The Renaissance Palace in Florence

This book provides a reassessment of the theory of magnificence in light of the related social virtue of splendour. Author James Lindow highlights how magnificence, when applied to private palaces, extended beyond the exterior to include the interior as a series of splendid spaces where virtuous expenditure could and should be displayed. Examining the fifteenth-century Florentine palazzo from a new perspective, Lindow's groundbreaking study considers these buildings comprehensively as complete entities, from the exterior through to the interior. This book highlights the ways in which classical theory and Renaissance practice intersected in quattrocento Florence. Using unpublished inventories, private documents and surviving domestic objects, The Renaissance Palace in Florence offers a more nuanced understanding of the early modern urban palace.

James R. Lindow was the first Renaissance PhD from the Royal College of Art / Victoria & Albert Museum, and completed his MA in the History of Art and Architecture at the University of East Anglia. He has convened conferences and published articles on diverse aspects of the Renaissance, lectures widely in the UK and overseas, and is currently a fine art underwriter in the city of London.