Engaging Symbols: Gender, Politics, and Public Art in Fifteenth-Century Florence [Hardcover]

Professor Adrian W. B. Randolph (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2002

During the 15th century, Florence emerged as one of Europe's most important city-states. This text investigates the fascinating intersection of art, politics and gender in the public sphere of Florence at this time. Adrian Randolph identifies a pivotal moment in the history of public art when Florentines visually encoded political and social relations within gendered categories. Randolph shows how "engaging" political symbols were grounded in a revolutionary way in amorous discourses that drew on metaphors of affection, desire, courtship, betrothal, marriage, homo- and hetero-eroticism, and procreation. The author emphasizes the sculpture of Donatello and the Medici family's efforts to seek legitimacy through artistic patronage. To characterize the political function of art, however, the text also encompasses a broad array of media - including paintings by Botticelli, portrait medals, and especially engravings - and tracks a number of important political developments. During the course of the 15th century, as tensions grew between Florence's explicit republicanism and a waxing politics of personal charisma, art was employed to alleviate the uneasiness, Randolph argues. First an oligarchical government and then three generations of Medici rulers, recognizing the importance of political appearances, carefully crafted images of themselves, their city, and the consensual relation they imagined existing between the two. Randolph aims to cast new light on these artistic practices to arrive at a convincing view of the connections among politics, gender and art in quattrocento Florence.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

In his study of art and politics in 15th-century Florence, Randolph (history, Dartmouth Coll.) focuses on the complexities of Renaissance symbolism, mainly through an exploration of the sculpture of Donatello (c.1383-1466). He shows how symbolism, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. For example, when Donatello's bronze "David" and "Judith and Holofernes" were in the courtyard of the Medici family's private villa, they were part of a statement of the mores and power of the Medici. However, when the Medici were exiled in 1494 and the statues were moved to a public square, they symbolized the republic's freedom from Medici rule. The statues themselves were full of ambiguities, and the author provides insight into the homoerotic aspects of "David" and gender implications of "Judith." Throughout, he discusses the nuances of each object in a variety of social contexts. This heavily referenced scholarly work is the size of an average textbook, but the illustrations, 22 in color and 82 in black and white, would have benefited from a larger format. This impeccable study is dense and solid and is best suited to academics and art historians, as well as artists and Renaissance specialists.
Ellen Bates, New York
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Randolph contributes to the field of Florentine art history with nuance and flair, standing out for his engagement with gender studies, literary and cultural theory, and methodology." Cristelle Baskins, Tufts University

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press (June 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300092121
• ISBN-13: 978-0300092127
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 7.6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,427,417 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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