Patronage in Renaissance Italy: From 1400 to the Early Sixteenth Century.

Mary Hollingsworth. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1994. xi + 372 pp. $19.95 (pap.). ISBN: 0-8018-5287-0.

Writing general histories of patronage is fraught with difficulties. Patrons of the arts come in all shapes and sizes, and few overriding guidelines or patterns seem to govern clients' motives for funding artistic projects. As a result, generalizations and thematic overviews inevitably call forth exceptions that render broad statements either inappropriate or inaccurate. Mary Hollingsworth, in Patronage in Renaissance Italy, heroically takes on this very problem in her coherent study of artistic patronage during the fifteenth century. Discussing motives behind corporate and individual patronage in Florence, Venice, Rome, Mantua, Ferrara, Urbino, Naples, and Milan, Hollingsworth offers brief explanations of the geo-political and socio-economic concerns in each region and then examines specific projects undertaken by special patrons. In so doing, she paints in broad strokes a clear picture of the motivating factors behind many of the most important artistic commissions of the Italian Renaissance.

In part because of her training as an architectural historian, Hollingsworth is at her best when discussing the motives for funding the construction of buildings. Most of the major palaces and churches designed during the period are addressed in ways that enhance our understanding of each structure's commission. Underlying her discussion is the thesis that patrons had at least as much to do with the creation of innovative architectural designs as did their builders.

Indeed, this claim of Hollingsworth will raise an eyebrow or two, as she suggests that Lorenzo de' Medici, Giovanni Rucellai, and Pius II had more to do with the designs of their palaces than did Giuliano da Sangallo, Leonbattista Alberti, and Bernardo Rossellino. Hollingsworth astutely alerts us to the lack of documentation connecting these latter figures to the buildings under discussion, which in turn causes her to question attributions to the above-mentioned figures. However, a paucity of archival references does not necessarily indicate the artist's absence. Instead, it may merely demonstrate the fact that Quattrocento builders were not yet considered "architects" in the modern sense of the word, and that princes with money got more ink than did the people who worked for them. Although she never actually offers proof that patrons participated in artistic designs, Hollingsworth's suggestion is welcome in that it offers an interesting alternative to standard perceptions revolving around the artist/client relationship. She may not be right, but she may not be wrong, either.

Happily, Patronage in Renaissance Italy is a very readable book. Aside from a disappointing lack of a concluding chapter, its general outline cannot be faulted. Hollingsworth writes clearly, avoids jargon, and embraces current research, a winning combination for any good textbook. Perhaps the book's only distressing drawback is a glaring lack of photographs, a problem that hampers the presentation of her argument at crucial junctures. All too often, the writer speaks authoritatively about buildings and images that are not illustrated, leaving no opportunity to consider her positions independently. Sections on Milan and Mantua, for example, are decidedly under-illustrated, while chapters on Ferrara and Naples have no accompanying images whatsoever, forcing readers to take the author at her word. An expanded selection of photographs would greatly strengthen an already impressive study.

Hollingsworth offers a nice complement to canonical textbooks of Renaissance art history. Although the views presented here will not always conform to those found in other studies, they will undoubtedly help flesh out the period for students and specialists alike. It is usually a good idea to offer readers fresh interpretations of familiar forms, and Hollingsworth's solid work will present much good food for thought.

GEORGE R. BENT Washington and Lee University