Much of the history of medieval and Renaissance Italy was determined by mercenary military commanders who hired out their armies to the highest bidders. Yet, when not occupied by war, condottieri exercised their minds by amassing some of Europe’s most impressive libraries and commissioning some of history’s most important works of art. Names like John Hawkwood, Francesco Sforza, Ludovico Gonzaga, Sigismondo Malatesta and Federico da Montefeltro not only fill the annals of Italian geopolitical history, but also the art history books as some of Italy’s greatest patrons of the arts.