Italian Renaissance Courts: Art, Pleasure and Power (Renaissance Art)

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In contrast, Northern and Central Italy had become far more prosperous, and it has been calculated that the region was among the richest in Europe. The Crusades had built trade links to the Levant, and the Fourth Crusade had done much to destroy the Byzantine Empire as a commercial rival to the Venetians and Genoese. [7] The main trade routes from the east passed through the Byzantine Empire or the Arab lands and onward to the ports of Genoa, Pisa, and Venice. Luxury goods bought in the Levant, such as spices, dyes, and silks were imported to Italy and then resold throughout Europe. Moreover, the inland city-states profited from the rich agricultural land of the Po valley. From France, Germany, and the Low Countries, through the medium of the Champagne fairs, land and river trade routes brought goods such as wool, wheat, and precious metals into the region. The extensive trade that stretched from Egypt to the Baltic generated substantial surpluses that allowed significant investment in mining and agriculture. By the 14th century, the city of Venice had become an emporium for lands as far as Cyprus; it boasted a naval fleet of over 5000 ships thanks to its arsenal, a vast complex of shipyards that was the first European facility to mass-produce commercial and military vessels. Genoa as well had become a maritime power. Thus, while northern Italy was not richer in resources than many other parts of Europe, the level of development, stimulated by trade, allowed it to prosper. [8] In particular, Florence became one of the wealthiest of the cities of Northern Italy, mainly due to its woolen textile production, developed under the supervision of its dominant trade guild, the Arte della Lana. Wool was imported from Northern Europe (and in the 16th century from Spain) [9] and together with dyes from the east were used to make high quality textiles. In the 20th century styles of ballet continued to develop and strongly influence broader concert dance, for example, in the United States choreographer George Balanchine developed what is now known as neoclassical ballet, subsequent developments have included contemporary ballet and post-structural ballet, for example seen in the work of William Forsythe in Germany. The latter half of the 20th century brought a new style known as neoclassical ballet. A young Russian dancer who trained at the Imperial Ballet School in St. Petersburg, George Balanchine became one of the most important figures in modern ballet. The young, classically trained dancer fled Soviet Russia in 1924 and joined the Ballets Russes in Paris as their choreographer. In Paris in 1928, his work Apollo debuted, and is considered today to be the first neoclassical ballet. Its pared-down aesthetic and choreography driven by the music (rather than the story) was innovative. Sebregondi, Giulia Ceriani (2015). "On Architectural Practice and Arithmetic Abilities in Renaissance Italy". Architectural Histories. 3. doi: 10.5334/AH.CN. S2CID 146606446. Main article: Italian Wars Pandolfo Malatesta (1417–1468), lord of Rimini, by Piero della Francesca. Malatesta was a capable condottiere, following the tradition of his family. He was hired by the Venetians to fight against the Turks (unsuccessfully) in 1465, and was the patron of Leone Battista Alberti, whose Tempio Malatestiano at Rimini is one of the first entirely classical buildings of the Renaissance.

See also: History of Italian Renaissance domes Bramante's Tempietto in San Pietro in Montorio, Rome, 1502 C. Closet-Crane, Dwarfs as seventeenth-century cynics at the court of Philip IV of Spain: a study of Velazquez portraits of palace dwarfs. Atena 25, 155 (2005) Main article: Renaissance humanism Petrarch, from the Cycle of Famous Men and Women. ca. 1450. Detached fresco. 247cm ×153cm (97.24in ×60.24in). Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence, Italy. Artist: Andrea di Bartolo di Bargilla (ca. 1423–1457). The first part of the Renaissance saw almost constant warfare on land and sea as the city-states vied for preeminence. On land, these wars were primarily fought by armies of mercenaries known as condottieri, bands of soldiers drawn from around Europe, but especially Germany and Switzerland, led largely by Italian captains. The mercenaries were not willing to risk their lives unduly, and war became one largely of sieges and manoeuvring, occasioning few pitched battles. It was also in the interest of mercenaries on both sides to prolong any conflict, to continue their employment. Mercenaries were also a constant threat to their employers; if not paid, they often turned on their patron. If it became obvious that a state was entirely dependent on mercenaries, the temptation was great for the mercenaries to take over the running of it themselves—this occurred on a number of occasions. [25] Neutrality was maintained with France, which found itself surrounded by enemies when Spain disputed Charles VIII's claim to the Kingdom of Naples. Peace with France ended when Charles VIII invaded Italy to take Naples. [26] Har, Michael H. History of Libraries in the Western World, Scarecrow Press Incorporate, 1999, ISBN 0-8108-3724-2Not surprisingly, the court had a strong martial influence. It hosted jousts, falconry, and hunting. The first Medici power brokers were Giovanni de Bicci de’ Medici and Cosimo I. But the most famous Medici was Lorenzo the Magnificent, who was a key player in the Italian Renaissance.

