The sixteenth and seventeenth centuries in France were an epoch of spectacular artistic activity, exemplified by the chateaux of the Loire valley, the palace of Versailles, the paintings of Poussin and Claude, and the sculpture of Coysevox, which echo the political and cultural importance of France and the "Sun King." Anthony Blunt presents major artists and their principal works chronologically, provides an overview of the main projects of the period and of the artistic personalities behind them, and clearly sets the historical context.

This new edition, of one of the classics of the Pelican History of Art series, has been revised and updated with color illustrations and a new bibliography.