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9781612194608 English 1612194605 In the tradition of big-picture histories like "The Swerve," a riveting account of a battle that changed the course of history and a lost masterpiece by Leonardo da Vinci When the armies of Florence, Venice, and the Papal States clashed with the forces of the Republic of Milan on June 29, 1440, the outcome would bring the Medicis to power and lead to the Renaissance. Into this deeply researched and ground-breaking book on the little-known battle of Anghiari, Capponi weaves the story of a lost fresco that Leonardo da Vinci was commissioned to paint to commemorate the battle on the wall of the Palazzo Vecchio directly across from his rival, Michelangelo. Da Vinci abandoned the work and it was soon painted over. Now, hundreds of years later, the Italian researcher Maurizio Seracini has proved that da Vinci s original art is still there, and he s working to uncover it. Niccolo Capponi s "The Day the Renaissance Was Saved "combines a thrilling narrative of battle with the mystery of a famous painting gone missing, rolling military history, art history, and political history all into one, with a heavy does of the ever-fascinating Medicis who schemed, plotted, and funded the creation of masterpieces right alongside the author s family.", In the tradition of big-picture histories, The Day The Renaissance Was Saved shows how a single moment triggered the birth of the Renaissance. When the armies of Florence, Venice, and the Papal States clashed with the forces of the Republic of Milan on June 29, 1440, it was more than just another skirmish between the ever-fractious Italian city-states: the outcome of the battle would bring the Medicis to power in Florence and lead to the Renaissance., It was a battle that change the course of history, and was immortalized in a massive painting by Leonardo da Vinci that was thought lost for centuries . . . until now. On a sweltering day in June 1440, near the Tuscan town of Anghiari, the simmering conflict among Italy's principal powers exploded into a battle whereby Florence and the papal States joined with Venice to defeat the previously unstoppable army of Milan. The shocking denoument would open the way for the flowering of Florentine culture, and the birth of what we now know as the Renaissance. There was, perhaps, no stunning evidence of this than a massive painting by Leonardo da Vinci commemorating the Battle of Anghiari, a masterpiece that quickly became famous--but then was mysteriously lost. Until recently, that is, when researchers made a breathtaking discovery of the location where it has been hidden for more than four hundred years. In The Day the Renaissance Was Saved , Niccolò Capponi--a direct descendent of Niccolò Machiavelli, as well as of a Florentine general who was a key strategist of the campaign at Anghiari--weaves the story of da Vinci's lost masterpiece through the narrative of the history-changing battle, and offers context on the development of humanist thought and the political intrigues of fifteenth-century Italy. Complete with maps and twenty-four color images, this is military history, political history, and art history all rolled into one, from a scholar whose ancestors were key players in the scheming, plotting, and fighting that led to this pivotal moment in Western history., When the armies of Florence, Venice, and the Papal States clashed with the forces of the Republic of Milan on June 29, 1440, it was more than just another skirmish between the ever-fractious Italian city-states: the outcome of the battle would bring the Medicis to power in Florence and lead to the Renaissance.
9781612194608 English 1612194605 In the tradition of big-picture histories like "The Swerve," a riveting account of a battle that changed the course of history and a lost masterpiece by Leonardo da Vinci When the armies of Florence, Venice, and the Papal States clashed with the forces of the Republic of Milan on June 29, 1440, the outcome would bring the Medicis to power and lead to the Renaissance. Into this deeply researched and ground-breaking book on the little-known battle of Anghiari, Capponi weaves the story of a lost fresco that Leonardo da Vinci was commissioned to paint to commemorate the battle on the wall of the Palazzo Vecchio directly across from his rival, Michelangelo. Da Vinci abandoned the work and it was soon painted over. Now, hundreds of years later, the Italian researcher Maurizio Seracini has proved that da Vinci s original art is still there, and he s working to uncover it. Niccolo Capponi s "The Day the Renaissance Was Saved "combines a thrilling narrative of battle with the mystery of a famous painting gone missing, rolling military history, art history, and political history all into one, with a heavy does of the ever-fascinating Medicis who schemed, plotted, and funded the creation of masterpieces right alongside the author s family.", In the tradition of big-picture histories, The Day The Renaissance Was Saved shows how a single moment triggered the birth of the Renaissance. When the armies of Florence, Venice, and the Papal States clashed with the forces of the Republic of Milan on June 29, 1440, it was more than just another skirmish between the ever-fractious Italian city-states: the outcome of the battle would bring the Medicis to power in Florence and lead to the Renaissance., It was a battle that change the course of history, and was immortalized in a massive painting by Leonardo da Vinci that was thought lost for centuries . . . until now. On a sweltering day in June 1440, near the Tuscan town of Anghiari, the simmering conflict among Italy's principal powers exploded into a battle whereby Florence and the papal States joined with Venice to defeat the previously unstoppable army of Milan. The shocking denoument would open the way for the flowering of Florentine culture, and the birth of what we now know as the Renaissance. There was, perhaps, no stunning evidence of this than a massive painting by Leonardo da Vinci commemorating the Battle of Anghiari, a masterpiece that quickly became famous--but then was mysteriously lost. Until recently, that is, when researchers made a breathtaking discovery of the location where it has been hidden for more than four hundred years. In The Day the Renaissance Was Saved , Niccolò Capponi--a direct descendent of Niccolò Machiavelli, as well as of a Florentine general who was a key strategist of the campaign at Anghiari--weaves the story of da Vinci's lost masterpiece through the narrative of the history-changing battle, and offers context on the development of humanist thought and the political intrigues of fifteenth-century Italy. Complete with maps and twenty-four color images, this is military history, political history, and art history all rolled into one, from a scholar whose ancestors were key players in the scheming, plotting, and fighting that led to this pivotal moment in Western history., When the armies of Florence, Venice, and the Papal States clashed with the forces of the Republic of Milan on June 29, 1440, it was more than just another skirmish between the ever-fractious Italian city-states: the outcome of the battle would bring the Medicis to power in Florence and lead to the Renaissance.