"There is no doubt that Rothstein offers nuanced and illuminating new readings of consequential paintings. Sight and Spirituality in Early Netherlandish Painting contributes to a growing literature that demonstrates how much operant theories about vision inflect the visual culture of a given time and place. It is a significant book not least of all because it asks art historians to reconsider the meanings and values we ascribe to reflexivity in both scholarly and artistic traditions." - Sherry C. M. Lindquist, Northwestern University
Introduction: forms of interest in early Netherlandish painting. 1. Picturing vision; 2. The imagination of imagelessness; 3. The devotional image as social ornament; 4. Reflexivity and senses of painterly strength; Epilogue: notes on the rise of visual skill.