The Berlin Gemäldegalerie houses an internationally outstanding collection of early Netherlandish and French paintings. This scholarly catalogue is dedicated to the works of the pioneer generation, i.e. those artists who began their career in or before the second third of the fifteenth century. In 52 entries, 69 individual paintings are discussed. All the important masters of the period are represented, many of them with major works - such as the Madonna in the Church by Jan van Eyck, the Miraflores Altarpiece by Rogier van der Weyden, the donor panel of Étienne Chevalier by Jean Fouquet, the only known painting by the early Dutch master Albert van Ouwater or the Montforte Altarpiece by Hugo van der Goes. The individual entries are based on art-historical and technological investigations and were written in an interdisciplinary collaboration. This richly illustrated publication presents a wealth of new insights into both the well-known works, and panels that had received less attention in former times.