Renaissance Masterpieces and Their Classical Antiquity Roots
The Renaissance, sparked by Greek scholars and their writings after the Fall of Constantinople in 1453, saw a resurgence of classical antiquity that greatly impacted art. Notable pieces from this period include 'The Birth of Venus' (c. 1484-1486) and 'Calumny of Apelles' (1494-1495) by Sandro Botticelli, 'Parnassus' (1497) by Andrea Mantegna, and 'The Battle Between Love and Chastity' (1503) by Pietro Perugino. Michelangelo's masterpieces, 'David' (1501-04) and 'Creation of Adam' (1508-1512), along with Raphael's 'Parnassus with Apollo and the Muses' (1508-1511), 'The School of Athens' (1509-1511), and 'Triumph of Galatea' (c. 1514), exemplify the fusion of Greek mythology and humanism in Renaissance art. Benvenuto Cellini's 'Perseus with the Head of Medusa' (1545-1554) represents Medici authority.
Key facts
- Fall of Constantinople in 1453 led to influx of Greek texts into Western Europe.
- Botticelli's 'The Birth of Venus' (c. 1484-1486) was possibly influenced by Pliny the Elder's mention of Apelles' lost painting.
- Botticelli's 'Calumny of Apelles' (1494-1495) is based on a description by Lucian of a lost painting by Apelles.
- Isabella d'Este commissioned Mantegna's 'Parnassus' (1497) and Perugino's 'The Battle Between Love and Chastity' (1503) for her studiolo.
- Michelangelo's 'David' (1501-04) was originally placed in the Piazza della Signoria, Florence.
- Michelangelo's 'Creation of Adam' (1508-1512) is on the Sistine Chapel ceiling, commissioned by Pope Julius II.
- Raphael's 'The School of Athens' (1509-1511) is in the Vatican's Stanza della Segnatura.
- Cellini's 'Perseus with the Head of Medusa' (1545-1554) was commissioned by Cosimo I de' Medici and placed facing Michelangelo's David.
Entities
Artists
- Sandro Botticelli
- Andrea Mantegna
- Pietro Perugino
- Michelangelo Buonarroti
- Raphael
- Benvenuto Cellini
- Apelles
- Homer
- Thucydides
- Plutarch
- Lucian
- Pliny the Elder
- Poliziano
- Leonardo da Vinci
- Perugino
Institutions
- Medici
- Vatican
- Sistine Chapel
- Villa Farnesina
- Villa Suburbana
- Stanza della Segnatura
Locations
- Florence
- Italy
- Mantua
- Rome
- Vatican City
- Piazza della Signoria
- Constantinople