Theme of Patrons and Patronage

Collage of Patrons of the Arts "Patronage is the support, usually in reference to financial aid, that one individual or organization bestows to another. A patron of the arts is a person who pays for or commissions works of art, and commonly refers to the support that kings and popes provided to painters, sculptors, musicians, and poets. Since ancient times, patronage of the arts has been important to the development of many artistic movements, works, and styles. With strong ties to the medieval period, patronage of the arts tended to arise whenever imperial rule dominated a significant share of resources. Throughout time, rulers and wealthy people have used patronage of the arts to support their political and social positions in society. Art patronage has also been important for art associated with various religious groups, especially the Roman Catholic and Protestant churches, both of which have sponsored numerous schools and specific works of art and architecture. Another example of a well-known patron of the arts is Catherine de Medici, who made a significant contribution to the French Renaissance through her widespread patronage."

There were three ways of being a patron during the fifteenth to seventeenth century. First, one could take the artist into their household and, in return, the artist would produce the work that they wanted. Second, one could hire an artist to work for him or her. For example, a king would hire a court painter who agreed to do any art that the king wanted and would be paid on a payroll. Lastly, they could commission an artist for only one piece of art, paying exclusively for that single job regardless of how long it took to complete. Whatever way, the patron was commissioning an artist. A formal contract was written and signed concerning the amount of money and the specific job for the artist.

Today there is a similar system of patronage. These current patrons are now called sponsors. Just like a patron, a sponsor finances a project, as well as events, produced by a person or a group. The sponsor has the benefit of having their name linked with an accomplished person, showing just how prestigious they are.

Questions for Thought

What is a patron?
What is the relationship between patron and artist?
What positive aspects can patronage have?
What negative aspects can it have?
How do patron influence the creative works? Why?
What were the patrons' terms of support, the reasons for contributing to the work, and/or expectations for the works produced?

The College Board has used this theme on the AP Art History exam predominantly over the years. This review component has been designed to help you explore this theme.

In this module, a few of the works that are good examples of patrons and patronage are the following:

Hunters in the Snow. Pieter Bruegel the Elder. 1565 C.E. Patron was Nicolaes Jonghelinck.
Calling of Saint Matthew. Caravaggio. c. 1597-1601 C.E. Commissioned for Contarelli Chapel in the church of the French congregation, San Luigi dei Francesi in Rome.
San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane. Rome, Italy. Francesco Borromini (architect). Patronage of Cardinal Francesco Barberini.
Ecstasy of Saint Teresa. Cornaro Chapel, Church of Santa Maria della Vittoria. Patronage of Venetian Cardinal Federico Cornaro.
Las Meninas. Diego Velázquez. c. 1656 C.E. Oil on canvas. Patronage of King Phillip IV of Spain.
The Palace at Versailles. Versailles, France. Patronage of King Louis XIV of France.
Frontispiece of the Codex Mendoza. Viceroyalty of New Spain. c. 1541-1542 C.E.
Henri IV Receives the Portrait of Marie de' Medici, from the Marie de' Medici Cycle. Peter Paul Rubens. Marie de' Medici, wife of Henry IV of France.
Screen with the Siege of Belgrade and hunting scene. Circle of the González Family. c. 1697-1701 C.E. Commissioned by José Sarmiento de Valladares, Viceroy of New Spain.
Fruit and Insects. Rachel Ruysch. 1711 C.E. Patronage of Pieter de la Court van der Voort.

The following images from the past module would be good examples of patronage.

Il Gesù, including Triumph of the Name of Jesus ceiling fresco. Rome, Italy. Patronage of Cardinal Alessandro Farnese, grandson of Pope Paul III.
Dedication Page with Blanche of Castile and King Louis IX of France and Scenes from the Apocalypse, from a Bible Moralisée. Patronage of Queen Blanche of Castile.
Arena (Scrovegni) Chapel, including Lamentation. Padua, Italy. Patronage of Enrico Scrovegni.
Annunciation Triptych (Merode Altarpiece). Workshop of Robert Campin. Patronage of Imbrechts-Engelbrechts family.
Pazzi Chapel. Basilica di Santa Croce. Florence, Italy. Filippo Brunelleschi. Patronage of Andrea Pazzi.
The Arnolfini Portrait. Jan van Eyck. c. 1434. Patronage of Giovanni di Nicolao Arnolfini.
David. Donatello. c. 1440-1460 C.E. Patronage of Cosimo de' Medici.
Palazzo Rucellai. Florence, Italy. Leon Battista Alberti. Patronage of Rucellai family.
Birth of Venus. Sandro Botticelli. c. 1484-1486 C.E. Patronage of Lorenzo de Medici.
Last Supper. Leonardo da Vinci. c. 1494-1498 C.E. The Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie.
Sistine Chapel ceiling and altar wall frescoes. Vatican City, Italy. Michelangelo. Patronage of Pope Julius II.
Raphael. School of Athens. 1509-1511 C.E. Patronage of Pope Julius II.
Isenheim altarpiece. Matthias Grünewald. c. 1512-1516 C.E. Patronage of Hospital Chapel of Saint Anthony's Monastery.
Entombment of Christ. Jacopo da Pontormo. 1525-1528 C.E. Patronage of Church of Santa Maria in Vallicella.
Venus of Urbino. Titian. c. 1538 C.E. Patronage of Guidobaldo della Rovere, Duke of Urbino.
Mosque of Selim II. Edirne, Turkey. Sinan (architect). 1568-1575 C.E. Patronage of Sultan Selim II.

Learn more about Las Meninas in the presentation below.

Learn more about the Portrait of Marie de Medici in the presentation below.

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