), 1928 p. 470
The Vitebsk Man of Sorrows: Marc Chagall: White Crucifixion, 1938 p. 476
400 years at a glance: Diego Rivera: Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in Alamedea Park, 1948 p. 482
Appendix p. 488