Provides background information on major works of Renaissance art, the artists who produced them, and the times in which they were created. Text and photographs interweave biography and social history to provide an understanding of the historical setting of the Renaissance artists.

Europe during the 15th and 16th centuries was a period of unsurpassed splendor in the history of art. this extraordinary era saw the revival of interest in classical culture and philosophical attitudes, as well as new technical advances in oil painting, architecture and sculpture. It was the age of great artistic geniuses such as Masaccio, Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael, Van Eyck, Durer and Titian. This book takes the reader on a fascinating journey...

"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,...

A history of Renaissance art, placing the time in its historical and political context and arguing that the Renaissance grew out of the achievements of the medieval period.

Traces the creation of new styles and roles for art through the lives and work of various masters including Donatello, Brunelleschi, Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Titian and Caravaggio.