It was during the Renaissance period that sculptors' models, together with drawings, were first assembled by avid collectors fascinated by the tangible evidence of the creative process of the artist. 

This fully illustrated collection of essays, by distinguished scholars and experts in the field, focuses on the process of sculptural design in fifteenth- and sixteenth-century Europe. The publication arises from a 2017 conference, and is the third and final Robert H. Smith Renaissance Sculpture volume.