This collection of essays represents the outcome of an international conference which took place at the National Museum of Denmark and the castles of Kronborg and Frederiksborg in September/October 2006 as part of the Danish Renaissance Festival 2006. The agenda of the conference was to revaluate and represent art and architecture in the Danish realms during the 16th and early 17th century, given the fact that this material has often been left behind in general surveys of the Renaissance. Moreover, it was essential to integrate the cases presented into recent discourses, aimed at resetting the theoretical or methodological frameworks of the field. Accordingly, the contributions represent different approaches, ranging from more universal issues to close readings of individual problems or monuments, with emphasis on examples produced for elite circles in the former monarchy of Denmark-Norway. The book also discusses the art, the agencies, and the activities related to areas, individuals, or parallel initiatives beyond the narrow national frames. From an overall perspective, several articles focus on a more European and global vision of the period's artistic physiognomy, questioning as well the notion of a specific 'Danish Renaissance,' anchored in the art historical tradition of the 19th century.
