This publication on Flemish painting deals with those elements of the social and intellectual context which played a role in the realisation of any work of art, the concrete steps taken within a workshop in preparing for the production of the work, and the production through to completion of the draft. Part One, Concept, deals with those elements of the social and intellectual context which played a role in the realisation of any work of art. This section therefore examines individual motivations and the intellectual background of artists and their patrons, as also their institutional context and working conditions. Part Two,Design, examines the concrete steps taken within a workshop in preparing for the production of a work of art. These include the use of study materials, such as collections of exempla, as well as the stages of work required to make exploratory sketches, the finished draft and thence its transfer to the definitive medium to be used. Part Three,Execution, focuses on the production through to completion of the draft on its support medium. This may be done by the artist himself, or through one or other method of sharing the work, such as the employing of assistants or specialists. Introduction by Frans Baudouin.