Florence in Full Flower : THE ART OF FLORENCE <i> by Glenn Andres, John M. Hunisak and A. Richard Turner; principal photography by Takashi Okamura (Abbeville Press: $385; 2 vols., 1,311 pp.) </i>

The Art of Florence” is an extraordinarily handsome book, full of superb color plates taken especially for this publication, printed on fine, heavy paper, well bound and boxed. However, this is emphatically not a book intended to be seen only. “The Art of Florence” has a major text of impeccable and up-to-the-minute scholarship and, happily enough, it is written with great clarity and a minimum use of technical terminology. The text is not only full of information, but a joy to read. Its analyses of the various works of art are full of insights and comparisons that make it clear why Florence was in the forefront of the Renaissance. For anyone who loves Florence, Renaissance art and architecture, or fine book making, this work is worth every penny of its somewhat formidable price.

The way the book is set up is particularly interesting and valuable. It is divided into sections historically, usually about a generation in length, opening in each case with a lucid account of the history of Florence for that period, stressing the political, social and economic events that play a major role in the patronage of art in that period. This is followed in each case by separate accounts of the architecture, sculpture and painting done in that period. It is a system that allows one to follow very clearly not only the way in which the arts are related to the history but also the ways in which they influence each other in a given period. In the cases of long-lived artists, their works may appear in two sections, a division that helps us to understand their development and stylistic changes. Since Florence was fairly small by our standards, with a population of under 100,000 through most of the period covered, the interplay between the arts and the constant awareness of exactly what was being done were particularly intense.

This is a fresh approach. So many books deal with only one of the arts or only one artist that it is easy to lose sight of this rich and exciting interplay and particularly to lose sight of how all of it is constantly influenced by the events of the time.

For anyone interested in cultural and intellectual history this book is a must. It gives an extraordinary immediacy to the particular climate in Florence that made it the artistic leader for all of Europe. Though three authors are involved, writing on their individual specialties, the tone of the book is remarkably uniform, arguing that they worked closely together and share similar points of view.

The book restricts itself to dealing only with artists who are Florentine, or in a few cases who lived for some years in Florence, and only to those works by them that are now in Florence, so the concentration is always on the city and what can be seen there. There are, of course, references to other works, but they are minimal. For example, Michelangelo as a painter is discussed in terms of the Doni Madonna, the only painting by him in Florence. His work in the Sistine Chapel is mentioned, but only just. What is surprising and fascinating is how fully most of the artists can be discussed within those restrictions.

The period covered extends from the 13th Century to the beginning of the 17th, the period in which Florence is at its peak artistically and politically. The last monument it discusses is, fittingly enough, the massive, oppressively and richly gloomy Burial Chapel of the Medici Grand Dukes, begun at the beginning of the 17th Century and only completed in the 19th. Florence did not, of course, die with the Medici; but its days of unique creativity did, at least in the arts covered in this work. Within that long period, all of the major artists and architects are discussed in full detail with one rather odd exception: Piero di Cosimo is never mentioned at all, though there are enough works by that strange and rather enigmatic painter still in Florence to make it possible to have included him. Still, if that is the only oversight, the flaw is a small one in a book that covers so much so brilliantly.

There is a particular nicety in the production of the book that deserves special mention. The stunning color plates are gathered in groups scattered through the two volumes; but small black-and-white pictures of the works being analyzed appear in the margins of the text where they are discussed. The reader can follow very precisely what is being said and can then turn to the color plate for a fuller view, a system that is a boon and a delight to the reader.

Works such as the painted interior of the dome of the cathedral of Florence were specially lit to be photographed for this work, which allows one to see what is there in a way you will never manage on the spot.

I think it is only fair to add that the two volumes are among the heaviest I can think of. This is not a book to be read happily in bed, or even trying to hold on your lap. It has to be put on a desk or a very sturdy table in order to be read. A small robot to carry it around, say a cousin of R2D2, would have been a useful and happy addition to the package deal.