ThE ReNaIsSaNcE A. How Do We Know about the Renaissance?


1. Artistic works The paintings and sculptures of the Renaissance are on show in galleries and museums around the world. For example, the Mona Lisa is on show in the Louvre in Paris. Buildings from this period also still exist, e.g. St Peter’s Basilica in Rome. It is still possible to see the sculptures of the time, e.g. Michelangelo’s David is in Florence. We can view how the style of the Renaissance is different to that of the Middle Ages by comparing paintings and other forms of art from these two periods.


The writings of many authors from the Renaissance still exist. The plays and poems of Shakespeare and the writing of Machiavelli give us insights into how artists viewed the world at that time.


2. Written sources Many artists’ notebooks and letters are in libraries and museums. In these notebooks artists drew sketches and made notes about their work. Letters from writers like the Italian poet Petrarch, artists like Michelangelo and patrons (someone who gives financial or other support to an artist) like Isabella d’Este still exist. Scientists and physicians (people who practise medicine) wrote books about what they studied and discovered. Some of these books were printed using the newly invented printing press.


An Italian artist named Giorgio Vasari (1511–1574) wrote a book called Lives of the Artists (sometimes known as Lives of the Most Eminent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects). In this book he wrote biographies of many of the most famous artists of the Renaissance. This is a particularly good contemporary (in the same period of time) source, although historians have disputed some of the facts he includes!


✣ By the way


There was a lot of trade in Italy during the Renaissance. Business records and accounts from merchants have survived and they include details about ordinary people: how they worked and lived, and what they ate and drank.


The people of each city-state believed their city was the richest and the most beautiful. Wealthy patrons were willing to spend vast sums of money to hire the best artists, sculptors and architects to create works of art for their city.


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