Renaissance Architecture: Patrons, Critics and Luxury

In this illustrated history of the architecture of Renaissance Europe, David Thomson demonstrates how Renaissance architecture attracted much contemporary criticism for its excessive display of personal wealth and status. The cultural phenomenon of the Renaissance transformed artistic activity in Europe, which, combined with increased social mobility and the availability of financial credit, produced enthusiastic patrons of the arts and architecture. Builders of magnificent palaces and villas, from merchants to cardinals, wanted both the admiration of their peer group and a permanent monument to their importance and aesthetic taste. Thomson uses a range of published and unpublished sources, and covers Italy, France, Britain, Spain, Germany and The Netherlands to explore the ethics, aesthetics and vanities of ambitious building.