Identifies two major groups of pseudoinscriptions: distinguished inscriptions which do not convey text but appear to be real things; and proper pseudoinscriptions which may have clearly delineated individual letters that taken together make no sense. Identifies Venice and the Netherlands as centers of Arabic and Hebrew pseudoinscriptions in the…

Describes Jan Gossaert's painting of "St. Luke Painting the Virgin" and shows how it encompasses the intellectual pattern of early sixteenth-century thought. Discusses the arguments for and against the making of religious images and how artists overcame the potential threat to their livelihood from church authorities. Analyzes Gossaert's…