The society that produced the glories of Renaissance art was a multi-faceted one. on the one hand it produced the tender work of Giotto and the brilliance of Leonardo; on the other it encompassed the atrocities of Borgia, the fanaticism of Savonarola and the cynicism of Machiavelli. Civil disorder, political violence, religious discord and deep-seated corruption provided a setting in which genius flowered and where virtuosity originality and an explosive energy shone through in politics, in art, in thought and even in murder. Here, in this vivid survey, the whole sweep of renaissance achievement is brilliantly portrayed and analysed by Professor Plumb, assisted by a distinguished team of historians, including Kenneth Clark, Hugh Trevor-Roper, and Garrett Mattingly - and by over sixty illustrations of contemporary masterpieces.