Description
Book SynopsisBetween the fifteenth and the eighteenth century, princely courts dominated the Italian political scene. These courts were effervescent centers of cultural production. As such, they became a model for European monarchies who imported Italian courtly forma del vivere (‘style of life’) to legitimize their power and to define social status. This phenomenon included architecture and painting, theater and music, manners and aesthetics, and all the objects, behaviors and beliefs that contributed to homogenize European culture in the age of the Old Regime. It involved a hemorrhage of art and a continuous circulation of people, texts and symbols. The foundational material for this process was classicism and its purpose was political. This delineates a new geography and chronology of a truly European cultural history. It also provides the key traits for the European cultural identity.
Table of ContentsAcknowledgements
Preface
I: Republics and Princes
1.The Historiographical Journey
2.Historical Development
3.A World of Courts
3.a. What is a court?
3.b. Courts everywhere
II: Italian Courts and European Culture
4. Europe of the Courts
4.a. The terms of the question
4.b. From the Middle Ages to the
finis Italiae 4.c. Invasion and counter-invasion
4.d. Italian courts and
renovatio imperii 4.e. A queen and two kings
4.f. The ‘Second Renaissance’
5.g. ... and beyond
5. People
5.a. Princesses and princes
5.b. People going
5.c. People coming
6. Things
6.a. The arts market
6.b. Books
6.c. Language
III: Models
7. Spaces
8. Images
9. The performing arts
10.The
forma del vivere 10.a. Dance
10.b. Clothes
10.c. The gentleman
IV. Common denominators
Index
