Glorifying Patronage

In response to the Ackland's fall 2007 Contrapposto exhibition, which focused on art commissioned for the lofty goal of improving other people's lives, Glorifying Patronage: Art in Service of Family, Fame, and Fortune focuses on art commissioned to glorify the lives of the patrons themselves. This exhibition of self-promotion includes paintings, medals, and engravings associated with notable Early Modern patrons - royalty, nobility, popes, and cardinals - who hoped to enhance their own reputations through commissioning works of art.

Some patrons used art as a public relations device, such as Leonello d'Este, Duke of Ferrara, born to his father's mistress, who issued a bronze medal with his portrait on one side and an image of Leda and Jupiter disguised as a Swan on the other. By coupling his own image with Leda and the Swan, the Duke reinforced his right to rule by associating his family with an august Classical lineage.

Other works mixed public service with personal gain. By commissioning paintings to adorn the Florentine church Santa Maria Novella, Duke Cosimo de' Medici benefited the citizens of Florence while simultaneously improving his own chances of winning the coveted title of Grand Duke of Florence. Similarly, Pierre Mignard's engraved portrait of Pope Alexander VII helped to honor the office of the papacy and circulated the image of the Pope to areas outside Rome. Works by Dürer, Piranesi, and Rubens are also included in the exhibition.