• Provides a broad cultural-historical context for some of the Renaissance's most famous artists and works of art
• Considers Renaissance art produced in both Northern and Southern Europe, rather than focusing on just one region
• Explores "forgotten" aspects of Renaissance art, such as objects made for the home, and women who served as artists and patrons
• Introduces readers to a variety of approaches to the study of Renaissance art, from social history to formal analysis

  
Botticelli, Holbein, Leonardo, Dürer, Michelangelo: the names are familiar, as are the works, such as the Last Supper fresco, or the monumental marble statue of David. But who were these artists, why did they produce such memorable images, and how would their original beholders have viewed these objects? Was the Renaissance only about great masters and masterpieces, or were "mistresses" also involved, such as women artists and patrons? And what about the 'minor'-pieces that Renaissance men and women would have encountered in homes, churches and civic spaces? This exciting and stimulating volume will answer such questions by considering both famous and lesser-known artists, patrons and works of art within the cultural and historical context of Renaissance Europe.