According to Dale Kent, patronage was an essential element in the cultural fabric of the early Renaissance in Florence, Italy and was expressed socially, politically, and aesthetically. Drawing upon letters and political documents at the time of the Medici, Kent seeks to illuminate patronage as a reflection of social norms and values and as a determinant of individual and collective behavior in the fifteenth century.
At the time of this interview, Kent, a Fellow at the National Humanities Center (1985-86), was professor of history at La Trobe University.
This edition of Soundings was conducted by Wayne J. Pond.
