Course Catalogue

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This course examines the vibrant artistic culture of the Renaissance court, paying particular attention to gender. It will focus primarily on Italian courts and artists, though comparative material will include courts in Burgundy, France, Spain, and the Holy Roman Empire.

1 x 1hr Lecture; 1 x 1hr Seminar per week over 10 weeks as scheduled on MyCampus.

Available to all students fulfilling requirements for Honours entry into MA History of Art or MA Creative Arts and Industries, and by arrangement to visiting students or students of other Honours programmes.

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The standard assessments for this course are:

■ Essay (2000 words) - 60%

■ Object Report (1500 words) - 30%

■ Seminar presentation of 5 minutes accompanied by script or PowerPoint slides - 10%

If required, for instance where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, the following alternatives are available:

■ There is no alternative to the essay, but a flexible deadline can be offered as reasonable adjustment (students should follow the usual process for extensions)

■ There is no alternative to the object report, but a flexible deadline can be offered as reasonable adjustments (students should follow the usual process for extensions).

■ Recorded presentation OR one-to-one presentation (to the lecturer) as an alternative to the seminar presentation.

Further reasonable adjustments may be provided where necessary. Students are encouraged to consult with the course convenor.

This course aims to:

■ investigate how visual and material culture (including painting, sculpture, architecture, heraldry, portraiture, dress, and manuscript illumination) were deployed in the Renaissance court context

■ foster an understanding of how visual and material culture were employed in the Renaissance court to assert legitimacy, preserve ruling authority, and cultivate influence

■ offer students the opportunity to engage with gender studies approaches to the analysis of visual and material culture

By the end of this course students will be able to:

■ articulate the interplay between different forms of visual and material culture in the construction of an image of princely authority in Renaissance Europe

■ demonstrate a working knowledge of historical and cultural developments in the courts of Renaissance Italy and, to a lesser extent, Burgundy, France, Spain, and the Holy Roman Empire

■ comprehend the main lines of critical and art historical discourse that developed around the art and architecture of Renaissance courts

■ identify and deploy gender studies methodologies in the analysis of visual and material culture