What is a renaissance court? | Lodovico Gonzaga of Mantua in the Camera Picta
While some Italian renaissance city-states were republics, others were governed by a single ruler and his family. In this video, we explore art and life at a renaissance court, looking closely at Andrea Mantegna's spectacular fresco program in the bedchamber of Lodovico Gonzaga of Mantua. This room is called the Camera Picta (or the Camera degli Sposi). Presented as noble and virtuous, Lodovico and his family are the center of both politics and social life in Mantua.
Speaker: Dr. Heather Graham
CHAPTERS
00:00 Meet Lodovico Gonzaga, Marquis of Mantua, and his family
00:45 The Camera Picta: Lodovico’s private bedchamber
00:54 A slice of life at a renaissance court
01:00 What is a court?
01:13 The Italian City-States
01:35 Political meanings of “court”
01:47 Physical “court”
02:00 The Palazzo Ducale in Mantua
02:14 The idea of “the court”
02:35 Presenting the noble self
03:07 Origins of term “court”
03:20 Court life was ever changing
03:55 Courts across Europe were interconnected
04:09 Lodovico’s marriage to Barbara of Brandenburg
04:38 Access to the ruler was the key to success
04:40 Andrea Mantegna, court painter
Learn more
Check out our entire glossary of art history: https://www.artsq.org/about-key-terms-ideas-art-history