The court artist

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This book presents the first detailed study of the ancestry of the modern artist and the ideological transformation by which the artist emerged from his position as a craftsman, acquiring a status comparable to that enjoyed by representatives of the liberal arts and engaging like them in an intellectual activity. Central to the book is an analysis of the court and the artist's role within it. In the first part the author examines the rise of organized court culture and its relations with the cultural life of the cities during the Renaissance, and goes on to explore the emancipation of the artist, through patronage, from the artisan conditions imposed by the guilds. The second part studies the organization of art at the courts of western Europe: offices and functions, pay patronage, intercourt connections and the influence of the prince are all set in the context of the developing role of the modern artist. The book makes an original contribution to the study of intellectual and cultural history and will be welcomed by all interested in western European art in its intellectual and historical context.