Historical Dictionary of Renaissance Art

By (author) Lilian H. Zirpolo

Hardback - £140.00

Publication date:

19 August 2016

Length of book:

632 pages

Publisher

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

ISBN-13: 9781442264663

The art of the Renaissance is usually the most familiar to non-specialists, and for good reason. This was the era that produced some of the icons of civilization, including Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa and Last Supper and Michelangelo’s Sistine Ceiling, Pietà, and David. Marked as one of the greatest moments in history, the outburst of creativity of the era resulted in the most influential artistic revolution ever to have taken place. The period produced a substantial number of notable masters, among them Donatello, Filippo Brunelleschi, Masaccio, Sandro Botticelli, Raphael, Titian, and Tintoretto.

This second edition of Historical Dictionary of Renaissance Art contains a chronology, an introduction, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 700 cross-referenced entries on artists from Italy, Flanders, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, and Portugal, historical figures and events that impacted the production of Renaissance art. This book is an excellent access point for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about the Renaissance art.
An update to the author's first edition, published by Scarecrow (2008), this historical dictionary endeavors—in this age of the internet—to provide an authoritative entry into one of the most popular periods in art history. Independent scholar Zirpolo, an art historian who specializes in the early modern period, provides a condensed overview of the period and its key figures and supplements the text with a chronology of important historical events and a bibliography organized by theme and region. Entries are brief and cross-referenced, with minimal black-and-white illustrations. The author adds content and updates the entries and bibliographies to reflect recent scholarship. The dictionary proper was expanded to include additional minor artists and many from areas outside Italy (notably Portugal) not included in the earlier edition. Zirpolo broadly defines the Renaissance period as spanning roughly 1250 to 1648, which allows her to account for regional differences and cover a significant amount of material from the Italian Baroque period, which may confuse some readers. The work's 60-page classified bibliography is rich with sources. . . .[L]ibraries supporting programs in art history will want to acquire this update and discard the older one. Summing Up: Recommended. All academic audiences; general readers.