John of Salisbury wrote that the princely ruler of a state was "the public power, and a kind of likeness on earth of the divine majesty…For all power is from the Lord God, and has been with him always, and is everlasting. The power which the prince has is therefore from God, for the power of God is never lost, nor severed from him, but merely exercises it through a subordinate hand, making all things teach his mercy or justice." Yet in the states which constituted Italy by 1400, few princes could actually claim such divinely anointed status. Many had come to power by opportunistic or violent means, and maintained their rule by force rather than legal title. Princes sought to compensate for their lack of legitimacy through demonstrations of "magnificence": forms of expenditure which demonstrated the nobility of the donor and his largesse towards his subjects and subordinates. Among other effects, this policy produced a new set of uses for visual art, and an apparent rise in the importance of the artist. This course will survey the careers of several artists who became "image makers" to the makers of states who inspired Machiavelli's The Prince: Pisanello, Piero della Francesca, Andrea Mantegna, Cosmè Tura, Leonardo da Vinci, Giulio Romano. We will consider not only the major works of these artists from the point of view of those whom they were made, but also the artists' own attempt to transform their social status, and to dominate the field of artistic production in a particular court or city, by becoming the willing instrument of warlords and autocrats.

The course will include a field trip to some of the major sites we will study (Milan, Ferrara, Mantua, Urbino) which will take place over Spring Break. Enrollment will be strictly limited to 12 students.