The fourteen essays in this collection explore the dominance of patronage in Renaissance politics, religion, theatre, and artistic life. Originally published in 1982. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

'A superb, information-packed book' The Art Book 'A vivid, lively account of a complex society in which art was made to express the wealth, status, worldly concerns and religious aspirations of its patrons.' Art Quarterly 'She writes authoritatively, drawing on a vast store of knowledge.' Frances Spalding, The Sunday Times 'A refreshing contrast to the abstraction and intellectual constipation that characterise much of the cultural history written in Italy.' Apollo A comprehensive study of the patrons of fifteenth-century Italian art, this book investigates the role they played in the evolution of the Renaissance and the revival of the styles and themes of the art of ancient Rome. This process was far from uniform: the classical tradition provided flattering models not only for absolute rulers of Italy's many principalities, but also for the republican governments of Florence and Venice, and even for the pope in Rome. Above all, these fifteenth-century patrons were Christian, and much of the art they commissioned gave visual expression to their religious beliefs and duties. This book examines how and why they financed their projects, what factors lay behind their choice of themes and styles, and the extent to which they themselves were involved in the final appearance of these palaces, churches, statues, altarpieces and fresco cycles which form a landmark in the history of European art.

This is the first comprehensive study of patrons in the Italian quattrocento. It will be of great interest to art historians and their students and to lovers of Renaissance art and civilization. At the start of the fifteenth century the patron, not the artist, was seen as the creator and he carefully controlled both subject and medium. In a competitive and voilent age, image and ostentation were essential statements of power. Buildings, bronze or tapestry were much more eloquent statements than the cheaper marble or fresco. The artistic quality that concerns us was less important than perceived cost. The arts in any case were just part of a pattern of conspicuous expenditure which would have included for instance holy relics, manuscripts and jewels - all of which had the added advantage that they were portable and could be used as collateral for bank loans. Since Christian teaching frowned on wealth and power, money had also to be spent on religious endowments made in expiation. But here too the patron was in control, and used the arts and other means to express religious belief, not aesthetic sensibility. Thus artists in the Early Renaissance were employed as craftsmen. Only late in the century did their relations with patrons start to adopt a pattern we might recognize today. This book, which also discusses the important differences between mercantile republics like Florence and Venice, the princely states such as Naples and Milan, and the papal court in Rome, is essential for a full understanding of why the works of this seminal period take the forms they do. --inside cover.

This collection of essays offers a thorough study of the patron-artist relationship through the lens of one of early modern Italy’s most powerful and influential historical families. Contributors present a longitudinal study of the della Rovere family’s ascent into Italian nobility. The della Rovere was a family of popes, cardinals, and powerful dukes who financed some of the world’s best-known and greatest artwork. The essays explore the issue of identity and its maintenance, of carving a permanent spot for a family name in a rapidly changing atmosphere. Although these studies depart from art patronage, they uncover how the popes, cardinals, dukes, and signore of the della Rovere family constituted their identity. Originally a nouveau-riche creation of papal nepotism, the della Rovere first populated the ranks of cardinals under the powerful popes Sixtus IV and Julius II. Within the framework of later papal relations, the family negotiated its position within the economy of Italian nobles.

"Art, Power, and Patronage in Renaissance Italy has a freshness and breadth of approach that sets the art in its context, exploring why it was created and who commissioned the palaces, cathedrals, paintings, and sculptures. For, as the authors claim, Italian Renaissance artists were no more solitary geniuses than are most architects and commercial artists today." "This book covers not only the foremost artistic centers of Rome and Florence. Here too are Venice and the Veneto, Assisi, Siena, Milan, Pavia, Genoa, Padua, Mantua, Verona, Ferrara, Urbino, and Naples - each city revealing unique political and social structures that influenced its artistic styles." "The book includes genealogies of influential families, listings of popes and doges, plans of cities, a time chart, a bibliography, a glossary, and an index."--BOOK JACKET.

Patronage, in its broadest sense, has been established as one of the dominant social processes of pre-industrial Europe and has more recently been examined by historians as a comprehensive system of patron-client structures which permeated society and social relations. Focusing specifically on the city of Florence, these essays explore the new understanding of Renaissance Italy as a 'patronage society.'