ITALIAN RENAISSANCE COURTS (HB)

In this authoritative 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. 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.