Italian Renaissance art is closely intertwined with the development of courts and court culture in much of the Italian territory. The patronage of the ruling families of the small Italian city-states greatly favoured the flourishing of the figurative arts in architecture, but also in music, literature, and theatre. Three initial essays analyse the development and the role of specific arts within the court from a general point of view.For instance, the chapter on literature begins with the role of the humanists at court, literature and propaganda (with reference to the many histories of ruling families written at court), theatrical representations, the new "bucolic" poetry and the eclogue, and the advent of print and the birth of the most famous Renaissance books: the Libro del Cortegiano (The Book of the Courtier) by Baldassar Castiglione and the Orlando Furioso by Ludovico Ariosto. The main part of the book, arranged geographically, cover the entire peninsula, giving attention not only to the major courts, such as Milan, Naples, and Mantua and Ferrara, but also devoting shorter chapters to some of the minor courts spread around northern and central Italy, from Rimini ruled by the Malatesta family to Carpi under the Pios. A comprehensive bibliographical reference section guides the reader to further study. This major work is illustrated with nearly 300 exceptional colour photographs, maps and plans. These enhance the appeal of the book for both the academic scholar as well as the more general reader. -- from dust jacket.