1.

TOWARD THE RENAISSANCE

1. Which city was the most important center of the early Italian Renaissance?
Answer
Florence was the most important center of the early Italian Renaissance.
2. FLORENCE AND THE RENAISSANCE
1. How did success in the wool trade and in banking contribute to the support of
artistic genius in Florence? Answer
The emergence of a wealthy merchant class led to a new kind of patronage in
the arts which allowed for a more diverse expressive environment than that
which had been exclusively tied to the church.
2. In Masaccio’s Holy Trinity (1428), how is the Holy Spirit represented. (Can you
see it between the faces of God and Jesus?) (Note also the lower section of the
fresco, beneath the kneeling donors, which shows a skeleton with the inscription
in Italian, “I was once that which you are; and that which I am you will become.”)
Answer
In Masaccio’s The Holy Trinity (1428), the Holy Spirit is symbolized by the dove.
3. In Masaccio’s The Tribute Money (c. 1425),
1. What three events are shown?
2. How realistic is it to show these three events simultaneously?
3. How has Masaccio painted the building on the right to help
create a sense of depth in what is actually a flat fresco painted on the wall?
Answer
In Masaccio’s The Tribute Money (c. 1425),
1. Jesus bids Peter to get the tribute money, then Peter retrieves it from the
mouth of a fish, and finally pays it.
2. The figures and course of events are represented realistically, much like
the sequences in a film.
3. Masaccio paints the building on the right in a receding line to help create a
sense of depth.
4. What was revolutionary about Masaccio’s painting? Answer
Masaccio’s painting was revolutionary for its powerful expressive force combined
with realism.
5. Who were the two most famous competitors in the 1401 competition for the
decoration of the doors of the Florence Baptistery? Who won? Why? Answer
Filippo Brunelleschi and Lorenzo Ghiberti were the two most famous competitors
in the 1401 competition for the decoration of the doors of the Florence Baptistery.
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Ghiberti won because of the dynamic composition and technical achievement of
his panel.
6. For how many years did Lorenzo Ghiberti work on the North Doors of the
Baptistery? on the East Doors? What name did Michelangelo give to Ghiberti’s
East Doors? Answer
Lorenzo Ghiberti worked for twenty-five years on the North Doors of the
Baptistery and for twenty-seven years on the East Doors. Michelangelo called
these doors “The Gates of Paradise.”
7. To which city did Brunelleschi go after losing the sculpture competition of
1401? Who was his companion? What was one result of the trip? Answer
Brunelleschi went to Rome with Donatello after losing the sculpture competition
of 1401. There, he discovered how to create a structurally sound dome for the
Cathedral of Florence.
8. What was Brunelleschi’s contribution to Florence Cathedral?
What other important contributions did he make to Renaissance architecture?
Answer
In addition to designing the Duomo, he designed the Foundling Hospital and the
Pazzi Chapel. Both of these buildings were to define Florentine architectural style
throughout the early fifteenth century.
3. THE MEDICI ERA
1. Which powerful and wealthy family ruled Florence from 1434 to 1492? What
was the primary source of their wealth? Answer
The Medici, a powerful banking family, ruled Florence from 1434 to 1492.
2. What was the subject of the famous Flemish painting in 1434 by Jan Van
Eyck?
1. What materials were used in its creation?
2. Who is shown reflected in the mirror image on the wall?
3. What is the translation of the Latin words on the wall?
4. What is the symbolism
a. of the dog?
b. of the bride’s apparent physical condition?
c. of the shoes?
Answer

Giovanni Arnolfini and his Bride are the subjects of the 1434 painting by Jan Van
Eyck.
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 1. It is tempera and oil painted on wood.
2. The artist is reflected in the mirror image on the wall.
3. The Latin words mean “Jan van Eyck was here.”
a. The dog symbolizes fidelity and domestic peace.
b. The bride appears to be pregnant.
c. The sandals represent that this is a sacred event.
3. Who was the greatest Florentine sculptor of the first half of the 1400s? What
family was his patron? Answer
Donatello, under the patronage of Cosimo de’ Medici, was greatest Florentine
sculptor of the first half of the 1400s.
4. What was the subject of Donatello’s most famous near-life size sculpture (and
the first free-standing stature of a nude figure Roman antiquity)? Answer
Donatello’s most famous sculpture is David.
5. What stage in the fight against Goliath is shown in
1. Donatello’s David? (left)
2. Michelangelo’s David? (center)
3. Bernini’s David? (right)
Answer

