Ludovico Gonzaga | The Court of Mantua
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The Court of
Mantua Andrea
Mantegna
Detail. 1471-74, walnut oil on plaster,
805 x 807 cm, Camera degli Sposi,
Palazzo Ducale, Mantua
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Ludovico Gonzaga, condottiere
and court ruler of Mantua, turned his castle named the Corte
into a luxurious showplace for the visit of Pope Pius II in
1459. The most impressive room in Gonzaga's Mantua castle was
the Sala del Pisanello, a great hall decorated with
murals in an Arthurian theme by Pisanello
in 1447-48. Mantua was home to a few holy relics, primary among
them the "Most Precious Blood" and the lance of Longinus. The
blood was supposedly collected from the lance which was used to
pierce the side of Christ at his crucifixion.
Gonzaga initiated a campaign to improve Mantua's appearance
after the pope visited his court and reportedly criticized
certain aspects of the city. The court architect Leon Batista
Alberti
advised Ludovico on restoration of Mantua sites which housed
the holy relics. Also foremost in these efforts was Andrea
Mantegna
who served the Gonzaga for forty-six years as court artist
and was knighted by Gonzaga in the 1480s. Mantegna became an
accomplished courtier and so revered was that he dominated the
artistic scene of Mantua for many years.
Brenda Harness, Art Historian
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