Italian Renaissance Courts: Art, Pleasure and Power

Description

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. Contents......Page 6 Reina......Page 1 Preface......Page 8 Introduction: The Fifteenth-Century Renaissance Court......Page 12 1 Art and Princely 'Magnificence'......Page 32 2 The Court Artist......Page 60 3 Piety and Propaganda: Naples under Alfonso of Aragon......Page 82 4 Arms and Letters: Urbino under Federico da Montefeltro......Page 108 5 Varieties of Pleasure: Este Ferrara......Page 136 6 The Art of Diplomacy: Mantua and the Gonzaga......Page 166 7 Local Expertise and Foreign Talent: Milan and Pavia under Ludovico 'Il Moro'......Page 202 Epilogue: A Grander Stage......Page 234 Bibliography......Page 251 Picture Credits......Page 253 Index......Page 254