Truly the finest volume [at least in English] on the subject of watercolors/drawings in the German-speaking lands during the period 1760-1850, based on the Winterstein Collection in Munich. Breathtaking reproductions of the extraordinary delicacy and subtlety of this art, the drawings much resembling the fine silverpoints of the Renaissance, many on exquisitely tinted papers --- this refined and spiritual art is finally revealed to be almost the diametric opposite of the high 'romantic' English school. This is surprising because, after all, how can media of such limited range, in the hands of contemporaneous northern European artists, be so different in ethos? The answer: the cultural, religious and philosophical backgrounds of England and German reveal stunningly distinct roots --- though, of course,the aspiration to create art is equally manifest in both civilizations. It is sobering to think that within 60 years of the end of this period, the countries that nurtured this humanistic aesthetic collided in the catastrophe that defined the tragedy of our century. A treasurable gem and kudos to all parties involved, including Harvard and Prestel publishers.