Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction : Between heaven and earth -- The world of the Renaissance artist -- Michelangelo's nose -- In Peter's shadow -- What David saw -- The workshop of the world -- Michelangelo in love -- The world of the Renaissance patron -- The art of power -- The men with the Midas touch -- Mercenaries and madmen -- The unholy city -- The Renaissance and the world -- Filippo and the pirates -- Salomone's crime -- The rising crescent -- Of human bondage -- Brave new worlds.

Renowned as a period of cultural rebirth and artistic innovation, the Renaissance is cloaked in a unique aura of beauty and brilliance. Its very name conjures up awe-inspiring images of an age of lofty ideals in which life imitated the fantastic artworks for which it has become famous. But behind the vast explosion of new art and culture lurked a seamy, vicious world of power politics, perversity, and corruption that has more in common with the present day than anyone dares to admit. In this lively and meticulously researched portrait, Renaissance scholar Alexander Lee illuminates the dark and titillating contradictions that were hidden beneath the surface of the best-known artworks of the Renaissance.