lateQuattrocento

The Late Quattrocento was a period in the history of Italian art that spanned roughly from the 1480s to the 1520s, following the Early Quattrocento. This era is characterized by significant developments in various artistic fields, including painting, sculpture, and architecture. The term "Quattrocento" itself means "four hundred" in Italian, referring to the 15th century.

The Late Quattrocento saw the rise of major artistic movements such as High Renaissance, which is often associated with artists like Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael. These artists are renowned for their technical mastery, harmonious compositions, and exploration of perspective and human anatomy. The period also witnessed the development of Mannerism, a style that emphasized elegance, refinement, and intellectual complexity, as seen in the works of artists like Pontormo and Bronzino.

In sculpture, Donatello and his followers like Michelangelo continued to push the boundaries of realism and expressionism. The Late Quattrocento also marked the beginning of the High Renaissance in architecture, with the completion of iconic structures like the dome of Florence Cathedral by Filippo Brunelleschi and the design of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome by Donato Bramante.

The cultural and intellectual climate of the Late Quattrocento was also vibrant, with humanism becoming a dominant philosophical movement. This period saw the rise of notable scholars and writers like Pico della Mirandola and Giovanni Pico della Mirandola, who emphasized the potential value and goodness of human beings.

The Late Quattrocento ended with the Sack of Rome in 1527, a pivotal event that marked the transition from the Renaissance to the Baroque period. Despite this, the artistic and intellectual achievements of the Late Quattrocento had a profound and lasting impact on Western art and culture.