Italian Renaissance Courts: Art, Pleasure and Power

by Alison Cole

Overview

In this fascinating study, Alison Cole explores the distinctive uses of art at the five great secular courts of Naples, Urbino, Ferrara, Mantua, and Milan. The princes who ruled these city-states, vying with each other and with the great European courts, relied on artistic patronage to promote their legitimacy and authority. Major artists and architects, from Mantegna and Pisanello to Bramante and Leonardo da Vinci, were commissioned to design, paint, and sculpt, but also to oversee the court's building projects and entertainments.

The courtly styles that emerged from this intricate landscape are examined in detail, as are the complex motivations of ruling lords, consorts, nobles, and their artists. Drawing on the most recent scholarship, Cole presents a vivid picture of the art of this extraordinary period.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781780677408
Publisher:	Laurence King Publishing
Publication date:	02/02/2016
Series:	Renaissance Art Series
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	1,149,135
Product dimensions:	6.70(w) x 9.70(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Alison Cole is a Renaissance art historian, journalist and senior strategic adviser in the arts and cultural field. She has worked on the executive boards of some of the UKs leading arts organizations and has also authored several books. She lives and works in London.