About This Book
The book traces the life and influence of a dominant Renaissance courtier who shaped artistic patronage during a royal reign, sponsoring architects, sculptors and artisans and leaving visible marks on palaces and monuments. It situates that patronage within a wider cultural renewal, contrasting Renaissance aesthetics with lingering medieval traditions, and surveys contributions to architecture, sculpture and decorative arts. The narrative also examines court politics and rivalries, social practices such as chivalry and hunting, and how personal taste directed public and private artistic commissions.