The politics of culture in Quattrocento Europe : René of Anjou in Italy

237 Pages·2016·4.63 MB·English

by  Margolis

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THE POLITICS OF CULTURE IN
QUATTROCENTO EUROPE
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OXFORD HISTORICAL MONOGRAPHS
The Oxford Historical Monographs series publishes some of the best Oxford
University doctoral theses on historical topics, especially those likely to engage
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Editors
P. CLAVIN J. DARWIN J. INNES
J. MCDOUGALL D. PARROTT S. A. SMITH
B. WARD-PERKINS J. L. WATTS W. WHYTE
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The Politics of Culture
in Quattrocento Europe
René of Anjou in Italy
OREN MARGOLIS
1
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Acknowledgements
This book bears very little resemblance to the research project I thought
Iwasbeginningbackin2007,whenIarrivedatOxfordwithsomefairly
indistinct questions about later medieval orders of chivalry, but also the
belief that an investigation of René’s would help solve them. If what
follows is not exactly that, then perhaps the fortuitous decision to spend
myfirstfewmonthsofdoctoralresearchengrossedinthepraisepoetryof
JanusPannoniusisresponsible.IhavebeenguidedalongthewaybyJohn
Watts, first as my doctoral supervisor, then as my advising editor. My
thanksareduetohimaboveallforallowingthisprojecttodevelopinways
InevercouldhaveanticipatedandengagingwithitatalevelIhardlycould
havedemanded.
Inwritingthisbook,Ihavebeensupportedbyanumberofinstitutions:
JesusCollege, Oxford, whichmademuchofthe initialresearch possible,
and where Susan Doran in particular deserves thanks for her friendship
and advice; the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Neo-Latin Studies; and
Somerville College, Oxford. An award at the British School at Rome in
2012 allowed me to do the research in the Vatican Library that had
previously been lacking. Most of the work was done in the Bodleian,
Sackler,andTaylorInstitutionLibrariesofOxford,butIshouldalsolike
tosingleouttheMédiathèqueVictor-HugoinSaint-Dié-des-Vosgesand
acknowledge its then-director Eliane Rauturier and her staff for their
helpfulnessandhospitality.IthanktheBibliothèquenationaledeFrance,
Médiathèque Pierre-Amalric (Albi), Morgan Library (New York), and
Victoria and Albert Museum (London) for permitting me to reproduce
imagestakenfromtheircollectionsinthisbook,includingonthecover.
AmongthemanypeoplewithwhomIhavediscussedideasappearingin
thisbook,Brian MaxsonandDavidRundle havehelpedmethinkinnew
ways about Renaissance humanism, and have simply been very generous
colleagues, collaborators, and friends. I have especially benefited from the
closeattentiongiventothisworkbyIsabellaLazzarini,NicholasDavidson,
and above all David Abulafia, while I also thank Jonathan Alexander,
Stephen Campbell, Thomas Charles-Edwards, Serena Ferente, Julian
Gardner, Joanna Innes, Natalia Nowakowska, Gervase Rosser, Florian
Schaffenrath, Benjamin Thompson, and Gennaro Toscano for advice and
insightssharedinvariouswaysasthisbookhascometogether(finallybrought
together with the help of Cathryn Steele of Oxford University Press).
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vi Acknowledgements
I am proud to have been part of a graduate cohort that includes Graham
Barrett and Patrick Lantschner, friends and colleagues for many years to
come,Ihope.TheyareabigreasonwhyIhavenotfoundresearchalonely
experience;asisChrisWickham,whosesupportandencouragementIhave
deeplyvalued.
Finally, more personal thanks: to my family, my grandparents Herb
and Evelynne, my brother Corey, and especially my parents Simon and
Janice,towhomIdedicatethisbook.Itisnoexaggerationtosaythatnone
ofthiswouldhavebeenpossiblewithoutthem.
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Table of Contents
ListofFigures ix
ListofAbbreviations xi
Introduction 1
1. BetweenMoyenÂgeandRinascimento 3
2. TheDiplomaticApproachtoCulture 11
3. TheHyper-Literate 16
1. TheAngevinNetworkinItaly:FirstShoots
andEarlyLife 21
1. Pre-HistoryandRené’sFirstDefeats 21
2. TheGuelphInheritanceinNaplesandFlorence 35
3. TheCroissantinItaly:Cossa,Sforza,Marcello 51
4. TheRoadtoWar 61
2. JanusPannoniusandthePoliticsofHumanist
Literature 68
1. CarmenpropacandaItalia 73
2. Hannibal,Scipio,andtheGuelphTradition 77
3. ThePoliticsofPanegyric 95
4. TheGuarinoNetwork 102
3. Art,Politics,andPatronage:Illuminatingthe
RenaissanceBook 109
1. Precedents 111
2. TheLifeofStMaurice 115
3. Guarino’sStraboTranslation 129
4. AnArtisticAvantGardeinPadua 137
4. TheNetworkinAction 146
1. Denouement(1452–64) 147
2. AngevinAlliesinaNewItaly(1464–94) 173
3. Endurance 184
Conclusion 186
Bibliography 195
Index 217
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List of Figures
3.1 Paris,Bibliothèquedel’Arsenal,MS940,fol.1r:JacopoAntonio
Marcello,lettertothesenatorandknightsoftheOrdredu
Croissant;portraitbustofMarcello(‘Illustrissimis’).
©BibliothèquenationaledeFrance. 119
3.2 Paris,Bibliothèquedel’Arsenal,MS940,fol.38v:Jacopo
Bellini(attr.),portraitbustofJacopoAntonioMarcello.
©BibliothèquenationaledeFrance. 124
3.3 Paris,Bibliothèquedel’Arsenal,MS940,fol.39r:Jacopo
Bellini(attr.),elephantandpalace.©Bibliothèque
nationaledeFrance. 125
3.4 Albi,MédiathèquePierre-Amalric,MS77,fol.3v:Giovanni
Bellini(attr.),GuarinopresentingtheStrabomanuscriptto
JacopoAntonioMarcello.©Réseaudesmédiathèques
del’Albigeois. 134
3.5 Albi,MédiathèquePierre-Amalric,MS77,fol.4r:
GiovanniBellini(attr.),JacopoAntonioMarcellopresenting
theStrabomanuscripttoRenéofAnjou.©Réseaudes
médiathèquesdel’Albigeois. 135
4.1 LucadellaRobbia,StemmaofRenéofAnjou.©Victoria
andAlbertMuseum,London. 177
4.2 NewYork,ThePierpontMorganLibrary,MSM250,
fol.13v:JeanPoyer,armsofCharlesVIIIaskingofFrance,
Sicily,andJerusalem.©ThePierpontMorganLibrary,
NewYork. 183