Synopses & Reviews
This book offers an engaging and original perspective on the private lives and material culture of patrician families in sixteenth-century Venice. Distinguished art historian Patricia Fortini Brown takes us behind the elegant faand#231;ades of grand palaces built along the Venetian canals and examines the roles of both fine and applied arts in family life as well as the public messages that these impressive homes conveyed.
Illustrated with hundreds of varied and unusual images, the book provides a lively picture of the aristocratic lifestyle during a period of changing definitions of nobility. The author considers such wide-ranging themes as attitudes toward wealth and display, the articulation of family identity, and the visual culture of Venetian womenand#151;how they decorated their homes, dressed, undertook domestic tasks, entertained, and raised their children. Recapturing the interplay between the public and private, she offers an account of Venetian households unequalled in vividness and detail.
Review
and#8220;Lavishly illustrated and handsomely bound, Private Lives takes us behind the scenes for a close look into the homes and families of some of Veniceand#8217;s wealthiest homes. Author Fortini Brown, through her use of vivid and precise detail, brings alive an era of sumptuous and privileged living. An impressive study.and#8221;and#8212;Art Times
Review
and#8220;[Brownand#8217;s] book, much aided by sumptuous illustrations and photography, captures the way Veniceand#8217;s developed sense of interior design profoundly reflected and enhanced its natural beauty.and#8221;and#8212;Sarah Dunant, The Times (London)
About the Author
Patricia Fortini Brown is professor and chair of the department of art and archaeology at Princeton University.