Patronage

1173 Words3 Pages

Michael Cope
AH 1001
Julie Cole
3/14/14
Patronage
Buying, selling, and creating art was very different in times like the renaissance and baroque period then it is today. Today many artists create works of art in hopes that they can sell them and make money off of them. In the past patrons were the main players or agents in contacting artists and paying for works of art to be completed. These patrons could determine how much the artist would get paid, what kind of materials they used, how long the artist had to complete a work of art, and even the subject of the piece. There are two main types of patrons. The first is corporate patrons, these patrons were city governments, religious institutions, or brotherhoods. The second type of patron is a private patron, these included aristocrats, rulers, and merchants. The Medici family, the Church, and the government were some of the most important forms of patronage of art during the middle ages.
The Medici’s were from Florence, Italy and controlled florence through much of the Renaissance period. They were very important patrons to the arts and the political development of the city. The Medicis were second in power during the Renaissance only to the papacy. The Medici family was part of the new merchant class of patrons. This merchant class was a new class of wealthy families, usually in the banking sector, that invested their money into the arts. Instead of governments being the top power and the wealthy class these private families began to take the power and wealth away from upper class land owners. The merchant class gave birth to a whole new type of patronage. Now art could be privatized and commissioned by families or one person instead of the church or government. This m...

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... was. This piece was marketed to show the power they had against other families of the time living in Florence. Often times patrons would commission a piece of art work to market a certain feeling or a certain status.
With out the patrons of art we may never have had such great artists or great artwork. Patrons were a very important factor during the renaissance and the Baroque periods. These patrons commissioned some of the greatest works of art that we will ever see. Art works like the bronze David and the Sistine Chapel are thanks in large part to the Medici family, who commissioned the David, and the Pope, who commissioned the Sistine Chapel. Patrons gave artists the ability to create art without the worry of making money. Due to the influence of families like the Medicis, the Church, and the Government art patronage has forever left its stamp on the art world.

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