Court Culture

LA HS CT 360
Credit hours 3
Contact hours 45

Note: This special course is available only to students attending Florence University of the Arts through the Fairfield University program.

The European princely courts were one of the major sources for artistic commissions. Art historians have, therefore, long been interested in the history of patronage, i.e., the history of the relationship between artists and their patrons, either princes of the church or princes of the blood. More recently, scholars have started to concentrate on female patrons and their specific preferences in the sponsorship of the arts.

The aristocratic strata of society followed cosmopolitan patterns of fashion and behavior. Princes were kept informed by their spies and diplomatic staff of the current fashions and etiquette of fellow artistocrats, enabling them io imitate these or even to develop them further. The aim was, of course, to be seen as the most wealthy, well-educated, and discerning man or woman of good taste, who was able to attract the foremost artists and able to finance the most ambitious projects. What is commonly labeled as the "International Gothic Style" perhaps best embodied by the works of Gentile da Fabriano, is a visual expression of this cosmopolitan and privileged part of society and its ambitions.

Court culture is, however, much more than patronage of the figurative arts. A court needed to be run on a day-to-day basis. A large number of staff had to be supervised, fed, lodged, and kept under control. Bureaucracy had to be invented and developed to enable the senior staff to keep track of petitions, diplomatic relationships, alliances and treaties, marriage negotiations, and the movement of household goods from one hand to another.

Hence, this seminar will look at the different aspects of European princely courts and examine the connections between political, artistic, social, and cultural history. The course concentrates on the Renaissance period, ca. 1400 to 1600, and on the courts of Western and Central Europe.

The course includes guided visits to churches, palaces, museums, and galleries.

Additional fees: text and lab fees

Prerequisite: Open to art history, history, and Renaissance study majors/minor. Students must have taken introductory art history.