Discover the back story behind Italian Renaissance art in a two-part gallery course focusing on artistic patronage. In the rich collection of the Courtauld Gallery we will study some of the most sumptuous works of the Renaissance and uncover what they tell us about those who paid for them.

In the highly competitive world of the Italian Renaissance commissioning art was a method of personal promotion for the patron. The right artist, subject matter, and materials could make important statements about wealth and power. Patronage enabled those who commissioned artworks to establish his or her position within the social elite or brought prestige to an institution.

This course explores how the financial, political, and spiritual ambitions of Renaissance patrons shaped the visual landscape of 15th and 16th-century Italy. Rather than treating artworks merely as products of isolated artistic genius, in this course we will consider them as collaborations dictated by contracts, civic rivalries, and religious and social obligations.

Utilising the collections of The Courtauld Gallery, by analysing physical masterpieces in close detail we will unlock the hidden agendas of the religious orders, wealthy merchants, elite humanists, and powerful dynastic courts who paid for them. We will look at works by Botticelli and by Fra Angelico amongst others, and include objects made for the home as well as those intended for public display.

This is a two-session course that takes place at The Courtauld Gallery and you will need to pay admission fees for both sessions. Please book your ticket in advance to guarantee entry. These fees are not included in the course fees.