A Short History of the Italian Renaissance

Hardback

Main Details

Title A Short History of the Italian Renaissance
Authors and Contributors      By (author) Virginia Cox
SeriesShort Histories
Physical Properties
Format:Hardback
Pages:272
Dimensions(mm): Height 216,Width 138
Category/GenreRenaissance art
History of architecture
Medieval and Renaissance music (c 1000 to c 1600)
ISBN/Barcode 9781350163089
ClassificationsDewey:945.05
Audience
General
Illustrations 32 b/w integrated, 2 maps

Publishing Details

Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Imprint Bloomsbury Academic
Publication Date 1 December 2020
Publication Country United Kingdom

Description

The extraordinary creative energy of Renaissance Italy lies at the root of modern Western culture. In her elegant new introduction, Virginia Cox offers a fresh vision of this iconic moment in European cultural history, when - between the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries - Italy led the world in painting, building, science and literature. Her book explores key artistic, literary and intellectual developments, but also histories of food and fashion, map-making, exploration and anatomy. Alongside towering figures such as Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Petrarch, Machiavelli and Isabella d'Este, Cox reveals a cast of lesser-known protagonists including printers, travel writers, actresses, courtesans, explorers, inventors and even celebrity chefs. At the same time, Italy's rich regional diversity is emphasised; in addition to the great artistic capitals of Florence, Rome and Venice, smaller but cutting-edge centres such as Ferrara, Mantua, Bologna, Urbino and Siena are given their due.As the author demonstrates, women played a far more prominent role in this exhilarating resurgence than was recognized until very recently - both as patrons of art and literature and as creative artists themselves. 'Renaissance woman', she boldly argues, is as important a legacy as 'Renaissance man'.