The Sforza Altarpiece (Pala Sforzesca) is among the single most important works of art commissioned by Ludovico il Moro. Through this painting, we can trace both the heavy religious history of Milan and the dynastic ambitions of the Sforza court. By investigating this painting, we can further understand the atmosphere leading to the decline of Sforza power. 

Additionally, this painting shows the dramatic influence of the convergence of styles in Milan, from Leonardo da Vinci to the Flemish masters. With this comes the complicated attribution of the work, which until very recently, had remained unknown. 

Work Discussed: 

Giovanni Angelo Mirofoli (Master of the Sforza Altarpiece), Madonna Enthroned with Child, the Doctors of the Church and the Family of Ludovico il Moro (Sforza Altarpiece), 1495 

https://pinacotecabrera.org/collezioni/collezione-on-line/madonna-in-trono-con-il-bambino-i-dottori-della-chiesa-e-la-famiglia-di-ludovico-il-moro-pala-sforzesca/

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There is no better way to explore the art and politics of the Sforza court in Milan than through the eyes of Leonardo da Vinci. Leonardo spent most of his early career employed by Ludovico il Moro, the regent and eventual Duke of Milan. This episode ties together the drama and intrigue of Sforza court politics with the work Leonardo did during his First Milanese Period (1482-1499). 

Some of Leonardo's most innovative painting arrived in this period. Beyond his Last Supper, the Renaissance master also worked on court portraits. Looking at both Lady with an Ermine and La Belle Ferronniere, we unpack the history of the ladies of the Sforza court and the complex social structures in Leonardo's Milan. Additionally, we explore the sophistication of Leonardo's style and ingenuity, especially as precursors to his Mona Lisa. 

This conversation ultimately ties the complicated threads that unite art, court culture, politics, gender, and romance in Renaissance Milan. 

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Works Discussed: 

Leonardo da Vinci, Genevra de' Benci, ca. 1478 https://www.nga.gov/artworks/50724-ginevra-de-benci-obverse

Leonardo da Vinci, Lady with an Ermine, ca. 1490 https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/lady-with-an-ermine-leonardo-da-vinci/HwHUpggDy_HxNQ?hl=en-GB

Leonardo da Vinci and workshop, La Belle Ferronniere, ca. 1497 https://collections.louvre.fr/en/ark:/53355/cl010062372

Salai, Head of Christ the Redeemer, 1511 https://ambrosiana.it/opere/testa-di-cristo-redentore/

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Art Historian Eleanor Walker joins us this episode to discuss the life and patronage of Isabella d'Este, Marchioness of Mantua. Isabella perfectly bridges the northern courts of Este Ferrara and Gonzaga Mantua, serving as the pivotal figure who united the two courts.

Eleanor Walker introduces us to the life and vibrant personality of this Renaissance giant, looking at the scope and limitations of women in power in the northern courts. Then we turn to her patronage, diving deep into her portrait by Titian and a copy of another Titian portrait of Isabella by the Baroque master Peter Paul Rubens. 

Works Discussed: 

Titian, Isabella in Black, ca. 1536 https://www.khm.at/kunstwerke/isabella-d-este-markgraefin-von-mantua-1474-1539-1940

Peter Paul Rubes, Isabella in Red (copied after Titian), ca. 1605 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabella_in_Red_(Rubens)

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Jennifer Samit and Eleanor Walker, Women Artists in Their own Words: https://www.merrellpublishers.com/9781858947235

Jill Burke, How to Be a Renaissance Woman, https://www.amazon.it/How-Renaissance-Woman-Jill-Burke/dp/1788166663/ref=asc_df_1788166663?mcid=84574746f829322698bfc93eb94e80af&tag=googshopit-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=700814440216&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=11473624181355666976&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9199215&hvtargid=pla-1888711395289&psc=1&hvocijid=11473624181355666976-1788166663-&hvexpln=0

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This episode looks at how the Gonzaga family of Mantua shaped their political image through art patronage. Ludovico Gonzaga, eager to raise his court’s prestige, brought the painter Andrea Mantegna to Mantua in 1460. Under Gonzaga patronage, Mantegna transformed court painting with his mastery of perspective and classical form. Their collaboration produced the fresco cycle in the Camera degli Sposi, a landmark of Renaissance art that blended dynastic portraiture with political messaging. Together, they turned Mantua into one of the most influential artistic centers of fifteenth-century Italy. 

Works discussed: 

Andrea Mantegna, Camera degli sposi / Camera picta, 1465-1475, Mantua.https://www.wga.hu/html_m/m/mantegna/07/index.html

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Join me and writer/translator Michael Curtotti on a discussion about the literary patronage of the Este court. Centered around Micheal's new translation of the playwright and novella author Cinzio, our discuss dives deep into the cultural moment of Duke Ercole d’Este’s Ferrara. Michael walks us through the history of Cinzio and his work, both in theater and prose. 

Further, Michael leads us through his translation of the short story that would eventually influence Shakespeare's Othello, primarily investigatin notions of Renaissance misogyny and racism.

Acquire Michael Curtotti's "Cinthio's Desdemona: The Story that Inspired Othello": https://beyondforeignness.org/book/cinthios-desdemona-the-story-that-inspired-othello

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We continue our journey through the Este court of Ferrara, moving from Borso’s decoration of the Palazzo Schifanoia to the ambitious reign of Ercole I. We explore his transformation of Ferrara with the Addizione Erculea and the dazzling Palazzo dei Diamanti, before turning to his son Alfonso and the overlooked brilliance of court painter Dosso Dossi. Finally, we trace how Este patronage shaped Renaissance literature through Ludovico Ariosto’s Orlando Furioso, a chivalric epic that fused fantasy, wit, and courtly ideals into one of the great masterpieces of the age, one that enabled further crosscurrents between the visual and written world. 

