Picture an artist alone in a studio, painting whatever comes to mind. For most of history it did not work that way. Art was commissioned: a patron asked for it, paid for it and often set its subject, size, materials and even how much gold or costly blue paint went into it. Patrons were kings and emperors, popes and bishops, monasteries, city councils, guilds and rich families such as the Medici of Florence.
Key idea
Why it works
Looking closely: The Duke and Duchess of Urbino. Two profiles face each other across a wide landscape of hills and water, like two heads on a coin. Federico da Montefeltro, a soldier and patron of learning, wears red; Battista Sforza is pale, with jewels and pearls. Both are set high against a far, misty view, so they seem to rule over the land itself. Federico is always shown from this side: he had lost his right eye in a tournament. The backs of the panels show the couple riding in triumphal carts. These portraits were made for a court, to honor a ruling family. Battista died in 1472, so if the usual date is right, her portrait was a memorial; some scholars date the pair a few years earlier, while she was alive.
Worked example: Read the context
- It was made for the cathedral, to stand over the high altar.
- The procession shows it mattered to the whole city, not only to clergy.
- Its size, its gold and its scenes were chosen for that public, sacred place.
Answer: It was a civic and religious commission, made for Siena's cathedral and honored by the whole city.
Common mistake
| Patron | An example in this course |
|---|---|
| A ruler | Hammurabi's law stele; the palace reliefs of Persepolis; the Duke of Berry's prayer book |
| A church or monastery | Duccio's Maestà for Siena Cathedral; Fra Angelico's frescoes for San Marco |
| A private family | Giotto's Arena Chapel, paid for by Enrico Scrovegni of Padua |
| A merchant or collector | Bruegel's seasons, painted for an Antwerp merchant |