Material culture is not static: objects are created, used and re-used, sometimes for centuries, and their lives interact with those of the people who made and used them. The essays in this book discuss the ‘social lives’ of objects in late-medieval and renaissance Italy, ranging from maiolica, through sculpture and prostitutes’ jewellery, to miraculous painted images.


Demonstrates the continued life of these objects well past the deaths of their creators and patrons.

Contains a series of original contributions by young scholars, representing a broad range of approaches.