patronage

thy merchant families, powerful political figures, and ecclesiastical authorities—each seeking to demonstrate their prestige, piety, and humanist ideals through sculpture and other art forms. The rise of city-states such as Florence, Venice, and Rome created competitive environments w

es rather than purely artistic expression. Economic Disparities Wealth and power concentrated in the hands of a few patrons, limiting access to the arts for the broader population. Artistic and literary pursuits were thus often