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Works Discussed:

Palazzo Schifanoia Frescos: https://youtu.be/20FIWIDxEbg?si=_-6t4Iba48X0ozuK

Palazzo dei Diamanti: https://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?/html/r/rossett/diamant.html

Dosso Dossi

Portrait of Alfonso I, ca. 1534, https://it.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Battista_Dossi,_ritratto_di_Alfonso_I_d%27Este_-_Modena.jpg

Triumph of Bacchus, ca. 1514: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dosso_dossi,_trionfo_di_bacco,_00,1.jpg

Apollo and Daphne, ca 1525: https://youtube.com/shorts/P3o367FdT_c?si=mwY2Z-7Rr0T2Pmyc

Circe/Melissa, ca 1524: https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melissa_(Dossi)

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In this episode, we explore the rise of the Este family and the transformation of Ferrara into a vibrant Renaissance court. From Niccolò III’s political maneuvering to Leonello’s humanist vision and groundbreaking artistic patronage, we trace how the Este shaped culture and power in northern Italy. We then turn to Borso d’Este’s reign, examining his use of art and spectacle to project authority, including his enthroned bronze statue. Along the way, we uncover surprising details—like a controversial monument restoration—and set the stage for Ercole I’s ambitious ducal legacy. 

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Images Discussed

Pisanello, Portrait of Leonello d'Este, 1441-44 https://www.wga.hu/html_m/p/pisanell/1paintin/este.html

Pisanello, Medal of John VIII, 1438 https://www.wga.hu/html_m/p/pisanell/2medals/palaeol.html

Pisanello, Medal of Leonello d'Este, ca. 1444 https://www.wga.hu/html_m/p/pisanell/2medals/leonell1.html

Antonio di Cristoforo, Niccolo Baroncelli, and Leon Battista Alberti, Equestrian Monument to Niccolo III,  1441 https://equestrianstatue.org/nicolo-lll/

Niccolo Barroncelli, Monument to Borso d'Este, ca. 1452 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Monument_to_Borso_d%27Este_(Ferrara)

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The Court of Lorenzo the Magnificent Part 6 of 6: Architecture 

This episode looks at the most significant works of Lorenzo's court architect and dear friend, Giuliano da Sangallo. Among his most important designs, Sangallo was the chief architect and designer behind the Medici Villa at Poggio a Caiano, a countryside escape for Lorenzo that would serve as a prototype for Renaissance villas that came after. Additionally, Lorenzo and Sangallo were involved in the design and creation of the splendid church of Santa Maria delle Carceri in Prato. 

Overall, this podcast addresses the way Sangallo served as Lorenzo's chief architect, as well as the way in which he remains an essential figure in understanding Renaissance architecture as a whole. Sangallo was a dedicated follower of Filippo Brunelleschi and Leon Battista Alberti, as well as an expert on the rules of classical architecture. 

Works Discussed: 

Giuliano da Sangallo, Medici Villa at Poggio a Caiano, begun 1485. http://www.museumsinflorence.com/musei/villa-poggio-a-caiano.html

Giuliano da Sangallo, Santa Maria delle Carceri, Prato, 1495. https://www.cittadiprato.it/en/Sezioni/content.aspx?XRI=186

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The Court of Lorenzo the Magnificent Part 5: Antonio and Piero Pollaiuolo 

Among the many artists who earned the attention of the Magnificent, the Pollaiuolo brothers left behind an artistic legacy closely tied with Medicean propaganda. This episode explores the role of the Pallaiuolo brothers in the development of Florentine Renaissance art, specifically through the works they completed for the Medici Palace: The Labors of Hercules. 

Later reappropriated, this episode also dives into how Hercules is used as a Florentine political symbol and is adaptable as both a pro-Medici and an anti-Medici symbol, similar to function of the biblical heroes David and Judith. 

Works Discussed

Antonio Pallaiuolo, Hercules and the Hydra, ca. 1475 https://www.uffizi.it/opere/pollaiolo-ercole-idra

Antonio Pallaiuolo, Hercules and Antaeus, ca. 1475 https://www.uffizi.it/opere/pollaiolo-ercole-anteo

Antonio Pallaiuolo, Hercules and Antaeus, ca. 1475, bronze Antonio https://www.wga.hu/html_m/p/pollaiol/antonio/sculptur/hercul2.html

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The Court of Lorenzo the Magnificent Part 4: Angelo Poliziano 

Born Agnolo Ambrogini in Montepulciano in 1454, Poliziano rose to intellectual supremacy in Laurentian Florence as the premier Humanist and poet of the Medici court. This episode exlpores his education, life, and works in vernacular Italian, namely his Stanze and l'Orfeo. 

Poliziano is inseparable from the larger history of the Medici court. His output is directly tied to Medici family. He was friends with Giuliano and witnessed his murder at the climax of the infamous Pazzi Conspiracy. He was loved by Lucrezia Tornabuoni, but greatly unfavorable in the eyes of Lorenzo's wife, Clarice Orsini. Then, he helped educate the young Michelangelo and even advised on subjects for his earliest works. This discussion looks at these relationships, ultimately arriving at the questionable circumstances of his premature death at the age of forty in 1494. 

Works Discussed, 

Michelangelo Buonarotti, Battle of the Centaurs, ca.  1492 

https://www.casabuonarroti.it/en/museum/collections/michelangelos-works/battle-of-the-centaurs/

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