The ways in which Renaissance art objects were read was determined by an alliance of interests. On the one hand, members of a wealthy elite were attempting to distinguish themselves from ordinary mortals through their buying, and, on the other, the commentators (often in the pockets of the elite) were both moulding and reflecting their choices. It was not enough that these objects were expensive. Their interpretation was shaped by the study of the glories of ancient Greece and Rome, and scholars worked hard to present the buying of art objects in the best possible light. They could do so only if goods were of the right kind; they had to be magnificent or splendid, while leaving room for the appreciation of their aesthetic qualities and the talent and art of their makers.
- ISBN10 0714128112
- ISBN13 9780714128115
- Publish Date 13 September 2004
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 12 April 2007
- Publish Country GB
- Imprint British Museum Press
- Format Paperback
- Pages 288
- Language English