THE PATRON'S PAYOFF by Jonathan K. Nelson, Richard J. Zeckhauser, Michael Spence (Foreword) ( 9780691125411 )

Item Details

Title:

THE PATRON'S PAYOFF
CONSPICUOUS COMMISSIONS IN ITALIAN RENAISSANCE ART

By:

Jonathan K. Nelson, Richard J. Zeckhauser, Michael Spence (Foreword)

Format:

Hardback

List price:	£36.95
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ISBN 10:

0691125414

ISBN 13:

9780691125411

Publisher:

PRINCETON UNIVERSITY PRESS

Pub. date:

4 August, 2008

Pages:

256

Description:

Applies the methods of information economics to the study of art. Building on three economic concepts - signaling, signposting, and stretching - this book develops a methodology for assessing the meaning of art patronage and provides a useful framework for understanding how works of art functioned in Renaissance Italy.

Synopsis:

In "The Patron's Payoff", Jonathan Nelson and Richard Zeckhauser apply the innovative methods of information economics to the study of art. Their findings, written in highly accessible prose, are surprising and important. Building on three economic concepts - signaling, signposting, and stretching - the book develops the first systematic methodology for assessing the meaning of art patronage and provides a broad and useful framework for understanding how works of art functioned in Renaissance Italy. The authors discuss how patrons used conspicuous commissions to establish and signal their wealth and status, and the book explores the impact that individual works had on society. The ways in which artists met their patrons' needs for self-promotion dramatically affected the nature and appearance of paintings, sculptures, and buildings. "The Patron's Payoff" presents a new conceptual structure that allows readers to explore the relationships among the main players in the commissioning game - patrons, artists, and audiences - and to understand how commissioned art transmits information.This book facilitates comparisons of art from different periods and shows the interplay of artists and patrons working to produce mutual benefits subject to an array of limiting factors. The authors engage several art historians to look at what economic models reveal about the material culture of Italy, ca. 1300i'1/21600, and beyond. Their case studies address such topics as private chapels and their decorations, donor portraits, and private palaces. In addition to the authors, the contributors are Molly Bourne, Kelley Helmstutler Di Dio, Thomas J. Loughman, and Larry Silver.

Illustrations:

51 halftones.

Publication:

Imprint:

Princeton University Press

Prizes:

Commended for Choice Magazine Outstanding Reference/Academic Book Award 2009

Returns:

Non-returnable

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