Princes of the Renaissance by Mary Hollingsworth
Thanks to Jen Rivera of Pegasus Books, I am giving away one print copy of ‘Princes of the Renaissance: Hidden Power Behind an Artistic Revolution’ by Mary Hollingsworth.
Description Princes of the Renaissance by Mary Hollingsworth
A vivid history of the lives and times of the aristocratic elite whose patronage created the art and architecture of the Italian Renaissance.
The fifteenth and sixteenth centuries was an era of dramatic political, religious, and cultural change in the Italian peninsula, witnessing major innovations in the visual arts, literature, music, and science.
Princes of the Renaissance charts these developments in a sequence of eleven chapters, each of which is devoted to two or three princely characters with a cast of minor ones—from Federigo da Montefeltro, Duke of Urbino, to Cosimo I de’ Medici, Duke of Florence, and from Isabella d’Este of Mantua to Lucrezia Borgia. Many of these princes were related by blood or marriage, creating a web of alliances that held Renaissance society together—but whose tensions could spark feuds that threatened to tear it apart.
A vivid depiction of the lives and times of the aristocratic elite whose patronage created the art and architecture of the Renaissance, Princes of the Renaissance is a narrative that is as rigorous and definitively researched as it is accessible and entertaining. Perhaps most importantly, Mary Hollingsworth sets the aesthetic achievements of these aristocratic patrons in the context of the volatile, ever-shifting politics of an age of change and innovation.
Praise Princes of the Renaissance by Mary Hollingsworth
“Historian Hollingsworth offers a lively and well-organized group portrait of nobles who patronized the artists of the Italian Renaissance. Members of the Sforza, de Medici, d’Este, and Borgia dynasties make frequent appearances as Hollingsworth details the alliances they built and broke in order to maintain power.” – Publisher Weekly
“Hollingsworth astutely shows how, in an era before royalties, museums, and mass-market printing, artists either worked for the rich or starved. Fortunately, it was considered proper for an aristocrat to take an interest in cultural matters.” – Kirkus Reviews
About Mary Hollingsworth
© Mary Hollingsworth 2013
Her subsequent work on the papers of Cardinal Ippolito d’Este, preserved in huge quantities in the Italian state archives at Modena, broadened her horizons and expertise well beyond the confines of art history and into the everyday world of Renaissance Europe – not only the art and the fripperies and baubles we associate with pomp and prestige, but also the soap, the candles, the shoelaces, the cooking pots and the drains, the stuff of everyday life.
She has published widely on all these topics in academic journals and was one of the senior academics on the Material Renaissance Project, a collaborative venture funded by the Arts & Humanities Research Board and the Getty Grant Program, which investigated costs and consumption in Italy 1300-1650.
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Giveaway Princes of the Renaissance by Mary Hollingsworth
This giveaway is open to the U.S. only and ends on March 19, 2021 midnight pacific time. Entries are accepted via Rafflecopter only.
“What is it about this book that interests you?” What a gorgeous cover! And I’ve watched all the shows about the Medicis, so I know how fascinating they are!
This looks like a real gem! The Renaissance is a period in history that I’d love to know more about. Thanks!
Sounds like an interesting read since, I have already read about some of the personages. Have added it to my TBR list, since this is US only.
Fascinating and wonderful.
Great topic & cover.