Patronage, Iconography and Social Context of Early Italian Renaissance art

Historical and Social Overview

With the 1204 looting of Constantinople in the Crusades, came the discovery of Byzantine artefacts and relics. These were scattered throughout Europe by the Crusaders, with many transported west to Italy. Prior to the Crusades in the 13th century, there were only a few Byzantine icons in Italy. These works were valued as highly as the most exquisite and costly Italian relics, as they were commonly thought to be authentic works by Christ’s contemporaries, such as Luke the Evangelist. Although there is a belief that there were copies made of these works, they had no stylistic impact on the Italian art of the time. After the Crusades, however, the Byzantine art movement had a large influence over the development of Renaissance art. Two influential Italo-Byzantine artists were Cimabue and Coppo de Marcovaldo.

As well as having an impact on the 13th century art movement, the Crusades also helped create internal trade routes that cut through Europe fro...