Ballerina Marie Taglioni in “Zephire et Flore,” c. 1831. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons [Public domain])The 19th century saw the emergence of a style of ballet which would become familiar to modern audiences. The French Revolution caused a shift in tastes—ballet separated from its courtly roots. Skirts shortened and soft dance slippers were introduced, allowing for greater motion. Dancing en pointe was developed by professional female dancers during the first few decades of the century. Among these early pioneers were the Italian dancers Amalia Brugnoli and Marie Taglioni, as well as the French ballerina Fanny Bias of the Paris Opera Ballet company. During the 19th century, the ballerina became the star of the once male-dominated discipline. The courts were also crucibles of artistic innovation. Leonardo da Vinci sketched his masterpieces, Machiavelli penned his political treatises, and the melodies of madrigals filled the air. By the late 16th century Italy was the musical centre of Europe. Almost all of the innovations which were to define the transition to the Baroque period originated in northern Italy in the last few decades of the century. In Venice, the polychoral productions of the Venetian School, and associated instrumental music, moved north into Germany; in Florence, the Florentine Camerata developed monody, the important precursor to opera, which itself first appeared around 1600; and the avant-garde, manneristic style of the Ferrara school, which migrated to Naples and elsewhere through the music of Carlo Gesualdo, was to be the final statement of the polyphonic vocal music of the Renaissance.Alexander Raunch "Painting of the High Renaissance and Mannerism in Rome and Central Italy" in The Italian Renaissance: Architecture, Sculpture, Painting, Drawing, Konemann, Cologne, 1995. Pg. 308; Wundrum Pg. 147 Several popes were leaders in Renaissance patronage. But none was as influential as Pope Julius II.

The Romantic movement in art, literature, and theatre was a reaction against formal constraints and the mechanics of industrialization.[22] The zeitgeist led choreographers to compose romantic ballets that appeared light, airy and free that would act as a contrast to the spread of reductionist science through many aspects of daily life that had, in the words of Edgar Allan Poe, "driven the hamadryad from the woods". These "unreal" ballets portrayed women as fragile unearthly beings, ethereal creatures who could be lifted effortlessly and almost seemed to float in the air. Ballerinas began to wear costumes with pastel, flowing skirts that bared the shins. The stories revolved around uncanny, folkloric spirits. An example of one such romantic ballet is La Sylphide, one of the oldest romantic ballets still performed today. Aside from Christianity, classical antiquity, and scholarship, a fourth influence on Renaissance literature was politics. The political philosopher Niccolò Machiavelli's most famous works are Discourses on Livy, Florentine Histories and finally The Prince, which has become so well known in modern societies that the word Machiavellian has come to refer to the cunning and ruthless actions advocated by the book. [48] Along with many other Renaissance works, The Prince remains a relevant and influential work of literature today. The duchy of Milan was ruled by the Sforza family. They wielded power from Sforza Castle, a stout defensive fortress.At sea, Italian city-states sent many fleets out to do battle. The main contenders were Pisa, Genoa, and Venice, but after a long conflict, the Genoese succeeded in reducing Pisa. Venice proved to be a more powerful adversary, and with the decline of Genoese power during the 15th century Venice became pre-eminent on the seas. In response to threats from the landward side, from the early 15th century Venice developed an increased interest in controlling the terrafirma as the Venetian Renaissance opened. Once you step inside, you are in a miraculously beautiful Renaissance courtyard. The palace once held countless ancient sculptures, musical instruments, and illuminated manuscripts.