Comparing the David artworks

1. Donatello’s David holds a sword and stands over the head of Goliath
whom he has just slain.
2. Michelangelo’s David is shown as he sees Goliath.
3. Bernini’s David is shown in the act of hurling a stone at Goliath.
6. Do you think Donatello’s David (c. 1430–1432) emphasizes physical beauty or
religious truth? Answer
Donatello’s David is more pagan than Christian and emphasizes physical beauty
over religious truth.
7. What thoughts did Donatello intend to provoke by his portrayal of Saint Mary
Magdalen (1455) as an old woman ravaged by time.
Answer
Donatello portrays the vanity of life as well as the sanctity and humility of Saint
Mary Magdalen.
8. What Florentine banker founded an academy for the study of Plato? What
other projects did he support? Answer
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Lorenzo de’ Medici (Lorenzo il Magnifico) founded an academy for the study of
Plato, the Studium, and funded the University of Pisa.
9. Why does The Song of Bacchus (1490) by Lorenzo de Medici advocate “let
him be who chases joy”? Answer
In The Song of Bacchus (1490) by Lorenzo de Medici, he writes “let him be who
chases joy” to express the Roman dictum of living for the present because life is
brief and no one knows what is to come.
10. What are the two most famous paintings of Sandro Botticelli?: c. 1478 and
1480:
Answer

The two most famous paintings of Sandro Botticelli are La Primavera (Spring)
(1478) and The Birth of Venus (1480).

11. In Botticelli’s La Primavera, what does the central female figure represent?
Who hovers overhead? Who is the figure in the flowered dress? Answer
In La Primavera, the central female figure represents spring. Cupid, symbolizing
love, hovers overhead, while the goddess Flora stands casting out flowers.
12. How was Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus influenced by Platonic idealism? By
the Christian view of the Virgin Mary? Answer
Botticelli’s Birth of Venus depicts an image of idealized beauty modeled after the
Platonic ideal of the Venus pudica or “Modest” Venus. The positioning of her
hands, head and overall stance evoke the Christian view of the Virgin Mary.
13. Which face in La Primavera is also the face of Venus in The Birth of Venus?
Answer
The face of one of the three dancing Graces in La Primavera is also the face of
Venus in The Birth of Venus.
14. Which artist is considered the great genius of the Italian Renaissance?
Answer
Leonardo da Vinci is considered the genius of the Italian Renaissance.
15. In Leonardo’s The Last Supper (1495–1498), what precise moment has he
chosen to depict?
Answer
In The Last Supper, Leonardo da Vinci depicts the precise moment when Jesus
announces that someone with them will betray him.
16. What is contained in Leonardo’s Notebooks?
Answer

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Leonardo’s Notebooks contain sketches, notes and calculations of his
explorations in anatomy, biology, botany and mathematics as well as his creative
inspirations and thoughts.
17. Who is represented in the painting Madonna of the Rocks?
Answer
The Madonna of the Rocks depicts Mary with one arm around the infant John the
Baptist and the Jesus at her feet next to an angel.
18. What was the subject of Michelangelo’s Pietà (1498)? How does it compare
in composition and intensity with Giotto’s Lamentation over the Dead Christ,
1305? Answer
Michelangelo’s Pietà shows Mary holding the body of her son Jesus. Whereas
Giotto’s Lamentation over the Dead Christ shows the intensity of grief felt by
Mary and the disciples, Michelangelo’s Pietà depicts Mary piously accepting the
will of God.
19. Why was Michelangelo’s David placed outside the Palazzo Vecchio of
Florence? Answer
Michelangelo’s David was placed outside the Palazzo Vecchio of Florence as a
sign of the civic power of the city.
20. Which Dominican monk preached against Florentine art and culture? What
were his criticisms? Answer
Fra Savonarola preached against Florentine art and culture, decrying the vanity
and decadence of the art and culture of the times.
4. THE CHARACTER OF THE RENAISSANCE HUMANISM
1. According to Jacob Burckhardt’s Civilisation of the Renaissance in Italy (1860),
how did the values and beliefs of the Renaissance differ from those of the Middle
Ages? Answer
According to Jacob Burckhardt, the Renaissance heralded a period of political
evolution, in which people strove for achievement and fame. This contrasted
acutely with the values of asceticism and humility which characterized the Middle
Ages.
2. What two earlier “renaissances” were there in the 800s and 1100s? Answer
Others believe that there have been previous “renaissances,” such as during the
Carolingian period and in twelfth-century Paris.
3. What were seen as the advantages of humanist education and learning?
Answer
Florentines believed that humanist education and learning would perfect and
ennoble man as well as reform social and religious institutions.

