Frames and supports in 15th and 16th-century Southern Netherlandish painting

XIII Acknowledgements For preparing this second edition of the book on frames and supports in the painting of the southern Netherlands of the 15th and 16th centuries, I owe a debt of gratitude to many, and in particular to the Getty Foundation , which provided a grant to Belgium’s Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage ( KIK-IRPA ) as part of the Panel Paintings Initiative to support translation of the text into English and updated and enhanced illustrations. Thank you here to Antoine Wilmering, Cynthia Querio and others. I would also thank George Bisacca who supported this project over a long period. With the cordial welcome of KIK-IRPA ’s director, Christina Ceulemans, the organization took on this project right at the time when a major project concerning the conservation of the Ghent Altarpiece – which also received partial support from the Getty Foundation – mobilized many of its most vital forces. There are two people I want to thank in particular. They took up the challenge over many long months, and the present edition owes much to them. Michael Lomax, a scholarly translator who also practices joinery in his spare time, undertook the difficult task of developing the technical vocabulary in English. His careful translations, returned each time with judicious comments, questions and suggestions, have been a great benefit for this book. Elisabeth Van Eyck, the scientific assistant appointed for the project, carried aloft wonderfully the motto “ ALS ICH CAN ” (As I can) of her illustrious medieval namesake. She efficiently organized the progress and circulation of the texts. She also undertook the digitized layout with the perfectionism that characterizes her. The presentation of this e-book owes much to her. It was a privilege and a great pleasure for me to work with these two collaborators. I would also thank those who helped compile the photographic documentation: Dominique Provost, Bernard Petit, Katrien Van Acker, Freya Maes, Ko Goubert, Annaëlle Simonet, Hervé Pigeolet, Said Amrani, Leonoor De Schepper, Guenevere Souffreau. Among the KIK-IRPA staff: Bart Fransen was a careful and attentive copy editor. My thanks equally to Christina Currie, Dominique Deneffe, Hélène Dubois, Livia Depuydt, Bart Devolder, Catherine Fondaire, Pascale Fraiture, Jean-Albert Glatigny, Valentine Henderiks, Famke Peeters, Griet Steyaert, Cyriel Stroo, and Dominique Vanwijnsberghe. At the Catholic University of Louvain ( UCL ), Roger Van Schoute directed in the 1980s the work on my doctoral thesis, which forms the origin of the 1989 edition. Bernard Coulie and Caroline Mouligneau gave me their support. Thank you also to