The Light of Italy: The Life and Times of Federico da Montefeltro, Duke of Urbino

Federico da Montefeltro was a one-eyed mercenary soldier, lord of Urbino, and creator of one of the most celebrated libraries in Italy outside the Vatican. He was married to Battista, of the Sforza family, and assembled a court regarded as representing a high point of Renaissance culture. Jane Stevenson's account of Urbino's flowering and decline casts revelatory light on patronage, politics, and humanism in fifteenth-century Italy.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 434 pages
Publication date: 04 August 2022
Publisher: Head of Zeus

The story of the Renaissance city and palace of Urbino, and the life of the extraordinary man who created it: Federico da Montefeltro.

Painstakingly researched and yet unfailingly readable, Ross King offers an insight into one of Renaissance Italy's most glamorous courts. Catherine Fletcher praises it as the perfect tour guide to the past, while the Literary Review describes it as a fabulous merging of seductive design with bravura scholarship. Alexandra Harris calls it a superior study, packed with detail.

Federico da Montefeltro, lord of Urbino between 1444 and 1482, was one of the most successful condottiere of the Italian Renaissance. Renowned as a humanist, patron of the artist Piero della Francesca, and creator of one of the most celebrated libraries in Italy outside the Vatican, he was also a one-eyed mercenary soldier.

From 1460 until her early death in 1472, he was married to Battista, of the formidable Sforza family. In the fine palace he built overlooking Urbino, Federico assembled a court regarded by many as representing a high point of Renaissance culture. For Baldassare Castiglione, Federico was "la luce dell'Italia" – the light of Italy.

Jane Stevenson's affectionate account of Urbino's flowering and decline casts revelatory light on patronage, politics, and humanism in fifteenth-century Italy. As well as recounting the gripping stories of Federico and his Montefeltro and della Rovere successors, Stevenson considers in detail Federico's cultural legacy. She investigates the palace itself, the splendours of the ducal library, and his other architectural projects in Gubbio and elsewhere.

In conclusion, Federico da Montefeltro's story is a fascinating glimpse into the Renaissance period, and his life and legacy continue to inspire and intrigue scholars and enthusiasts alike. Stevenson's account provides a detailed and engaging exploration of this extraordinary man and his remarkable achievements.

Weight: 308g
Dimension: 128 x 198 x 31 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781800241985