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4. What was the theme of Pico della Mirandola’s Oration on the Dignity of Man
(1486)? Answer
Pico della Mirandola’s Oration on the Dignity of Man laid out his theory that all
knowledge could be synthesized into basic, elegant truths.
5. After 1455, what “communications revolution” helped spread humanist learning
of the Renaissance? Answer
Aldus Manutius invented a new kind of print technology, typefaces, inks, and
paper, to create inexpensive, pocket-sized, portable books.
6. What German in 1455 invented printing with movable type? Answer
In Germany, Johann Gutenberg invented printing with movable type in 1455 and
printed the first Bible at Mainz.
7. From what class did most women who received a humanistic education come?
What pressures did women scholars confront? Answer
Most women who received a humanistic education were from the upper classes
or from families who particularly prized education. These women faced censure
from both men and women who were threatened by their freedom and intellectual
prowess.
5. TWO STYLES OF HUMANISM
1. What two styles of humanist learning are exemplified by the writing of
Machiavelli and Erasmus? Answer
Machiavelli and Erasmus exemplify the use of humanistic learning for secular
and spiritual ends.
2. Which book of Machiavelli is often considered the first purely secular study of
political theory? According to Machiavelli, what was the role of morality in the
exercise of power? According to Machiavelli, what justification was there for a
prince to use cruelty or hypocrisy? Answer
Machiavelli’s The Prince is often considered the first purely secular study of
political theory. In it, Machiavelli gives no role to morality in the exercise of power
and is completely pragmatic about the circumstances in which a ruler should or
should not be cruel or hypocritical, indicating that whichever serves to maintain
power is the preferred course of action.
3. In the 1500s, who was the most important Christian humanist in Europe?
Answer
The most important Christian humanist in Europe in the 1500 was Erasmus.
4. In Dürer’s print Erasmus of Rotterdam,
1. What is Erasmus shown doing?
2. What is the meaning of the Latin
words in the background?
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 IMAGO.ERASMI.ROTERODAMI.A
B.ALBERTO. D V R E R O .
A D V I V A M . E F F I G I
E M . D E L I N I A T A
3. What is the meaning of the
monogram beneath the date?
Answer
In Dürer’s print, Erasmus of Rotterdam, Erasmus is shown writing. “Erasmus was
drawn from life by the Artist” That symbol is the signature of the artist, Albrecht
Dürer.
5. What was the response of Erasmus to the possible conflict between classical
learning and Christian living? Answer
Erasmus believe that classical learning and Christian living could lead to social
reform.
6. Which was the most famous book written by Erasmus? What were some of the
targets of Erasmus’ satire? Answer
Erasmus' most famous work is The Praise of Folly, in which he criticizes the evil,
ignorance, and prejudice of society, particularly aiming his satire at theologians.
6. MUSIC IN THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY
1. Who was the most famous composer of the fifteenth century? What two
innovations did he make to music? Answer
Guillaume Dufay is most famous composer of the 15th century. He secularized
the motet and introduced familiar folk tunes into the music of the Mass.
2. What is the frottola? Answer
The frottola was a musical form that developed in Florence that set amusing or
romantic words to song for one voice accompanied by a couple instrumentalists.
KEY TERMS, PEOPLE AND PLACES
Allegory armatures Botticelli, Sandro Brunelleschi, Filippo
Cameo carving chansons Cosimo de’ Medici
Donatello Dufay, Guillaume entablature
Erasmus, Desiderius Ficino, Marsilio fresco
Ghiberti, Lorenzo guilds Gutenberg, Johann
Laurentian Era Leonardo da Vinci loggias
Lorenzo de’ Medici Machiavelli, Niccolò Manutius, Aldus

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Masaccio, Tommaso Michelangelo motet
pavana Pico della Mirandola Piero de’ Medici
Pietá Savonarola (Fra) Sforza, Ippolita
Sibyl Song of Bacchus studium
Talmud Theses typefaces
usury Vasari, Giorgio