Court Festivals of the European Renaissance: Art, Politics and Performance

Festivals were occasions to which Renaissance European courts devoted lavish resources. They marked all manner of state events and were charged with political, economic and cultural significance. The essays in this volume, by an international group of contributors, explore all of these aspects of court festivals and address occasions and topics particular to countries from England to Russia, Italy, France and Germany. They illustrate that festivals resulted both in the creation of high art, as in the work of Rubens, but most often in more emphemeral workmanship. Performances could be magnificent, though they were also fallible and occasionally disastrous. This collection demonstrates that these festivals provide fascinating material for all students of the political and artistic culture of the European Renaissance.