Gothic art originated around 1140 in the Ile-de-France. Initially confined to the cathedrals and the most important abbeys of this region, it was soon to be regarded as a model for the rest of France and finally for Europe as a whole. The new style was not solely confined to the sacral domain, but rather increasingly invaded the secular and private spheres. Gothic is the first art-historical epoch from which art works of all genres have survived. Prominent among these remarkable works are the numer-ous richly-varied cathedrals, the abbeys and town churches with their sequences of sculptures, colorful windows, wall paintings, gold work and book illuminations. Alongside these, the diverse town sites, the castles and palaces with their elaborate and artistic furnishings, continue to amaze the modern viewer. The present volume describes the development of Gothic in all its diversity. Beginning with the initial flourishing of Gothic architecture in France, the book traces its early...