Dr. Rocky Ruggiero

Much of the history of Renaissance Italy was determined by mercenary commanders (condottieri) who hired out their armies to the highest bidders. Yet, when not occupied by war, condottieri commissioned 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 history, but also art history as some of Italy’s greatest patrons of the arts.