Italian Art 1400-1500: Sources and Documents

by Creighton E. Gilbert

Creighton E. Gilbert captures the spirit of the early Renaissance in this remarkable collection of primary texts by and about artists of the fifteenth century. Italian Art makes a valuable contribution not only to the field of art history, but also to social and intellectual history. Almost all aspects of the life of the period—war, fashion, travel, communication—are documented. Revealing significant aspects of the practice of art, the process of patronage, and the way of life and social position of early Renaissance artists, Italian Art brings this fascinating period to life for students and scholars.

Genres: Nonfiction, Art History, School

227 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1980

About the author

Creighton Eddy Gilbert (1924-2011) was a renowned art historian specializing in the Italian Renaissance and was one of the foremost authorities on Michelangelo. He received his bachelor of art degree from New York University in 1942 and eventually earned his doctorate there in 1955. After teaching for a few years at Indiana University in Bloomington, he served as a curator at the Ringling Museums in Sarasota, Florida, as a professor at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts, and as a professor at Queens College in Flushing, New York. In 1967, Gilbert left for a position at Harvard University, then taught at Cornell University before joining the faculty of Yale University in 1981. The prior year, he was named the editor-in-chief of Art Bulletin, one of the leading journals of art historical research, and he remained in the position until 1985. Gilbert published extensively during his career, including the important texts Michelangelo: On and Off the Sistine Ceiling (1994) and Caravaggio and His Two Cardinals (1995).