Art and Patronage

The Renaissance era provided a very different financial model for artists than the 21st century does. Rather than selling art directly to consumers, as most writers, painters, and musicians do today, artists made their living by attracting the financial and political support of patrons. Anyone who was both wealthy and noble could, and usually did to a greater or lesser extent, become a patron of the arts. This could entail sponsoring a particular artist’s career, like paying all their living expenses, or simply supporting and promoting their work. In some artistic fields, patronage was required—for example, it was illegal for theatre troupes to operate without a noble patron, and they were legally considered to be household servants of that noble. Writers had a little more freedom, particularly those who—like Sidney—were themselves of noble blood. But such artists still usually relied...