Women, Art and Architectural Patronage in Renaissance Mantua

Combining primary archival research, contextual analysis of the climate of female mysticism, and a re-examination of a number of visual objects, this study sheds new light on the social, cultural and religious impact of the cult of female mystics of Mantua in the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries. It offers new insight into a complex world of sacred patronage, devotional practices and religious roles for women inside and outside the convent walls.