This is a celebration of the creative energy of the Renaissance in France and its masterworks of 16th- and 17th-century architecture, sculpture, decorative arts, painting and drawing. The architecture and interiors of Chambord, Fontainebleau, Beauregard, Chenonceau and the Palais du Louvre are included, and the illustrations also present extraordinary examples of decorative sculpture, enamels, ivories, metalwork, stained glass and tapestries, and a rich array of paintings, drawings and illuminated manuscripts. Detailed historical commentary accompanies the illustrations.