Accompanying a major international exhibition, this catalogue features outstanding portraits in a variety of media, and provides a comprehensive study of Italy's great age of portraiture
The 1470s - the decade of Lorenzo de'Medici's rise to power - was a remarkable moment in Florence's history. It was a time of intense activity for the city's creative workforce. Beauty had long been an intrinsic part of the city's identity and prestige, and rich and powerful Florentine families saw cultivation of the visual arts as an essential way to assert their influence, commissioning artists and craftsmen to create impressive paintings, objects and monuments to enhance their status." "Published to accompany a major exhibition at the National Gallery, London, this illustrated volume offers an introduction to the principal patrons, projects and artistic personalities within Florence during this period. It concentrates on the activities of the leading artists - Andrea del Verrocchio, Antonio and Piero del Pollaiuolo, Sandro Botticelli, Filippino Lippi and the young Leonardo da Vinci - illustrating their special contributions and highlighting their differences, common sources, ambitions and responses to each other.