Art and Love in Renaissance Italy

Start date: Sunday, March 15, 2009
Event is ongoing: Until Sunday, June 14, 2009

Among the most extraordinary works created by artists in Renaissance Italy are those made to celebrate love and marriage. This exhibition will present a group of exceptional objects that commemorate the most profound moments of Renaissance life—betrothal, marriage, and the birth of a child—as well as more informal bonds of love. Dating from 1400 to 1600 they will range from the painted panels of great bridal chests, to marriage portraits and paintings that extolled sensual love and fertility. Also included will be outstanding ceramics, glassware, jewelry, prints and drawings.

Imae: Lorenzo Lotto, Portrait of Messer Marsilio Cassotti and His Wife, Faustina, 1523, oil on canvas, 28 x 331⁄8 in. Museo nacional del Prado, Madrid