More

We use some essential cookies to make this website work. We'd like to set other cookies to remember your settings, measure website use and inform our marketing. We also use content from other sites in our pages, and those sites may also set cookies. More information can be found in our cookies policy.

I. Journeys

The Renaissance of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries saw Europeans embarking on journeys during which they discovered worlds different from any they had previously known. They travelled for commerce, trade, diplomacy, education, warfare, and myriad other reasons. The vigorous interchange of people and goods fostered the economic development of cities and states and helped Renaissance culture flourish.

Standing at the forefront of scholarship were Erasmus, Montaigne, and many other humanists, who travelled throughout Europe using their curiosity as a compass, reflecting upon the customs and traditions they encountered in lands unfamiliar to them. Artists also began to travel more frequently, leaving home to hone their abilities. Artists from northern Europe crossed the Alps to visit Italy, where they were able to sketch ancient ruins and sculptures while studying the harmonious proportions of the human figure and the use of linear perspective in Italian art of the era. In turn, Italian painters began to incorporate the oil-painting techniques and painstaking realism of their northern counterparts.

There were also various external factors that drove artists to cross borders and helped spread artistic styles and techniques even further, ranging from invitations extended by patrons, including rulers and popes, to the need to flee plague or war.

Another notable aspect of Renaissance-era journeys was that kings and emperors moved throughout their vast territories rather than ruling from a permanent central residence. For example, the kings of France moved from château to château, accompanied by their families and courtiers. This itinerant court lifestyle spurred the development of portable luxury furnishings, such as tapestries, decorative yet practical objects that adorned walls while also providing insulation against the cold and serving as room dividers, and trunks used to store clothing and other belongings. A related development was the production of commemorative medals, often bearing the profiles of monarchs and their consorts, to mark rulers’ ceremonial entries into cities. These practices contributed significantly to the development of medallic art.